The 80/20 Rule

The phrase 80/20 rule gets used by a lot of pundits to describe "that 80 percent of all our results in business and in life stem from a mere 20 percent of our efforts."

The original 80/20 rule came from the Pareto Principal which talks about root cause analysis - 80% of effects come from 20% of the causes. 

My 80/20 Rule 
It has been my experience that the first 80% of any task or project takes 20% of the time - and - the last 20% of a task or project takes 80% of the time.

Here are some examples:

1. Trade partners (construction subcontractors) will get about 80% of the work done, leaving 20% to be found by others. 
2. Students will prepare for about 80% of the test material, hoping the last 20% will not be on the test. 
3. Kids will clean 80% of their room, and hide the last 20% under the bed or closet.
4. Team members are gung-ho to finish the first 80%, but have other priorities at the last 20%. 

Why Does the Last 20% Need the Most Attention? 
It needs the attention because that is where the 'finish' zone is. The finish zone is where all the: 

• Synthesis is done. 
• Customer receives the value of the service. 
• The job /task/project is DONE and COMPLETE. 

The last 20% may be the hardest part, but it is worthy of the same attention and dedication and thoughtfulness as the first 80%. Here are some strategies: 

1. Understand the last 20% will be harder and give it the appropriate amount of project time. 
2. Give the effort that is required. It is hard being the last 20% team member, but I say it is rewarding to be a part of the 'finishing' team. 
3. Use more checks and balances so the last 20% is not so much about fixing things (see Last Planner, Agile methodology, and writing effective requirements.)

Finally, the pundits say "that 80 percent of all our results in business and in life stem from a mere 20 percent of our efforts." I think here they are talking about most of our time in life and business is not spent in productive pursuits. How much time do we spend trying to find that email the boss sent out that he/she wants an answer on? Too much time, I agree.

A job worth doing is worth doing well (and to completion). Planning well and good execution are the keys to success. 

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David Haynes, NCARB, PMP, LEED AP
Ideate Director of Consulting

David is a Registered Architect, Project Management Certified Professional, who previously had his own architectural practice and was President of a commercial design-build construction company for 15 years. A graduate of University of Arizona, he has worked as an Architect, contractor, developer and as a national construction manager for a national retailer. David currently provides business process analysis, virtualization and change management solutions for AEC clients across the United States involved in the design and building industry. Follow David on Twitter: @dhaynestech 

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This post was originally published on David’s blog Connecting the [Data]… 

Autodesk InfraWorks 2014 Proposals and Scenarios

At Ideate, we are reviewing the latest release of Autodesk’s Suites. New to the Infrastructure Design Suite is Autodesk InfraWorks, a re-branded and enhanced Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM). Autodesk InfraWorks is an easy to use, high-level collaboration, communication and visualization tool for planners, designers, and anyone else involved in the planning and pre-design phase of a project’s lifecycle. 

Two new features in InfraWorks are the ability to create Proposals and Scenarios. Proposals allow a user to develop simultaneous design alternatives while Scenarios allow a user to share designs online with groups of other users through an Autodesk 360 account.

Proposals
A Proposal is a design alternative. It is a set of InfraWorks objects developed on top of your existing data. A user can have many proposals in the same design footprint, allowing for multiple design alternatives. This can be done quickly and is useful for working with clients in real-time.

You access the Proposals dialog box on the home tab of the InfraWorks Ribbon, as seen in the image below. You can add different InfraWorks objects to create proposal components, as identified in the Proposals Dialog Box. To add components to a proposal, use the create/edit features tool bar. A user will need to make sure that objects are being added to the correct proposal. To do this, a user must set the correct Proposal in the drop down list in the Proposals Dialog Box, or the proposals drop down list above the InfraWorks Ribbon. Users can create, delete, and merge proposals in the Proposals Dialog box.

