Why You Need to Think More Strategically About IT

Jun 29, 2015 1:45pm ‐ Jun 29, 2015 3:00pm

Credits: None available.

Does your company have an IT strategy? If not, you are seriously limiting the productivity and communication benefits of IT. CFMs who think more strategically about their use of IT have been able to drive real business results. Learn what to consider when putting together an IT strategy and how to start building a business-improvement IT plan.

Learning Objectives:
  • Understand what IT investments other construction companies are making and why.
  • Identify where IT could drive the best return for your company based on research and real-life examples.
  • Know how to conduct an audit to pinpoint your current IT strengths and weaknesses.
  • Know how to build a business case for necessary IT investment.
  • Understand why an IT strategic plan will protect your company from major data security risks

Get It Done: Applying Lean Six Sigma Principles to Streamline Your Accounting Process ENCORE

Jun 29, 2015 1:45pm ‐ Jun 29, 2015 3:00pm

Credits: None available.

Strategic business decisions within the construction industry require accurate and timely financial information. Is your company struggling to make data-driven decisions in a fast-paced environment? Are you duplicating processes and looking to improve efficiencies? In this highly interactive session you will learn how to apply Lean Six Sigma to your accounting processes, and use a detailed toolkit to help identify inefficiencies and initiate process improvement in a proven and systematic way.

Your Leadership Role as a CFM in Transforming Your Organization

Jun 29, 2015 1:45pm ‐ Jun 29, 2015 3:00pm

Credits: None available.

It’s time to move past just talking about strategic business planning and get down to the process. Hear from an industry veteran who will share what he has learned about reasearching, developing, documenting, communicating, implementing, and continuously improving more than 200 strategic business plans. He'll also coach you on the CFM’s role in the planning process, how to become more strategic, and how transform yourself and your company.

Learning Objectives:
  • Demystify strategic business planning, remove the misconceptions, and understand current best practices.
  • Learn the vocabulary of seasoned strategic CFMs so that you can earn, or keep, your seat in the board room.
  • Understand the multiple-phase planning cycle so well you can take it back home and put it in place in your company.
  • Master the most common barriers to strategic plan implementation and learn how to win over (and maybe even impress) the naysayers.
  • Leave the session with not only technical insight, but also inspiration to be a strategic purpose agent.

Captive Insurance Companies - What Is the Fuss All About?

Jun 29, 2015 1:45pm ‐ Jun 29, 2015 3:00pm

Credits: None available.

This session addresses numerous questions on captives: What is a captive insurance company and what types exist? How does a captive insurance company operate? Who is a good candidate for captive insurance? When is a captive Insurance arrangement applicable? Why should a contractor consider captive insurance arrangements? How do CCIPs and Subcontractor Default Insurance policies work in a captive arrangement? Should the captive company be located in a foreign or domestic location? What are the exit strategies and issues? How important is business purpose?

Learning Objectives:
  • Understand what a captive insurance company is.
  • Learn the business benefits to a construction company.
  • Discuss the current business and tax issues confronting those in captive arrangements today
  • Learn the dos and don’ts of a captive arrangement.

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly - OCIP/CCIP from a Subcontractor's Perspective

Jun 29, 2015 3:15pm ‐ Jun 29, 2015 4:30pm

Credits: None available.

This presentation will educate subcontractors on the challenges and risks associated with OCIP/CCIP insurance programs on larger jobs. Both insurance and legal issues unique to subcontractors will be analyzed and discussed.

Learning Objectives:
  • Describe potential gaps in coverage between a subcontractor’s policies and OCIP/CCIP program coverage.
  • Identify the steps that should be taken to protect your company if a claim arises.
  • Identify the risks and benefits of an OCIP/CCIP program to determine if your company should participate.

Surety Claims from Start to Finish

Jun 29, 2015 3:15pm ‐ Jun 29, 2015 4:30pm

Credits: None available.

The presentation will provide the anatomy of a surety claim. It will include background on how the process works from start to finish and insight into what triggers a claim, the legal requirements for asserting a claim, and what occurs when the claim goes into suit. It will also discuss strategic considerations and the perspective of claimants, principals, and sureties on the process.

Learning Objectives:
  • Identify different types of bonds and the claims that can be made under them.
  • Describe the surety claims process and how it integrates with other legal claims for payment. 
  • Learn how to manage the surety claims process to avoid a big loss for your company
  • Describe the steps that can be taken to place the company in the best possible position if a claims must be made on a bond.
  • Learn techniques to use the surety claims process to complete jobs and ensure a profit for your company

Document Management, Project Management, Collaboration: Content Storage & Collaboration

Jun 29, 2015 3:15pm ‐ Jun 29, 2015 4:30pm

Credits: None available.

There are many products in the market that can replace the traditional shared drive, cloud storage, and e-mail. This presentation examines the various types of solutions used by operations for project management, document management, workflow, storage and retrieval, design collaboration, and file sharing. The benefits and drawbacks to each of these solutions and how to best implement and integrate them with existing systems will also be addressed.

Learning Objectives:
  • Review the different types of software solutions that store and organize documents, act as a collaborative platform for PM or document sharing, and host data.
  • Build a better understanding of which solutions may improve the document management system within an organization.
  • Provide clarity on types of available solutions

How to Create an Organization of Highly Engaged Employees Who Think & Act Like Owners

Jun 29, 2015 3:15pm ‐ Jun 29, 2015 4:30pm

Credits: None available.

Why can’t my employees see the issues I see? Why don’t they focus their attention on the important issues? Do they understand the cost of doing business? As a business owner or leader, you’ve probably agonized over these questions at some point. The problem is not that your employees lack the interest or capacity to contribute, but rather simply that they haven’t received the information, education, or tools.

Learning Objectives:
  • Establish business acumen – teach employees the fundamentals of business so they can link the tasks they perform to business objectives and, ultimately, their incentive plans.
  • Instill transparency and accountability – identify key indicators, build scoreboards and rapid improvement plans, and create an environment of high visibility and accountability.
  • Provide incentives and equity sharing – build incentive and/or broad based equity plans that really work.
  • Find your organization’s higher purpose – move people beyond the entitlement mentality and toward a mentality of earning and purpose

Schemes, Scams & Swindlers: Insights into Organizational Fraud

Jun 29, 2015 3:15pm ‐ Jun 29, 2015 4:30pm

Credits: None available.

Fraud schemes committed by employees and other insiders are serious problems in today’s economy, and few companies do enough to stop it. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners 2014 “Report to the Nations,” the median loss suffered by companies in the construction industry is $245,000. Stories about real-life fraud schemes will be shared from a professional experienced in uncovering fraud, along with practical tips to reduce fraud risk. 

Learning Objectives:
  • Learn the true cost and impact of fraud in the construction industry and how this affects your company and the industry.
  • Recognize the symptoms and warning signs of fraud when it’s occurring.
  • Learn about the inner workings of embezzlement and other fraud schemes through real-life examples.
  • Gain practical fraud risk reduction tips 

Small-Firm CFO Roundtable Discussions

Jun 30, 2015 6:00am ‐ Jun 30, 2015 8:15am

Credits: None available.

Following a brief presentation based on survey results for the topic of IT Challenges sent to all Small CFMA Contractors, join your like-minded peers for thought-provoking roundtable discussions about this issues that are challenging small construction financial professionals. Back by popular demand with a new expanded open forum, this session is intended for the CFOs/financial management staff of contractors with revenues of $1-25M.