Patty Iverson has a diverse and extraordinary background which includes construction and project management for both residential and commercial projects, with an emphasis on technology requirements for commercial tenants. She has provided corporate relocation consulting services to dozens of companies in the Pacific Northwest.
Patty has owned and operated several businesses and is happy to bring these skills to Project Management Insights. She built over forty homes as a licensed General Contractor in California and Washington and is the author of The Homeowner’s Manual: a Guide to Maintaining and Improving Your Home.
She’s a teacher and business owner, and loves helping people learn the skills that can lead to lifelong success. She believes it is never too early–or too late–to acquire new skills!
Project Management Insights is owned by iClarity, located in Kirkland, WA
The principles of effective project management are universal, whether you are just starting out or have become an expert. Every successful project manager had to gain knowledge through research, practice, mistakes, triumphs, repetition, and keeping an open mind. These experiences help you grow, and they are available to everyone who is willing to learn.
Patty’s story
When I was six my dad gave me a hammer for my birthday. He was a contractor and he wanted to teach his children the skills that he was using to earn a living. I was a girl who liked reading, dreaming about horses, and hanging out with my friends. I had no idea that I would grow up to be a contractor myself.
Motivation
I got closer to my dream of owning a horse when I found a place to take riding lessons. In high school I worked in my dad’s construction office in order to support my hobby—horses are expensive!
This was when I began to learn what was involved in seeing a complex project through from beginning to completion, and I still remember my dad explaining the concept of a “critical path” in a construction project when I was seventeen. His business had employees, subcontractors, clients, suppliers, and was governed by regulations, and I learned the basics of juggling these elements in order to keep a project on track.
Back to basics
I studied liberal arts in college, but I also taught horseback riding on campus as a part-time job. I thought construction project management was just my high-school job–not my career path. After college I became a teacher, but the region was growing and I decided to return to construction. I built the first small house based on a simple, hand-drawn plan and a shoestring budget, but the project was a success and I kept going.
I learned something from every single person I worked with—the roofer who liked to drink (a lot) when the project was over; the cabinet supplier who gave me a good price but was always late; the plumber who only worked evenings and weekends because he also had a “day job.”
I got a General Contractor’s License and a Real Estate Broker’s License and built dozens of homes. Building houses was challenging, but it was also fun and rewarding. From the initial planning stage through the marketing and sale of the completed project, I knew that every step was essential. You can’t sell a house until it’s completed and signed off by the building inspector—and you can’t sell it if the market has tanked. Long-term planning is necessary, and a little luck can’t hurt!
Pendulum swings
Anyone who has spent much time in the construction industry knows there are good times and slow times. Interest-rate swings, recessions, and regional growth variables can all take a toll, and during a recession I went to work for a non-profit housing agency that helped low- and moderate-income homeowners maintain their homes.
This was a new kind of project management, as I was working with dozens of contractors and property owners at a time. I went on to work for a city in California where I managed housing rehabilitation programs and some City facilities construction projects. The visibility and scope of my projects expanded, and the opportunities for professional development abounded.
The dot-com boom
As the tech world blossomed, project management tools matured. AutoCad design software, spreadsheets, websites, and management applications became the norm. I left City employment and took the plunge into commercial project management, working with start-ups and existing companies that wanted to expand into new office space.
Every company had a unique business model, and I learned something from every one of them. I worked with architects, engineers, designers, and highly-trained and sophisticated project managers (some of whom were building office towers). Each project had demanding clients with dozens or hundreds of employees. I’d come a long way on my project-management journey!
Pendulum, part 2
The economic fortunes of the country reversed late in 2008 (the “great recession”). Construction was shrinking at an alarming rate, and I did an about-face. I returned to my original career path—teaching—and started a child-centered business. This was a service business, and my management tools stood me in good stead. Instead of producing construction projects I was helping students in the early stages of their careers. Now I am teaching high school students, and I want to share the things I wish I’d known when I was starting out.
I may not be giving a six-year old child a hammer, but I am hoping to help anyone who wants to improve their professional skills. Project management concepts apply to almost everything that is worth doing well.
The world is a little different from when I was a kid, but one thing remains constant: students and adults who want to learn management skills need help and guidance along the way. I hope that Project Management Insights can contribute to achieving those goals.