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Adroit’s Experts are the Two Recipients of the AACE International 2018 Technical Excellence Award

Posted on May 19, 2018May 29, 2018 by Adroit

Adroit is proud to announce that AACE International (the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering) has awarded its 2018 Technical Excellence Award to Dr. Maryam Mirhadi and Dr. Amin Terouhid, two of Adroit’s principal consultants. This award is given by the AACE International to recognize outstanding technical contributions to the Association in the project and cost management community. Technical excellence may be accomplished through significant achievement or contribution to technical division work or administration and by playing an instrumental part in the development of technical products.

Dr. Mirhadi and Dr. Terouhid have received this award, in part, because of their role in authoring three Recommended Practices (RPs) including RP91R-16 Schedule Development, RP 92R-17 Analyzing Near-Critical paths, and RP89R-16 Management Summary Schedule. Excerpt of these RPs can be found on the AACE International website at this address: https://web.aacei.org/resources/publications/recommended-practices

The AACE International Recommended Practices are intended to be the main technical foundation of our educational, and certification products and services. The RPs are a series of documents that contain valuable reference information that has been subject to a rigorous review process and recommended for use by the Technical Board.

With 7,000 members in 100 countries, AACE International has been serving the total cost management community since 1956. AACE is committed to the constructive exchange of ideas between members, development of technical guidance and quality education and recognition of subject matter experts.

Adroit will be providing a training seminar at the 2018 AACE International Conference & Expo

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Adroit

Adroit will be providing the following training seminar at the 2018 AACE International Conference & Expo in San Diego, CA on June 27 and June 28, 2018: Managing a Project from A to Z – A Methodology Based on Key AACE Recommended Practices.

This seminar provides a project management methodology based on a select set of AACE recommended practices. This methodology identifies the key process steps in managing projects and specifies the tools that can be used in each step for successfully using the methodology in managing real-world projects. With its novel approach, the seminar explores how work breakdown structures need to be developed, and how these structures can effectively be used to produce the list of project activities. The attendees will then practice developing and managing a project schedule based on the key requirements outlined in the corresponding recommended practices. Other topic areas include project cost estimating, project risk management and project execution. With its focus on the AACE Recommended Practices, the seminar reviews the relevant recommended practices in each step of the methodology and provides a variety of examples to effectively use content knowledge and relevant skills in teaching the concepts.

The course material contains both tutorials and example-based exercises. To enable educational training and learning objectives to be planned and measured properly, exercises will specifically target each of the learning objectives outlined above. Additionally, the assessment questions will be created such that they correlate with the seminar learning objectives. More information about the content of this educational seminar is provided below:

Learning Objectives and Method of Measurement

Apply a proposed project management methodology that can be used for effective management of real-world projects
Identify the key process steps in implementing real-world projects and the tools and techniques that can effectively be used in practice
Identify the key AACE recommended practices that relate to each process step to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the key requirements of each recommended practice

Knowledge Areas Addressed
Project Time Management, Project Cost Management, Project Risk Management, and Project Control and Project Control Process

Agenda

Day 1

Develop process- and deliverable-oriented Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)

AACE International Recommended Practice 33R-15 Developing the Project Work Breakdown Structure
AACE International Recommended Practice 39R-06 Project Planning – As Applied in Engineering and Construction for Capital Projects

Develop Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS) and Responsibility Matrix

AACE International Recommended Practice 83R-13 Organizational Breakdown Structure and Responsibility Assignment Matrix

Produce the Activity List based on the process- and deliverable-oriented WBS’s

AACE International Recommended Practice 23R-02 Identification of Activities
AACE International Recommended Practice 37R-06 Schedule Levels of Detail—As Applied in Engineering, Procurement, and Construction
AACE International Recommended Practice 32R-04 Determining Activity Durations

Develop the project schedule

AACE International Recommended Practice 24R-03 Developing Activity Logic
AACE International Recommended Practice 61R-10 Schedule Design – As Applied in Engineering, Procurement, and Construction
AACE International Recommended Practice 48R-06 Schedule Constructability Review
AACE International Recommended Practice 38R-06 Documenting the Schedule Basis

