Guild of Project Controls: Compendium | Roles | Assessment | Certifications | Membership

Tips on using this forum..

(1) Explain your problem, don't simply post "This isn't working". What were you doing when you faced the problem? What have you tried to resolve - did you look for a solution using "Search" ? Has it happened just once or several times?

(2) It's also good to get feedback when a solution is found, return to the original post to explain how it was resolved so that more people can also use the results.

The Richard Cranium Award

18 replies [Last post]
Tue, 2008-09-30 16:26
Mike Testro
User offline. Last seen 5 weeks 4 days ago. Offline
Joined: 14 Dec 2005
Posts: 4418
Groups: Building Information Modelling, Content Moderators, GPCCAR Editors
Ladies & Gentlemen

I propose that an award be made to the planner that admits to the most inspired mistake.

The prize will be to wear a barbie pink helmet on site.

I will start the thing off with three admissions of my own.

I once sent a team of decorators off to repaint the wrong fire station. Not so much a problem as we had only just finished redecorating it two months ago.

I sent off a tender for a refurbishment project with the words - "We have now included for any decoration works"
When I should have said "We have not included for any decoration works"

And finally I admit I have upset Carmen Arape with my blokish sense of humour. Sorry darling but that is how I am - much respect nevertheless.

Best regards

Mike Testro
Top

Replies

Mon, 2016-11-21 15:59
#1
Mike Testro
User offline. Last seen 5 weeks 4 days ago. Offline
Joined: 14 Dec 2005
Posts: 4418
Groups: Building Information Modelling, Content Moderators, GPCCAR Editors

Hi J B

That makes you a strong contender and since you are the only one you will probably win.

Unfortunately yu have to provide your own purple / pink helmet.

Best regards

Mike T.

Top
Wed, 2016-10-05 13:20
#2
J B
User offline. Last seen 7 years 29 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 5 Oct 2016
Posts: 2
Groups: None

I like to think I'm an intelligent and well read person. Having said that I'd like to point out that I just locked my keys in the ute. The house keys are on that key-ring so now I'm locked out of the house.

O.K. I start climbing through the unlocked kitchen window and go splat face first into the kitchen sink. Blood and water everywhere. Stagger down to the back door and it was unlocked the whole time.

Unless someone comes up with a better effort i'm claiming the Richard Cranium award for this year. 

 

J.

Top
Sat, 2008-11-22 15:17
#3
Samer Zawaydeh
User offline. Last seen 5 years 8 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 3 Aug 2008
Posts: 1664
Groups: Civil Engineering, Regional Representatives
Dear Mike,

I Agree, Carmen would be an excellent judge. Unless we make a panel of three..two guys and one girl like the American Idol.
Then we need another person besides Charleston.

Let the 1st Award Ceremony be held on 31th of December.

Best,

Samer
Top
Sat, 2008-11-22 05:08
#4
Mike Testro
User offline. Last seen 5 weeks 4 days ago. Offline
Joined: 14 Dec 2005
Posts: 4418
Groups: Building Information Modelling, Content Moderators, GPCCAR Editors
Hi Samer

Nice idea - as long as the winner agrees to were the pink helmet.

I think Carmen Arape would be the best judge - unless you prefer Charleston.

Best regards

Mike T.
Top
Sat, 2008-11-22 04:52
#5
Samer Zawaydeh
User offline. Last seen 5 years 8 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 3 Aug 2008
Posts: 1664
Groups: Civil Engineering, Regional Representatives
Dear Mike,

How about a list and a winner on a quarterly basis.

Samer
Top
Thu, 2008-11-20 04:27
#6
Roger Booth
User offline. Last seen 4 years 18 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 74
Groups: None
Following on from Gordon Blairs reply. I worked on the original build of that white elephant and got it to the stage where they were trying to commission it. 10 years later I find myself back in this field and I am working on the 3rd attempt trying to sort out what the building can be used for. Who was it that first said "It was alright when I left it"
Top
Tue, 2008-10-21 12:11
#7
Samer Zawaydeh
User offline. Last seen 5 years 8 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 3 Aug 2008
Posts: 1664
Groups: Civil Engineering, Regional Representatives
Hi all,

During the course of a three years project, we lost about 5% of the Contract profits. Fortunately, the end balance sheet of the project was positive 35% because we gains from difference in currency exchange during that period.

Great closing out.

Samer
Top
Tue, 2008-10-21 10:53
#8
Mike Testro
User offline. Last seen 5 weeks 4 days ago. Offline
Joined: 14 Dec 2005
Posts: 4418
Groups: Building Information Modelling, Content Moderators, GPCCAR Editors
Hi All

This wasn’t one of mine but I had the job of finding out why a column of numbers did not make any sense when totalled.

My colleague had included the date at the top of the column in the =sum formula.

