Raising the Bar for Home Performance
New standardized work specifications aim to eliminate work defects and transform the retrofit industry. [continue reading]
The High-Performance House--What Does it Take?
Life is full of bumps and holes. But in a well-constructed house, no bumps or holes should interrupt the boundary between conditioned and unconditioned space or the barrier that prevents air movement between the outside and the inside. [continue reading]
Handling Framing Details in High-Performance Homes
The location and installed integrity of the 3C barrier will dictate the comfort, health, and safety of the home's occupants; the durability of the structure; and the amount of energy required to heat and cool the home. [continue reading]
Cracking the Quality Code
Seemingly minor errors are eating performance contractors' profits in ways most of them don't understand. Here's how to get that profit back. [continue reading]
Culture and the Quality Management System
WEB ONLY
The first and most fundamental step of quality management system (QMS) design is to establish guiding principles. “We hold these truths to be self evident,” as in the Declaration of Independence, came over ... [continue reading]
Creating the High-Trust, Blame-Free Company
WEB ONLY
The legal philosopher Joel Feinberg says that creatures use blame to “stain” things, marking them as harmful. Blaming is an essential adaptive strategy, he says—reflexive and primitive. I believe we can ... [continue reading]
Crossing the Home Performance Chasm
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." —John F. Kennedy [continue reading]
Strategies for Motivating and Retaining Superior Employees
When we want to motivate people, the most common thing we do is dangle a carrot in front of them to get more of what we want, and use a stick when we want less ... [continue reading]