Day 2

Manage the project schedule

AACE International Recommended Practice 53R-06 Schedule Update Review – As Applied in Engineering, Procurement and Construction
AACE International Recommended Practice 54R-07 Recovery Scheduling—As Applied in Engineering, Procurement, and Construction
AACE International Recommended Practice 49R-06 Identifying the Critical Path
AACE International Recommended Practice 92R-17 Analyzing Near-Critical Paths

Prepare project cost estimates

AACE International Recommended Practice 18R-97 Cost Estimate Classification System
AACE International Recommended Practice 19R-97 Estimate Preparation Costs in the Process Industries
AACE International Recommended Practice 40R-08 Contingency Estimating – General Principles
AACE International Recommended Practice 34R-05 Basis of Estimate

Manage project risks

AACE International Recommended Practice 72R-12 Developing a Project Risk Management Plan
AACE International Recommended Practice 57R-09 Integrated Cost and Schedule Risk Analysis Using Monte Carlo Simulation of a CPM Model
AACE International Recommended Practice 62R-11 Risk Assessment: Identification and Qualitative Analysis
AACE International Recommended Practice 63R-11 Risk Treatment

Execute the project and use project control techniques

AACE International Recommended Practice 55R-09 Analyzing S-Curves
AACE International Recommended Practice 60R-10 Developing the Project Controls Plan
AACE International Recommended Practice 82R-13 Earned Value Management (EVM) Overview and Recommended Practices Consistent with EIA-748-C
AACE International Recommended Practice 86R-14 Variance Analysis and Reporting

Instructor: Dr. Amin Terouhid, PMP, DRMP, PSP
Dr. Terouhid is Adroit is a principal consultant at Adroit Consultants, LLC. He has a master’s degree in industrial engineering and another master’s degree in civil engineering. With a Ph.D. in construction management, Dr. Terouhid’s expertise is focused on project planning and scheduling, construction claim analysis, and cost engineering. As an expert, Dr. Terouhid has provided consulting services to a wide range of clients for more than 14 years especially in the gas, petrochemical, and construction industries.

He also has extensive teaching and research experience in the fields of operations, project, and construction management. He is the primary author of three AACE recommended practices (RP 89R-16, RP92R-17, and 91R-16), and has published a variety of articles, with a focus on construction management, in scientific journals and presented his works in international conferences. He also holds Project Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP), Decision and Risk Management Professional (DRMP), and Project Management Professional (PMP) certificates.

To find out more and register, please check out the following links:

https://web.aacei.org/resources/interactive-learning/seminars/conferenceexposeminars/d3-managing-a-project-from-a-to-z—a-methodology-based-on-key-aace-recommended-practices

https://web.aacei.org/resources/interactive-learning/seminars

Adroit obtained the WBE Certificate from the State of New Jersey

Posted on March 19, 2018 by Adroit

In March 2018, Adroit obtained the WBE Certificate from the State of New Jersey, the Division of Minority and Women Business Development in the Department of the Treasury. As a result, Adroit will be engaging more in state-funded projects being undertaken in the State of New Jersey with defined Women Business Enterprises (WBE) goals. Please contact us if you are looking for a WBE-certified project management consultant.

The WBE certificate is designed to promote equality of economic opportunities for MWBEs and to eliminate barriers to their participation in state contracts. An important objective of the program is to:

Encourage and assist state agencies to award a fair share of contracts to MWBEs.
Review applications by businesses seeking certification and maintain a directory of certified MWBEs.
Promote the business development of MWBEs through education and outreach to NYS agencies as well as MWBEs.

For more information, please contact the Division of Minority and Women Business Development at:

Division of Revenue

Business Support Services Bureau

P.O. Box 455

Trenton, NJ 08646

http://www.nj.gov/njbusiness/contracting/

http://www.nj.gov/njbusiness/documents/contracting/NEW%20MBE-WBE%20%20Web%20Application%20JAN_2012.pdf

Adroit Launched On-Demand, Remote Project Scheduling Services

Posted on February 4, 2018February 4, 2018 by Adroit

Use our on-demand, online project scheduling services and take advantages of a unique mix of experience and expertise that delivers high-quality services in expeditious and professional manner. Although Adroit, among other project management services, provides on-site project planning and scheduling services to a wide range of clients, it has added the on-demand, remote project scheduling services to its portfolio of project management services to provide more convenience to those clients that are interested in acquiring this level of service. Some clients need a level of service that is satisfied if a competent project scheduling professional manages the schedule remotely, updates the schedule based on the latest progress achieved, and make adjustments as needed.

