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Guest Author: Katy Ruzicka, DOTomation Project Manager / Sr. Proposal Coordinator
Imagine this all-too-real scenario: You’ve just started work at a new firm, and there is a proposal opportunity that you know you would be valuable as proposed key staff because you have experience doing the exact same kind of project. But… you don’t know if you remember all of the details that the RFQ is asking for, and you are not sure if you can even find the project description because someone else always handled that process.
Did you just kill your chance at helping your new firm land a great job?
How do you keep from being in this situation (and others like it)? Keep a Personal Project Log (PPL)!
Who needs to keep a PPL? Anyone who might ever be proposed as staff on a project or who wants to be someday. Starting as an EIT, an SIT, lab assistant, etc, begin keeping your own log of projects that you have been involved in, and you will not regret having this information at your fingertips.
What information should you keep in your PPL? For any project in which you had a role, you should keep track of:
- Project name, dates, and location
- Your role on the project
- Project description, including scope of work, limits, methods used, any other technical information such as linear feet, products used, software used, and specialized services
- Project Manager, Owner, and Client contact information
- Project fee, construction cost, contract delivery method
- 5-star content; lessons learned; challenges, solutions, and outcomes; cost/time savings
- Good photos
When should you start your PPL? Start it yesterday.
When should you update it? Update it as often as possible. Make a calendar reminder once a month or once a quarter. Take an hour or so to add new projects that have started, update projects in progress, and update dates, costs, and final outcomes on any completed projects.
Who benefits from all of this? Everyone! You benefit by always having information at your fingertips when you need to build a resume, contact a previous project manager or client, or get yourself precertified in a DOT work category. By keeping the contact information updated, you will be able to build your own personal network.
Your marketing professionals will be grateful for your conscientiousness because you will be able to easily supply them with details needed for proposals. Bonus: if you share your updated information with them, they won’t even have to ask you for that information!
With hundreds of firms like yours in the same market, employees are struggling more and more to explain what makes your firm stand out in the crowd. We help AEC firms like yours clarify your unique message, giving you a better chance to win more work.
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