Best regards

Mike T.
Top
Tue, 2008-10-21 10:09
#9
Dave Morrow
User offline. Last seen 11 years 48 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 26 Jul 2004
Posts: 29
Groups: None
When working! as Cost Planner I forgot to delete the extra zeros from a forecast line and a £250k project became a £250m one. Result panic stations!! but I did assure them it was a forecast!!
Nobody is perfect are they??
Top
Wed, 2008-10-08 09:19
#10
Gwen Blair
User offline. Last seen 10 years 28 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 2 Jul 2004
Posts: 182
Groups: Petro-Chem / Oil & Gas
Hmmm. . . . I worked on a site with a very sexist Site Supervisor (Cruelty Mannie) and his side kick (Wicked Weasil). Once we manned up, supervision was stretched especially as lots of fag breaks were reducing productivity. CM & WW crossed me (another story for another day)so I hinted that there was one particular crew who did no work all day and just cruised the site smoking, drinking tea and having a bit of craic. Guess their inspired mistake was to spend time trying to hunt down this non existent crew. We did, however, howl with laughter from the Engineering Building.
Top
Tue, 2008-10-07 02:19
#11
Nigel Winkley
User offline. Last seen 1 week 2 days ago. Offline
Joined: 11 May 2006
Posts: 187
Groups: The GrapeVine
Dear All

I had an old Open Plan project that I had to convert to P3. No original Open Plan software just the data files. Not too bad I suppose...
So I converted the DB files from Open Plan to Excel and then imported them 1000 activities at a times into P3. Did this 57 times (yup 57 000 activities).
Did the same with the successors...
Hit schedule...only to find that Open Plan gave me the predecessors not successors.
Start was at the end of the job, finish was the start milestone!
Just as I was telling the boss what a genius I was using all this software as well.
Not one of my better acheivements
Have fun
Nige
Top
Sun, 2008-10-05 16:48
#12
Samer Zawaydeh
User offline. Last seen 5 years 8 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 3 Aug 2008
Posts: 1664
Groups: Civil Engineering, Regional Representatives
Dear all,

After completing the installation of a 4 story Glass Sphere at the top of a sky scraper at 270m, it was noticed that the Glass did not come with a mechanism to clean it.

Since this was a Restaurant and people would be coming up to see the view, it was important to keep the Glass windows of the sphere clean.

After numerous solution, we ended up installing a 24 meter mono rail above the doom in each direction. A person would hang down the rail and clean the windows. Having a permanent sticks on top of the sphere in the 4 direction.

The good think is that you will not notice the rails from the ground. It is shown in the link below.

http://www.travel-images.com/view.shtml?saudi-arabia90.jpg

Have a nice day,

Samer
Top
Sat, 2008-10-04 14:52
#13
Samer Zawaydeh
User offline. Last seen 5 years 8 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 3 Aug 2008
Posts: 1664
Groups: Civil Engineering, Regional Representatives
Hi Mike,

We were excavating a small retaining wall along the Dead Sea using a Medium Excavator because "it was available at site" and because the soil is mostly mud, the machine sank into the mud up to the operator level. We had to bring a D10 Bulldozer to pull it out.

Cost: 2 days without progress, cost of D10, downtine of Excavator, repair of excavator.

Better solution: use lighter equipment of course.

Thank you,

Samer
Top
Fri, 2008-10-03 06:46
#14
Gordon Blair
User offline. Last seen 6 years 12 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 29 Jul 2005
Posts: 166
Groups: None
I know of a certain process building in the north west (which shall remain nameless) which was built and installed to the cost of £250M before they realised that the process involved would cause the plant to set itself on fire. Over 10 years later, the organisation in question is on it’s 3rd attempt to get some use out of what is now a £400M, and counting, White Elephant
Top
Thu, 2008-10-02 17:24
#15
Mike Testro
User offline. Last seen 5 weeks 4 days ago. Offline
Joined: 14 Dec 2005
Posts: 4418
Groups: Building Information Modelling, Content Moderators, GPCCAR Editors
Hi All

I think we need to move this on a bit - not what was the daftest thing YOU ever did but what was the most inspired mistake you have ever witnessed.

I will start the ball rolling again. I know of an office block in the UK that was built Upside Down.

A steel frame structure where the camber beams were fixed top down. It’s still there but it wobbles a bit when the trains go past.

Can anyone match that.

Best regards

Mike Testro
Top
Wed, 2008-10-01 06:28
#16
Samer Zawaydeh
User offline. Last seen 5 years 8 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 3 Aug 2008
Posts: 1664
Groups: Civil Engineering, Regional Representatives
Hi Mike,

Thank you for bringing the Richard Cranium site to our attention. It is funny.

Have a nice day,

Samer
Top
Wed, 2008-10-01 03:38
#17
Anoon Iimos
User offline. Last seen 2 years 14 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 22 Sep 2006
Posts: 1422
Groups: Pinoy Planning Planet Community
Mike,

I believe that in Planning Works, you need to do it right the first time (I am not considering clerical errors as mistakes - it can easily be rectified).

A Planner’s mistake is vital, if there’s a mistake in the Plan, it is not only for the Planner, it is for the Whole Team (but not all really understands that), and the shock absorber is always the Planner.

Now, are you going to admit that the Plan you made is rubbish!?

cheers!

Top
Wed, 2008-10-01 02:21
#18
Arnold Puy
User offline. Last seen 9 years 12 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 1147
Groups: GPC Qatar, Pinoy Planning Planet Community
Mike,

I’ll think first what are the mistakes I have made during the first 8 years of my Planning. I will post here later or sooner.

Regards,

Arnold
Top