Get Serious about Your War Room (Bid Review Room)
The one thing I know about about car racing at the top level is the seriousness of the support crew. They make sure every tool is available to maximize their chance of winning and they don’t compromise. Recently I trained at a company in Atlanta that is taking the same approach when they planned and built their new office. Overall the building is impressive and game changing but what really stood out to me was their war room where they finish up their estimates. First they have four large TV monitors that is connected to a computer that can drive all four monitors. Now this is a fairly small room so the chairs are close to these monitors. They can have HeavyBid on one monitor, plans on the other and the specifications on the third. The fourth is probably reserved for Google Earth or web searches. Then they have a large whiteboard. I can’t emphasize enough the huge mistake companies make by not having the ability to draw on the whiteboard. We are in construction where visual plans are what we build and with that we need the ability to draw and communicate to an audience. If you don’t have a white board consider getting one is at least 8 foot wide. The progressive successful companies that I train will always have a white board (and fresh markers). Do you have a large room? Then maybe go with two projectors as the TV’s are just not the same visual quality for a larger audience. And a wide white board is still valuable in a big room. Conclusion: The war room concept is key to turning out successful, accurate and winning bids so make the improvements to this room that can make your company more successful.