Having the right equipment in cycling will make a huge difference in efficiencies. Having the right “equipment” in your business will mean the same thing.
I was apprehensive about using clipless pedals. I admit it. I am a fairly strong rider but I began to realize I wasn’t going to be efficient enough to make the 100 miles in my goal of six hours if I didn’t find a way to improve. The ride I am signing up for has some pretty hefty climbs (category 2 for you riders that follow the ratings scale) and efficiencies are important when you are taking on elevation changes.
I was full of excuses about making the change to my pedals/shoes. It was going to be another investment, it was going to mean a learning curve and it might also mean some bumps and bruises as I got used to the change.
But I did the research and I took on the challenge. I knew that being connected to my bike would mean that I would be able to use less energy, I knew it would mean that the climbs would come easier as I focused less on my feet and more on my lungs. I knew that it meant that my riding would improve and it would be worth the expenditure. It would be worth the learning curve.
As I completed 42 miles of hill (or climb) training this past weekend I was thinking about how this correlated to an investment in project management software for architects and engineers. And it led me to thinking about the excuses. When I call on your firms to gage interest in our business/project management system, I often hear the same resistance. When asked if you have the right business/project software tools I get the same answers “we have what we need, we don’t want to change, we don’t want to make another investment in business software, we’ve spent enough on administrative or overhead items, we don’t have time for the learning curve”. I get it.
But sometimes we have to take the chance to get to the next level. We have to invest and make change if we are going to meet our goals. If you want to have the means to hold your staff accountable, if you want to have real-time metrics to stay on top of project budgets or if you want to know if your projects are profitable (or not) then it means you need to have the right equipment – software that is designed for the industry and gives you the tools to improve.
If small architectural/engineering firms invest in their businesses, they can be wildly successful. I am now completely connected to my bike, and I can feel that wild success coming as well. And, that’s a good thing!