Presenting well-known tools and techniques, the Home Builder's Guide to Continuous Improvement provides important insights and necessary information to reduce cycle time duration and variation in order to improve quality and customer satisfaction and to minimize costs and accidents. Each chapter offers examples based on the authors' personal experi

This new edition of this bestselling guide offers an integrated approach to process improvement that delivers quick and substantial results in quality and productivity in diverse settings. The authors explore their Model for Improvement that worked with international improvement efforts at multinational companies as well as in different industries such as healthcare and public agencies. This edition includes new information that shows how to accelerate improvement by spreading changes across multiple sites. The book presents a practical tool kit of ideas, examples, and applications.

By their very nature, construction projects can create seemingly endless opportunities for conflict. Written by a best selling author with over 40 years of experiences in the construction and general contracting business, Construction Process Planning and Management provides you with the necessary tools to save time and money on your construction project. In this book, Sid Levy provides valuable advice for avoiding or working through the common problems that are a result of the long-term nature of construction projects, failure to select a ?project delivery system? appropriate to the project, incomplete drawing and specifications, unrealistic scheduling, poor communication and coordination among participants, and inadequate contract administration. From project genesis, through design development to contractor and contract selection, on to construction oversight, punch list and successful project close-out, this book will point out those pitfalls to avoid and offer practical advice at every step along the way. Administer the general construction process including solicitation of contractor's qualifications (pre-qualify bidders), comparative analysis of bid packages, recommendation for contract award, contract document negotiation and documentation of job change orders Provide Project Planning and on-site management and coordination of all construction projects Ensure compliance of building construction rules and regulations and collaborate with chief engineers to monitor quality of construction Conduct technical/plan review of construction documents and submit written responses identifying required corrections or changes Design, implement and oversee Company standards for construction policies, practices and processes

A Practical Guide to Post-Occupancy Evaluation offers high-level pragmatic guidance and case study examples on how to conduct a Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) to determine whether a workplace project is successful and uncover the lessons learned for future projects. For designers, POEs provide essential predesign feedback, informing the design brief to determine occupant requirements and help focus expenditure. For those in charge of a building or buildings, POE offers proactive building management and can also be used as part of the change management programme in larger projects, informing the occupants of progress. The practical guidance offered in this book will help the workplace industry understand if a design meets the requirements of an occupier and measure the success of and value offered by a workplace project. This book will be of interest to professionals in the workplace industry responsible for delivering and evaluating capital projects as well as those studying interior design, architecture, surveying, facilities management and building services engineering.

Design your own sustainable home Many people dream of building a beautiful, environmentally friendly home. But until now there has been no systematic guide to help potential builders work through the complete process of imagining, planning, designing, and building their ideal, sustainable home. Essential Sustainable Home Design walks potential homebuilders through the process starting with key concepts, principles, and a project vision that will guide the house to completion. Coverage includes: How to clarify your ideas and create a practical pathway to achieving your dream A criteria matrix to guide design, material, and systems decisions Creating a strong, integrated design team and working with professionals and code officials to keep the project on track from start to finish. Key building science concepts that make for a high-performance, durable building Primer on building logistics, material sourcing, and protocols to ensure that the initial vision for the project comes to fruition. One-page summaries and ratings of popular sustainable building materials and system options. Ideal for owner-builders and sustainable building contractors working with clients aiming to design and build a sustainable home. Chris Magwood has designed and built some of the most innovative, sustainable buildings in North America, including the first off-grid, straw bale home in Ontario. He is co-founder and director the Endeavour Centre for Innovative Building and Living and co-editor of the Sustainable Building Essentials series. Chris is the author of Essential Prefab Straw Bale Construction, Essential Hempcrete Construction, Straw Bale Details, More Straw Bale Building , and Making Better Buildings .

“I’ve done complicated. It’s complicated.” Residential and commercial buildings account for 17% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States, that figure is roughly 29%. Net Zero homes, which produce at least as much energy as they consume, will play a key role in the current global climate crisis by drastically reducing energy consumption in the housing sector. Doug Tarry is a leading international authority on Net Zero homes. His company, Doug Tarry Homes Limited, has certified more Net Zero / Net Zero Ready homes (over 500 and counting) than any other builder in Canada. The title of Doug’s book, “From Bleeding Edge to Leading Edge: A Builders Guide to Net Zero Homes”, refers to his complicated and sometimes painful journey to Net Zero. Throughout the book, Doug offers his first-hand experience on what has worked and what hasn’t in building Net Zero homes, along with expert advice from some of the industry’s leading builders, building scientists and energy consultants. Much has been written about the technical details of building high-performance homes – the “what”. This book goes further and deals with the “why” and the “how”, discussing topics such as holistic design, embodied carbon, the Four Principals of Modern Design, the 100-year home, and climate resiliency. Written in plain language and infused with humor and storytelling, this book is a must-read for builders, renovators, architects, municipal officials, industry stakeholders and home buyers - anyone interested in the future of home building. It will help builders and their teams get to Net Zero in less time, with far less cost and pain.

Designed for department directors, physician chiefs, product and service line managers, improvement team leaders and facilitators, administrators, and trainers, this book is a practical guide to managing for continuous improvement in clinical and service processes. Part I lays out the concept of continuous quality improvement, the customer-driven management model and an exploration of the manager's role in quality improvement. Part II explores customer-driven management and process improvement--two models that build data-driven self-correction into daily management routines. Part III presents an in-depth discussion of the most useful and user-friendly tools of process improvement--tools that make processes, root causes of problems, decisions and plans visible and therefore easy discuss and reengineer. Part IV addresses typical concerns managers identify in their pursuit of quality improvement.