Here are example project scheduling software applications that we use in providing our project scheduling services:

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Project is one of the most commonly-used project scheduling applications that uses a variety of features ranging from activity sequencing and grouping to project resource planning and leveling. East of use, wealth of features, and seamless integration other Microsoft products are some of the reasons for popularity of Microsoft Project among project management professionals.

Primavera P6

Primavera P6 is a feature-rich project scheduling software application. This application is among the suite of products that Oracle offers to project management professionals. Its features range from developing project networks and schedules to project risk management, schedule monitoring, controlling, and updating.

Others

Microsoft Project and Primavera P6 are not the only project scheduling applications that project management professionals use for planning and scheduling purposes. Other project scheduling software include Primavera P3, SureTrak, and open-source applications such as ProjectLibre.

How It Works

Email or call us at +1.352.327.8029 and provide the minimum information we need to estimate what it takes for us to complete your assignment.
We review the information provided and respond in less than six hours and provide an estimate of the expected engagement cost and terms.
Within the agreed upon terms, we complete the assignment and turn in the outcome as expeditiously and professionally as possible.

For more information, please contact us.

Adroit Obtained the WBE Certificate from the City of New York

Posted on February 1, 2018February 1, 2018 by Adroit

On January 31, 2018, Adroit obtained the WBE Certificate from the City of New York, Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity. As a result, Adroit will be engaging more in city-funded construction projects being undertaken in the City of New York with defined Women Business Enterprises (WBE) goals. Please contact us if you are looking for a WBE-certified project and construction consultant.

The New York State Division of Minority and Women’s Business (MWBE) Development is designed to promote equality of economic opportunities for MWBEs and to eliminate barriers to their participation in state contracts. An important objective of the program is to:

Encourage and assist state agencies to award a fair share of contracts to MWBEs.
Review applications by businesses seeking certification and maintain a directory of certified MWBEs.
Promote the business development of MWBEs through education and outreach to NYS agencies as well as MWBEs.

The Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Certification Program connects certified businesses with opportunities to sell their products and services to New York City agencies. The program’s goal is to promote fairness and equity in City procurement processes by providing services designed to strengthen the ability of certified M/WBEs to increase their capacity and effectively contribute to the City’s economy.

For more information, please contact SBS at:

NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)

Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity

110 William St, 7th Floor

New York, NY 10038

www.nyc.gov/sbs

http://mtprawvwsbswtp1-1.nyc.gov/

Adroit’s Principal Consultant, A Primary Author of AACE Recommended Practice 89R-16 Management Summary Schedule

Posted on December 16, 2017December 16, 2017 by Adroit

The Association for the Advancement of the Cost Engineering (AACE International) has recently released Recommended Practice 89R-16 Management Summary Schedule. Dr. Mirhadi, Adroit’s CEO and one of Adroit’s principal consultants is one of the two primary authors of this recommended practice. The AACE International Recommended Practices (RPs) are intended to be the main technical foundation of AACE’s educational, and certification products and services. The RPs are a series of documents that contain valuable reference information that has been subject to a rigorous review process and recommended for use by AACE’s Technical Board and they become references for project management practitioner throughout the world.

This recommended practice (RP) characterizes management summary schedules, describing their intended use, and identifies considerations for developing and updating these summary schedules. It also addresses roles and responsibilities relating to, and considerations in, communicating management summary schedules to ensure these schedules are used as effective planning, scheduling, and control tools in projects. This RP for management summary schedules is intended to be a guideline, not a standard. Here is the link to an excerpt from this recommended practice. For more information about the strategies for the effective use of project schedules, please feel free to contact us.

