Completing a Project, Task, or Estimate

Words: Steve Fechino

I hope that the fall is upon you and that things are beginning to cool off. I truly feel blessed to be part of this trade; it has taught me discipline, work ethic, and pride. This may sound a bit funny, but here is why those lessons are important. Here in Tennessee, while writing this, it is 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the humidity is high. I have projects that are not concerned about the weather. Therefore, I cannot worry about the weather, but as I get older, I react differently to those hot days. You older guys know the "it can wait until tomorrow" or "sounds like a problem for tomorrow" mentality will not fly when something needs to get done today!

Here is what I have been doing as a way to organize my projects and allow me to wrap them up. The first thing I do is break up a project into tasks. I then decide what materials and equipment are needed for each phase of the work. This works well even for projects at home. Once I have thought about the project, the tougher parts can be worked out ahead of time in my head, and then the process begins. Here's where the discipline kicks in: As I go through the projects, time is always monitored. How long does this take? Will it take more time than I thought? When you get to the end, it is easy to think you are about finished, even though you still have several time-consuming tasks to complete.

Here is what I have learned, sometimes even the hard way: the project is tiring, you are tired of the project, and it does not matter. You need to keep a fresh look at the project every day. Once you are set up, there will never be a more economical day or way to finish, so "let's go!" Use the excitement with which you began the project to carry you to the end. This is your project, not someone else's. Your name is on it; be proud and finish it the way you were taught.

When a project has taken a toll on you, it is easy to let the little things go, saying things like "it will be fine" or "that does not matter." Well, they definitely do matter. Have you ever been at the tail end of a project and seen something that you did not like or that was not the way you would build it for your favorite person? I had just last week, and I had to tear it down and rebuild it. It was not much, but my name was on it, and yes, if you know me, it probably still had issues, but it looked better.

As a person in this trade gets older, the lessons tend to slow down just a bit, and experience assists us in managing our day-to-day efforts. It is important for me to personally use my experience to improve upon how I have performed in the past and improve on what I once did. It is easier to be better, but even easier to just say "that is good enough." Please do not be that guy.

The office is not exempt from the same tensions as the field; a project can be exhausting for those folks as well. After the summer months, we always bid and budget projects that would wrap up our year and prepare us for the next year. It is a busy time. Take-offs, requesting quotes, discussing manpower and equipment, and pricing summaries are all important parts of the project, as important as building it correctly and doing the work right the first time.

We work in a trade that has the best folks; we are all hard-working, and we all take great pride in what we do. It is important to keep the energy even when we are tired, make today better than you expected, and say thank you to your crews. You will end up going home every day listening to the radio a bit happier and arriving home with a bigger smile than usual.

Completing a Project, Task, or Estimate

About: Fechino Files

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