New Group of Executive Programs from Harvard Graduate School of Design

This summer, among the more than 40 executive education programs offered by Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD), six will focus on practice management and business development strategies for principals and managers in architecture, landscape architecture, planning, engineering, and construction firms.

Financial, marketing, and project management issues will all be addressed in this new group of programs that will enable participants to develop new skills to build and sustain more successful organizations.

The programs offered include:

• Financial Management for Design Firms, July 16-17, Instructor: Lowell V. Getz, CPA, Houston, TX
• Project Budgeting, Concept Estimating, and Life-Cycle Costing for Economic Sustainability, July 16-17, Instructor: Stephen J. Kirk, Ph.D., Kirk Associates, Grosse Pointe Park, MI
• Contract Fundamentals for Project Managers, July 18, Instructor: John Philip Bachner, Bachner Communications, Inc., Washington, DC
• Beyond Project Management: Creating a Positive Business Climate, July 19-20, Instructor: David J. Cirillo, Ph.D., Cirillo Consulting, Boston, MA
• Writing for Success in Architecture and Engineering Design Practice, July 23-24, Instructor: Stephen A. Kliment, architect, journalist, New York, NY
• Revealing the Brand Story: How to Create Meaning, Value, and ROI, July 31-August 1, Instructors: Bill Hill, Matt Rolandson, and Brett Wickens, MetaDesign, San Francisco, CA; Anaezi Modu, ReBrand, Providence, RI

Financial Management for Design Firms -- Firms that combine professional excellence with sound financial management are the most successful. However, the emphasis on design aspects of the firm's operations frequently overshadows the time devoted to business practices, which can lead to weak financial controls. This program focuses on understanding financial reports and on learning to recognize the early warning signs of financial problems in time to take corrective action. Now in its 23rd year at Harvard, this program is intended for principals in firms of all sizes as well as for business and financial managers new to the design professions.

Project Budgeting, Concept Estimating, and Life-Cycle Costing for Economic Sustainability -- The cost of a project is one of the most significant factors in its becoming a reality. This two-day program provides a basis for the many areas of cost management that the design and construction professional may face. Intended for project managers, architects, engineers, construction managers, and sustainability specialists, the program offers hands-on examples that will familiarize participants with different types of estimates and their components. With this basis, through research, study, and practical application, they can further expand their cost management/estimating skills relative to their own discipline or management position. Other methods of cost control, such as value management, will also be discussed.

Contract Fundamentals for Project Managers -- This program focuses on basic contract issues project managers need to understand in order to proceed wisely, lowering their own and their firm's exposure to claims and losses. These issues include the relationship between project size and project risk, the impact of project size on contracting procedures, oral versus written agreements, moving forward prior to the signing of the contract, personal liability, using the contract as the project manual, and the reasonable professional rule. The program also covers subcontractor management and proven techniques project managers can apply to derive greater value and client satisfaction while reducing risk.

Beyond Project Management -- Creating a Positive Business Climate
This two-day program consists of two interrelated parts:
Part One-Organizational Alignment: A Winning Strategy for Motivating Employees, Retaining Customers, and Growing Revenue. Owners, managers, and employees interested in examining research-based drivers of employee satisfaction and customer loyalty and how to diagnose and fix problem areas will find this program useful. By showing how to act on critical alignment data, participants will learn winning strategies that lead to engaged employees, deeper customer loyalty, and revenue growth.

Part Two-Organizational Power and Influence to Achieve Project Success. In the context of modern project management, power-its use and its potential for producing outstanding achievements-is examined here. Specifically, those responsible for running projects and higher-level managers will gain an understanding of how to use power and influence more effectively to achieve desired project outcomes.

Writing for Success in Architecture and Engineering Design Practice --
Architects and engineers often find that to succeed in practice and to advance their careers, they need to devote over half their time to writing. This program, geared for design firm principals and their marketing directors, senior project managers, and department heads, will help participants master the principles of clear and focused writing based on realistic situations and examples. Attendees will also learn to recognize the benefits and pitfalls of communicating online, and master the special circumstances of writing to overseas clients and associates.

Revealing the Brand Story: How to Create Meaning, Value, and ROI --
Whether devised for a multimillion-dollar global project or a small renovation, a coherent brand story sets the stage, informs the solutions, and drives market success. This two-day program uses a combination of lectures, case studies, and client and peer reviewers to take attendees through team-based exercises with a proven framework and methodology for revealing the essential brand story for clients and/or for their own organizations. Participants will learn to define the sometimes nebulous concept of branding, identify direct and indirect project constituents, and position their projects and/or firms to meet evolving demands and maximize ROI and measurable value.

Harvard GSD's executive education programs are registered with the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Continuing Education System and earn AIA/CES units. Complete program and registration information can be found at www.gsd.harvard.edu/execed