Programs

Change our Industry – As change agents in COGENCE Companies, we are trying to drive lasting change in our industry. In this program we defined the standard of Waste Elimination we should all strive to follow.

Determine how to design changes into our companies operating philosophy – on specific Waste topics we have uncovered in the previous sessions.

The November 13^th program finalizes the “Appreciative Inquiry” 5-D Cycle to “Design – what should be” and “Destiny – create what will be”.

The mission of Cogence is to drive the industry together and collectively improve project delivery.

• Presentation: COGENCE NEO Program 23 Presentation_2019-1113 (PDF)

• Research tells us that incorporating technology can increase productivity by 14%-16%. How? Creating a more efficient workflow, empowering teams to be transparent with opportunities and risks results in cost savings for all. Full integration is required to create the return and capitalize on the upfront investment. Learn how Cogence partners have been experiencing similar results.
• As Leaders, we need to create opportunity not obstacles for infusing technology into our work. RJ Reed, Director of Practice Innovation for Whiting-Turner, will engage us in a Choosing by Advantage workshop to illustrate our role in technology. We will conclude the session with a look into emerging technologies
• The mission of Cogence is to drive the industry together and collectively improve project delivery.
• Presentation: Cogence NEO_Strategic Advantage of Integrating Technology_Final_2019-0911 (PDF)

• This program follows the discovery session from the March program that investigated waste concerns in our industry using recognized waste form categorizes. That program organized our partners in their respective groups and challenged them to brainstorm on industry waste forms. These were compiled by their respective categories and voted to rank the most concerning.
• Attached is the full compilation of these waste concerns; an attempt to assign the influences: people, process or technology; and thematic relationship to project activity within our industry.
• The July 10^th program will employ “Appreciative Inquiry” principles to “Dream what might be”. We will seek to find the root cause of success to influence positive change within the following themes through group dialogue and overall partner conversations.
• The mission of Cogence is to drive the industry together and collectively improve project delivery.
• Please contact Bonnie at Admin@Cogence.org for additional information
• Cogence July 2019 Program_Industry Waste (PDF)

• Cogence was founded on the basis that we collectively can improve project delivery in Northeast Ohio.  The State of our Industry continues to be negatively influenced by our inability to collaborate, waste in our production system, and the resistance to engage technology.  We have had two years of engaged dialogue surrounding collaboration, and now we need to determine our next topics of focus for Cogence to continue to influence our market.
• We had an ngaged conversation about the overarching topics of waste and innovation and how Cogence can provide solutions.  Together we laid out the next two years of program content and the direction of Cogence NE Ohio Chapter.
• Northeast Ohio: Program Presentation March 2019 (PDF)
• Northeast Ohio: Meeting Minutes March 2019 (PDF)

• Today’s workplace is radically different than it was even 20 years ago, and the impact of technology is not always for the better. There are now four generations of employees in the workplace, mashed together in a cauldron of constant change, distractions, and complexity.
• In this interactive workshop, author, speaker and business coach Kelly Riggs presents the most pressing leadership issues and offers specific approaches to dealing with the challenges of the new, technology-infected workplace.
• Cogence is sponsoring this event in place of the Northeast Ohio January Roundtable. Attendees do not need to be Cogence Partners or SMPS members to attend.
• To Register visit:  SMPS Special Event: The Leadership Dilemma
• Event details: Tuesday, January 22, 2019, 11:30am – 1:30pm, The City Club, 850 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH

• We are excited to continue our team building conversation from the Cogence Town Hall event in November 2017. Ellen Burts-Cooper will be joining us to dive deeper into the importance and keys of building transformational teams.
• We will continue to Navigate the 7 Critical Attributes for Cohesion, Productivity and Resilience and challenge ourselves to learn more about the tools we need in our “team building toolbox” to further our mission of improving project outcomes through collaborative delivery methods.
• Cogence Program 13 2018-0110 (pdf)

• Establishing a GMP process in a collaborative manner has proven to be a relevant topic for all of us. When and how do we need to collaborate? During our last session, we began to develop an ideal flow for each of the three distinct phases of GMP development.
• The three distinct phases of GMP development are:
  • Origination of the Project Budget
  • Development and Documentation of Project
  • Finalization of the Guaranteed Maximum Process
• Partners joined together to further define the steps during each phase of the GMP development process.
• See the attached document to see the work they have done to-date.
• Cogence Program 11 2017.09.13 (pdf)

• This session continued the theme of the March session, project management. We focused on the challenges that project managers face on a CM at Risk project.
• Prior to the session, we surveyed Cogence Partners to identify those challenges. During the session, we worked together to identify possible solutions to each group’s challenges.
• View the Program Presentation to see the top 3 challenges identified by owners, architects, engineers, construction managers, and trades partners, along with proposed solutions.
• Some common threads that can help the entire project team: Collaborate (in the sense of active participation). Communicate. Early involvement. Educate. Create reliable expectations. Use time wisely.
• Program Presentation (PDF)

• At this program, we examined and developed ideas on how teamwork can reduce the risk of financial loss by discussing a scenario familiar to all: The budget is fixed, the scope is undefined, all of the team members are not engaged, but everything is moving full steam ahead…What would you do?  Many have been in this situation and, while sensing impending risk, are hesitant to raise a voice of concern.
• After brief presentations of business models and risks, we had an interactive role-play session. Owners, designers, CMs, and trade contractors traded places to understand how early project actions and decisions affect the financial risk of other project team members. Each group listed the actions that project team members could take to mitigate their risk.
• We wrapped up with a discussion of the following three questions:
  1. What led to the situation?
  2. What could be done to manage risk?
  3. What could the project team do differently?
• Together, we gained understanding of our different business models and financial risks, identified why and how certain actions put us in a potential hardship position, but most importantly discussed how teams can reduce the financial risk for all.
• Program Presentation (PDF)
• Program Minutes (PDF)