Evolving Project Management at Hill & Wilkinson with Schedule Validator
Hill & Wilkinson General Contractors
1968
Multifamily Residential Construction
Richardson, Texas
Nationwide footprint in the multifamily residential sector
Decades of iconic construction projects across Dallas
Leadership legacy rooted in fairness, humility, and quality
Expanded footprint across Central Texas and Fort Worth
Founded by Luther Hill in 1968 as Luther Hill & Associates, Hill & Wilkinson emerged as a beacon of construction excellence in the industry. After his commendable journey with Rice University and notable service in the US Army Corps of Engineers, Luther Hill embarked on a storied career in construction.
From monumental projects like Dallas’ North Park Mall to Perkins Hall at Southern Methodist University, his footprint is seen across many iconic structures. Known for his humility, commitment to quality, and safety, Hill’s ideals form the cornerstone of Hill & Wilkinson’s business practices. The baton of leadership eventually passed to Greg Wilkinson and Fritz McKinstry in 1985, propelling the company through economic adversities and establishing its reputation further.
Hill & Wilkinson, while expanding its nationwide footprint in the multifamily residential sector, encountered palpable challenges, especially in managing project insights across diverse ventures. Some substantial hurdles were the quality of schedules, updating cycles, alignment with contract document schedule terms, and obtaining real-time, actionable project insights.
The need for a tool that didn’t compromise depth for aesthetics and provided precise, actionable data without a time lag became apparent. This period underscored a demand for a solution that bridged the gap between data collection and actionable intervention, ensuring enhanced resource allocation and operational efficiency.
Maintaining Overall Quality & Reliability of Project Schedules
Alignment of Project Timelines with Contract Schedule Terms
Updates Reflecting Accurate Project Progress
Anticipating Potential Delays
Managing Efficient Updating Cycles
Hill & Wilkinson adopted Schedule Validator, a tool designed to scrutinize and validate project schedules, ensuring alignment with contractual obligations and enhancing overall schedule management efficiency.
The tool empowered Hill & Wilkinson to:
Enhanced Communication
Improved Planning & Execution
Centralized Project Oversight
Strategic Review & Decision-Making
Proactive Issue Identification & Resolution
“Communication has significantly impacted our organization’s schedules through Schedule Validator.”
Hill & Wilkinson
By harnessing the capabilities of Schedule Validator, Hill & Wilkinson optimized their project management processes, resulting in more seamless communication, advanced strategic planning, and meticulous execution across all active projects. This integration not only facilitated an enriched operational framework but also fostered a culture of precision and proactive management, ensuring projects adhered closely to planned schedules and quality benchmarks.
Schedule Validator brought forward several notable benefits to Hill & Wilkinson’s project management:
Swift and comprehensive examination of project timelines and practices, minimizing disruptions and enhancing alignment with contract specifications.
A structured approach to verify and maintain adherence to contractual schedule terms, safeguarding against potential legal and financial ramifications.
Streamlined processes to ensure project schedules are routinely and accurately updated, reflecting real-time progress and foreseeable adjustments.
The capability to conduct rapid assessments against unexpected project impacts, safeguarding adherence to contractual timeline obligations.
Ensuring meticulous and consistent quality across all project schedules, mitigating risks, and preventing potential project derailments.
“Very efficient and effective analysis of overall practices and quick checks against impacts vs. contract terms.”
Hill & Wilkinson
Navigating through the complex landscape of construction projects, Hill & Wilkinson, bolstered by Schedule Validator, enhanced their schedule management practices, ensuring unwavering alignment with contract terms and enabling a seamless progression through their projects. The ability to swiftly analyze, adjust, and adhere to meticulously planned schedules has not only safeguarded them against potential setbacks but has also fortified their reputation for reliability and excellence in the construction industry.
Average overall score achieved
Average overall score Sustained improvement over two years
Average overall score KPIs driving project success
Effortlessly blending into their weekly/biweekly project updates, Schedule Validator streamlined data integration and swiftly identified and addressed emerging issues. The facility with which problems were recognized and solutions implemented showcased the tool’s potent communication features.
Navigating through their planning and execution schedules, Hill & Wilkinson witnessed a notable uptick in operational efficiency, evidenced by an impressive surge in their average overall score to 72 – showcasing a marked improvement over the preceding two years. This was not merely a numerical enhancement but a reflection of the amplified efficacy and strategic fortitude in their planning and execution phases, fundamentally altering how projects were perceived, planned, and executed.
The Project & Enterprise Dashboards, lauded by Hill & Wilkinson, emerged as a pivotal component in their strategic project review and oversight. Especially given the high volume of concurrent jobs in the field, the dashboards offered a consolidated, at-a-glance view of all active projects, enabling an efficient means to view, compare, and subsequently manage them collectively. This fortified their project management capabilities and enabled a more nuanced, data-driven approach to operational strategy and resource allocation.
Navigating through the myriad of KPIs, Hill & Wilkinson identified execution scores, critical path slip changes, completion variance, and overall quality scores as the most beneficial in driving project success. These KPIs served as valuable metrics in gauging project health and progression. They became instrumental in communicating their strategic review processes, ensuring a consistent, reliable trajectory toward project completion while maintaining stringent adherence to quality and timelines.
In essence, Schedule Validator did not merely serve as a tool; it became an integral component of Hill & Wilkinson’s operational and strategic tapestry, weaving through their projects and instilling a layer of precision, predictability, and enhanced communication across their endeavors.
Hill & Wilkinson, while expanding its nationwide footprint in the multifamily residential sector, encountered palpable challenges, especially in managing project insights across diverse ventures. Some substantial hurdles were the quality of schedules, updating cycles, alignment with contract document schedule terms, and obtaining real-time, actionable project insights.
The need for a tool that didn’t compromise depth for aesthetics and provided precise, actionable data without a time lag became apparent. This period underscored a demand for a solution that bridged the gap between data collection and actionable intervention, ensuring enhanced resource allocation and operational efficiency.
“When asked about the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that drive our success, we focus on execution scores, critical path slip changes, completion variance, and the overall quality score.”
Hill & Wilkinson
“Given we have a high number of jobs in the field at one time, it’s a good way to view and compare all of them at one time.”
Hill & Wilkinson
Company Evolution
Hill & Wilkinson’s story began with Luther Hill’s vision in 1968, laying the cornerstone of what would become a long-standing edifice in the construction industry. With roots firmly planted in the values of fairness, humility, and a commitment to quality and safety, the company built a name for itself through landmark projects that shaped the skylines and communities of Dallas.
Today, Hill & Wilkinson is a testament to adaptive growth and innovative excellence. From its headquarters in Richardson, Texas, to its expanding footprint across Central Texas and Fort Worth, the company has built more than just structures—it has built trust and a legacy that continues to grow. With Schedule Validator, Hill & Wilkinson has sharpened its competitive edge, ensuring that every project, regardless of scale, is managed with the highest standards of excellence and efficiency that Luther Hill envisioned back in 1968.
Looking ahead, Hill & Wilkinson is poised to not only continue its trajectory of growth but also to redefine the parameters of success in the construction industry, staying true to its mission of delivering outstanding service and forging lasting relationships. With each project, Hill & Wilkinson is building more than buildings; it's making the future.
"First introduced to a competitor's program by our SDI carrier, it was fine, but Schedule Validator seemed to have better support for our needs."
— Steve Camp, Hill & Wilkinson