InfraWorks Ribbon

Proposals Dialog Box

Scenarios
A Scenario is an isolated geographical section of a chosen proposal which can be shared with other users. The Scenarios dialog box is accessible on the Present tab of the InfraWorks Ribbon. From the Scenarios dialog box, you can create, delete, edit, copy, and publish Scenarios as well as create Scenario files. A user can name, define the geographical extents, edit a few basic settings, and determine a display resolution for a Scenario, as seen in the Create/Edit Scenarios Dialog Box. Once a Scenario has been created, it can be published to a particular group to be viewed in either in an InfraWorks 360 mobile application or the InfraWorks desktop application. It can also be viewed in a web browser.

InfraWorks Ribbon

 

Scenarios Dialog Box

 

Create/Edit Scenarios Dialog Box

Both Proposals and Scenarios allow a user to effectively and efficiently communicate design intent of multiple design alternatives. I encourage you to check out these new features.

Visit our website at www.ideateinc.com to see what Autodesk InfraWorks can do.

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Kate Ming
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Kate has a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UC Berkeley. Prior to Ideate, she worked at a multinational company for four years doing general civil design on large infrastructure projects. She is versed in roadway, rail, and utility design. She also has experience with utility demand analysis and Low Impact Development plans. At Ideate, Kate provides training and support for Civil 3D, AutoCAD, and Navisworks.  

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New in 2014: Introduction to Autodesk InfraWorks 2014

Here at Ideate, we have been working hard to review all of the new products and features of the 2014 Autodesk design suites.  This year, Autodesk has re-branded and enhanced their Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM) program as Autodesk InfraWorks.
 
Autodesk InfraWorks is an easy to use, high-level collaboration, communication and visualization tool for planners, designers, and anyone else involved in the planning and pre-design phase of a project’s lifecycle.
 
All capabilities that existed in the last release of AIM (version R2 via Subscription Center) have been carried over and enhanced in Autodesk InfraWorks.  New create and edit feature options allow users to create riverways, pipes & structures, and tree alleys while enhanced road styles provide new profile viewing and editing capabilities.

The Autodesk Material libraries are shared in the 2014 product line, making interoperability even easier, and providing a high level of consistency across renderings and visualizations from product to product.  The added ability to directly import Autodesk Revit models allows a seamless incorporation of proposed designs into existing condition models built from GIS, Civil 3D, DWG, and other 3D model data.
 
Point Cloud data compatibility has also been added to Autodesk InfraWorks, and with the release of Autodesk ReCap, processing, editing and using point clouds is easier than ever.
 
Autodesk InfraWorks also includes brand new functionality in the form of Proposals and Scenarios that can be created within the InfraWorks model to highlight different design alternatives. Users can easily switch between Proposals to quickly show changes to the design. Scenarios can be published and shared online with an Autodesk 360 account.
 
For non-design suite owners, Autodesk has also created a way to access shared models via InfraWorks for the Web and the InfraWorks 360 mobile app for iPad.  Both are free products that either work directly in a web browser, or can be downloaded and installed on an iPad.
 
Included with Autodesk’s Building Design Suite Ultimate, and Infrastructure Design Suite Premium and Ultimate editions, Autodesk InfraWorks adds a great tool and tremendous value to the 2014 design suites.
 
Don’t forget to look through the great features our Ideate Technical Team has found in the new 2014 releases for Revit Architecture, Revit MEP, Revit Structure, Civil 3D, AutoCAD and more: ideateinc.com/2014

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Matt Miyamoto, P.E.
Ideate AEC Application Specialist
Matt is a licensed Civil Engineer in the state of Hawaii. Matt obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and has 7 years of private sector design experience which he applies in his role as an application specialist with Ideate, Inc. His project experience includes residential and commercial site development, private and public sewer, water and drainage systems, harbors improvements, and roadway improvements. While in Hawaii, Matt was involved in multidisciplinary projects for City and County agencies, State Departments, the Army COE and private developers. @MattM_PE

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