Things have been a little hectic. I’m going to try a simplified letter for a month and see how this works.
As always, thanks for reading. Please subscribe if you’d like the next letter in your inbox.
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Highlighting Thoroughly
It feels like the dumbest hack to remind yourself to highlight text while reading document. However, it is invaluable for reviewing plans and specifications as an Owner’s PM.
When I started as a draftsman, I didn’t need to highlight things during my drawing reviews, because I drew every line and wrote every letter by hand. I’d highlight my boss’ redlines as I picked them up.
However, I picked up the habit at my last job in private practice. At first, it felt strange because I never highlighted books in school, but I quickly realized it was essential for keeping me focused on the work of my team.
More so for an OPM. We are a further step away from from the production, so it is easy to mentally overlook the details – especially the wall of text called a spec book.
Highlighting, what a basic idea! But if it maintains focus, that’s everything for a knowledge worker.
When I was in private practice, I used three highlighters. Yellow for reading and verifying coordination in the plan set. Green for redlines that have been picked up (to be applied by the draftsman doing the work). Orange for questions that need further discussion. Orange is the most neglected color, but it is critical because this third color lets the intern take notes and batch them into a single review with the supervisor when she is available.
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One Question
Do you have any critical hacks for your job? Are any of them specific to OPMing?
Hit reply and let’s chat!
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Thanks for reading the OPM letter! I’d love to have a conversation if you have any feedback. I hope you found some prompts to stretch your craft and relationships as a curious Owner PM. See you next week!
Stay humble, be kind, and keep experimenting!
Justus Pang, RA