References:

https://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_89r-16.pdf?sfvrsn=8

http://web.aacei.org/resources/publications/recommended-practices

Adroit’s CEO Co-Authored AACE Recommended Practice 92R-17 Analyzing Near-Critical Paths

Posted on November 4, 2017December 16, 2017 by Adroit

On October 18, 2017, the Association for the Advancement of the Cost Engineering (AACE International) released AACE International Recommended Practice No. 92R-17 Analyzing Near-Critical Paths. Dr. Mirhadi, Adroit’s CEO and one of Adroit’s principal consultants is one of the two primary authors of this recommended practice. The AACE International Recommended Practices (RPs) are intended to be the main technical foundation of AACE’s educational, and certification products and services. The RPs are a series of documents that contain valuable reference information that has been subject to a rigorous review process and recommended for use by AACE’s Technical Board and they become references for project management practitioner throughout the world.

This recommended practice (RP) is intended to provide a guideline on analyzing near-critical paths in project schedules. Delays or unexpected circumstances may adversely affect near-critical path activities to the extent that they become critical. A near-critical path consists of one or more near-critical activities that are susceptible to the risk of becoming critical and/or causing critical path delays.

This RP will discuss the term near-critical path and the significance of near-critical paths in projects; demonstrate how to determine near-critical paths; and set forth a process for tracking, trending and analyzing near-critical paths. Here is the link to an excerpt from this recommended practice. For more information about the methods of analyzing critical and near-critical paths, please contact us for a free consultation session.

References:

http://web.aacei.org/docs/default-source/toc/toc_92r-17.pdf?sfvrsn=6

http://web.aacei.org/resources/publications/recommended-practices

Adroit’s experts are primary contributors to AACE Recommended Practice RP 91R-16: Schedule Development

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Adroit

Adroit’s competent consultants, as the primary authors of AACE Recommended Practice RP 91R-16: Schedule Development are now working to finalize RP 89R-16. The Association for the Advancement of the Cost Engineering (AACE international), which is one of the well-known international organizations of cost engineering in the world, will release this recommended practice to its members and project management practitioners throughout the world.

On September 19, 2017, AACE international announced that the public review period for RP 91R-16: Schedule Development was closed. Adroit’s competent consultants are now reviewing the comments provided by the project management community to finalize this recommended practice. RP 91R-16: Schedule Development is to be used for schedule development. Schedule development involved providing project schedules based on the project scope or work. It includes identification of project activities, project milestones, activity dependencies, durations, resource needs, project and resource constraints, and other schedule basis information into the project schedule.

Adroit congratulates its expert on this substantial achievements! To find out more about the process of developing project schedules and ways that Adroit’s consultants may be of assistance in preparing and updating project schedules, please contact us.

Adroit’s experts are finalizing Recommended Practice RP 89R-16: Management Summary Schedule

Posted on September 23, 2017 by Adroit

Adroit’s competent consultants, as the primary authors of Recommended Practice RP 89R-16: Management Summary Schedule are now working to finalize RP 89R-16. The Association for the Advancement of the Cost Engineering (AACE international), which is one of the well-known international organizations of cost engineering in the world, will release this recommended practice to its members and project management practitioners throughout the world.

On September 19, 2017, AACE international announced that the public review period for RP 89R-16: Management Summary Schedule was closed. Adroit’s competent consultants are now reviewing the comments provided by the project management community to finalize this recommended practice. RP 89R-16: Management Summary Schedule characterizes management summary schedules and defines their intended use. It also identifies the most important considerations for development and updating these summary schedules. RP 89R-16 also addresses roles and responsibilities relating to and considerations in communicating management summary schedules to ensure these schedules are used as effective planning, scheduling, and control tools in managing projects, programs, and portfolios. This RP for management summary schedule is intended to provide a guideline for use by planning and scheduling professionals. Adroit congratulates its expert on this substantial achievements! To find out more about the process of developing project schedules and ways that Adroit’s consultants may be of assistance, please contact us.

Dr. Mirhadi Co-Authors (PS-2670) Draft Recommended Practice 92R-17: Analyzing Near-Critical Paths

Posted on June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 by Adroit

The 2017 AACE International Annual Meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency Orlando June 11-14. One of the articles that was presented in this event was (PS-2670) Draft Recommended Practice 92R-17: Analyzing Near-Critical Paths. Dr. Mirhadi, the CEO of Adroit, was the co-author of this draft recommended practice that will be released for public review in the near future. An abstract of this technical article is included in the following excerpt from the AACE website. Contact Adroit for more information or to learn more about the methods of analyzing near critical path.