Most construction risk management starts with doing the basic project management properly. If the scope, price and programme are unclear, a risk register will not save the job. The simplest definition is: risk is uncertainty that matters. Weather, ground conditions, productivity and delivery times are all uncertain. They become risks when they could affect cost, time, safety, the environment or the business. Once you have estimated, scheduled, procured and reviewed the contract properly, put the remaining risks into a register: - Describe the cause, the uncertain event and the consequence. - Assess the likelihood and impact. - Avoid, reduce, transfer or accept the risk. - Assign an owner and review it regularly. Do you need to predict everything? No. You need to identify what matters, decide what you will do about it and keep the register updated as the job changes. I explain the complete process here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYt257YkSc4 Any questions, let me know!

Hey everyone, I’m John Fuchs. I’ve worked in construction since I was 16 and currently manage fit-out projects in the Netherlands and in the Philippines. Over the years, I’ve learned that schedules, subcontractors, variations, and impossible deadlines are only half the job the other half is staying calm when everything decides to go wrong before lunch. That experience also led me to become deeply interested in how contractors and project managers can think clearly under pressure, react less, and avoid carrying the entire project home in their heads. I joined to learn how others approach especially using AI in estimating, scheduling, systems, and growing a contracting business and hopefully contribute a few useful lessons from my own years in the industry. Curious: what creates the most unnecessary stress in your work clients, schedules, subcontractors, cash flow… or the famous “small change” that somehow changes everything?

Hello Everyone, I will be taking on the role as a construction estimator for a small General Contractor. Most projects are commercial renovations or new build businesses along with some residential new builds/ additions. I have done very basic takeoffs and entry level project manager tasks for about 3 months now. My goal is to be able to estimate a job from start to finish. I am excited to learn more about estimating and some techniques that will help make the process quicker.

Hey everybody, thought I would kick off a new post for August. What are your goals for this month and what are you trying to get out of the community? Mine are pretty simple and straightforward 1. Keep experimenting with AI and sharing what I'm learning 2. Keep making a ton of youtube videos 3. Keep learning about construction project management and working out the best way to deliver projects and run a construction business Keen to hear what you're goals are and what you want to get out of the community

There are five categories of tools we need to think about for estimating: - Take-off software - Estimating software - Document management - CRM and bid tracking - AI tools Some platforms do all of them, some only do one small, specific thing. Do I think you need five expensive construction-specific platforms? No. A smaller contractor could cover most of this with a purpose-built take-off tool, Excel, SharePoint or Google Drive, a simple CRM, and Claude or ChatGPT. As your team grows, dedicated estimating software or an all-in-one platform might make more sense. The important thing is choosing tools that suit your process and let you export your data. I broke down the different options in this video: https://youtu.be/AyL3tXCtz18 What does your current estimating stack look like? Which tools would you recommend?