Construction is Hard: Presented by RIVET
Brian Witt and Gary Fuchs share decades of experience tackling Workforce Management problems with thousands of contracting businesses, as well as experiences, challenges, and success from contractors across the globe. They also love cigars and bourbon 🥃
Episodes
19 episodes
The WFM Champions
This special episode features the construction Workforce Management Champions group, an incredible group of electrical and mechanical contractors partnering with RIVET. The group discusses project managers and their role in labor management, su...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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52:44
Team Buy-In
Brian and Gary discuss adopting Workforce Management transformation among construction contractors and the importance of team buy-in, with new co-host Dustin Acker, RIVET Implementation Manager.
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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1:13:38
Pushing the boulder up the hill
The Hot Seat is a burden disguised as a promotion. Some shops call it Director of Field Force. Others, Superintendent. Regardless of the name, it’s a tough job. How long can you ride the lightning before burning out?It doesn’t have to be...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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14:46
So you wanna build your own WFM tool?
Building your own Workforce Management platform is expensive. On top of that, makeshift scheduling tools can’t withstand the test of time and will leave you in a lurch when they inevitably fail. Your people will find the limitations of your sof...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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22:49
Squandering the Superintendent
Let’s talk about Superintendents. Who are they, and what do they do? This episode is dedicated to the hardworking people in this mission-critical role that are notoriously burdened by administrative tasks and outdated tools to do their job.&nbs...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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26:51
Detailing
The devil is in the details. This episode of Construction is Hard takes a look at the perils of runaway detailing budgets.You probably know a Two Week Thomas. Ask him how much longer he’s on a project, and he’ll always give the same answ...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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25:41
A Contractor’s Tech Adoption Mentality Part 2
We continue our chat with Toby Mitchell from Classic Electric & Consulting about tech adoption for contractors. They dive into how software companies are perceived and how important it is to ensure contractors are the right fit for adopting...
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45:42
A Contractor's Tech Adoption Mentality
Season 2 is here, and this time we brought a friend! Hosts Brian Witt and Gary Fuchs are joined by Toby Mitchell, president of Classic Electric & Consulting. Toby shares insights from his paper, providing a simplified guideline and a starti...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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43:40
Episode 11: Workforce Management R.O.I.
In the season one finale, Brian & Gary go deep on R.O.I. — return on investment. When you marry Workforce Management principles with a tool fit to the task, you open doors to achieving profits and efficiencies that couldn’t have possibly ex...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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50:02
Episode 10: Workforce Management Discipline
You’ve implemented the six pillars of Workforce Management. Now what? Sticking to it with a Workforce Management platform, ensuring strict processes and guardrails are in place across the organization to keep things running smoothly. Join Brian...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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1:01:42
Episode 9: Workforce Management Pillar 6: Productivity
Join Brian and Gary on the sixth pillar in the WFM Business Practice: Productivity. We define Productivity as “units of work placed or produced per man hour.” And it’s not to be confused with Earned Value Analysis, that’s a management and plann...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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39:25
Episode 8: Workforce Management Pillar 5: Information
Why are we talking about Information? Imagine printing out a colored CAD drawing. All the systems are different colors - the power is blue, the fire alarm is red, etc. But then you send the black and white version of the drawing out to the fiel...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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34:54
Episode 7: Workforce Management Pillar 4: Communications
Join Brian, Gary & special guest Toby Mitchell from Classic Electric & Consulting on the fourth pillar in the WFM Business Practice: Communications. We define Communications as the active push of information to pertinent parties. Why ha...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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27:36
Episode 6: Workforce Management Pillar 3: Schedule
The third pillar in the Workforce Management business practice: Scheduling.What is Scheduling? A simple concept, but harder when you really break it down. Brian and Gary define Scheduling as “the process of allocating current employees ...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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40:08
Episode 5: Workforce Management Pillar 2: Roster
We’re on Pillar 2 of the Workforce Management Business Practice. If you’re short on labor, but also behind on maintaining your workforce Roster in a software platform, you’re not set up for success in your field operations. Brian and Gary guide...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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20:52
Episode 4: Workforce Management Pillar 1: Forecast
A deep dive into the first pillar of Workforce Management pillars: Forecast. Forecasting is a hot topic — it seems like everyone is chasing it. Brian & Gary break down forecasting and discuss misconceptions related to mixing up project plan...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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24:06
Episode 3: Move from “We are in Spreadsheet Hell” to Sustainability
It’s common in construction to find labor coordinators in a stressed position, and that’s usually because they don’t have the right platform. Without technology in place, the people and processes take on the weight. Learn how Gary searched for ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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24:52
Episode 2: The WFM Bridge
Brian & Gary crack open the basics of the Workforce Management business practice uniquely tailored to self-perform and MEP contractors. With technology evolving in construction, the business practice is evolving too.Ask yourself: ar...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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22:17
Episode 1: Better Workforce Management for Speciality Contractors
Inconsistent Workforce Management is the norm across construction. It’s not standard to do labor planning for all projects, but it should be. Tune in to the inaugural episode where Brian & Gary finally unleash a Workforce Management Program...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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20:14