I’m pleased to introduce Byron Largen, CPA from Mountjoy Chilton Medley LLP (MCM), as this week’s guest blogger. MCM is a CPA firm with a team of accountants dedicated to construction accounting.

Construction markets remain competitive, so it comes as no surprise that construction companies have to be at the top of their game throughout a project. One of the biggest stumbling blocks, though, is often at the beginning of a project – during bidding – but there are key areas to avoid in order to make sure your teams stay on track.

Now that it’s the end of May, commencement ceremonies have started across the country with speakers giving new graduates advice on how to survive “the real world.” Many of these graduates – whether they’re in high school or college – will enter the workforce and face new challenges and situations. I know that as a parent I’ve tried to prepare my own children for the challenges they’ll face by trying to equip them with skills they’ll need, but it’s up to them to actually use these skills.

As the construction industry comes out of some tough times, business development is playing a larger role in the day-to-day activities of construction companies. Now that we’re seeing signs of life, contractors are moving from cost-cutting mode to “get-work” mode. But it’s not as if they can just pick up where they left off. Changes in the competitive environment as well as how companies are doing business have created a “new normal.” A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a webinar presented by FMI consultant Scott Moyer, in which he discussed the new business development environment and some key areas to focus on for success. Here is what I took away from Scott’s presentation.

When it comes to project management software, contractors have numerous options, from spreadsheets and generic applications to software designed for the construction industry. I recently read an industry survey on the subject that not only provided some interesting insight, but also confirmed the things I’ve been saying about project management software.

To paraphrase a popular phrase, “Change is the only constant.” As a company, we’ve been going through a number of changes ourselves. Last week we wrapped up our 17^th Annual Users’ Conference, and I have to admit I was a little nervous about our decision to change venues and hold the event at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in downtown Seattle. But by the end of the conference, I couldn’t have been more thrilled. So much so that I’m going to place a shameless plug in my blog – if you ever visit Seattle, consider the Fairmont as your place to stay!