Vacation at the Shelter Institute

I spent a week in Maine from Aug 5-11 taking a course on timber frame construction at the Shelter Institute in Woolwich, Maine.  The class, Purely Post and Beam, taught by Pat Hennin and his family provides a practical and very hands on introduction to traditional timber frame construction from drafting, tool selection, cutting, sharpening and joinery to ultimately assembling a 24’X24’ post and beam frame that could serve as the core supporting structure for a small home (Later in the week, we took a house tour to see some of the homes they have helped build and we met a women living in the exact layout we eventually built).

What did I learn during this experience?  Most importantly, I quickly realized that building a timber frame home without power tools is a lot of work.  There are 120 joints in the structure my class mates and I erected.  Most of these were cut manually using very high-quality (i.e. expensive) chisels and slicks.  It takes practice and talent to use these tools well and patience and time to complete all of the cuts accurately (i.e. faithfully to the design) and precisely (i.e. how well the cuts are executed). Accuracy and precision were evaluated against a documented design plan for the building (the ‘cut sheet’).  The plans served as a road map for the team executing the design. Pat also showed us how modern power tools can be used to speed up the process. He alerted us of the significant potential risk of using ‘automated technology’ poorly (i.e. a circular saw can make a bad cut much faster than a hand saw).  The Hennin Post and Beam crew is skilled at both hand and power tools to ensure not just accuracy and precision, but also time to market and profitability.  (The school is part of a multi-faceted business that includes a store where they sell the tools of the trade, and a timber frame construction business that designs and builds timber frame kits for construction projects).

There are clearly many parallels between the worlds of home building and enterprise systems management.  First, is the power of having clearly documented and agreed upon processes.  The cut sheet tells the team what to do when and where, but may not specify ‘how’. That said, the ‘how’ is critical as well. Having skilled technicians who understand and can execute manual methods is a great advantage, but enabling skilled personnel with automated technologies is essential to maximize productivity and compete. The tools are a means to an end and when utilized properly they can ensure that ‘the house is built’ more quickly and meets the requirements of the end user (When asked during the class how Pat would deal with a particular construction problem, he responded ‘Well, it depends on who the end user is.” The implication as I understood it was that the quality of service he provides depends on who was being served)

Overall, I was very, very impressed and really moved by the spirit and commitment of the Shelter Institute team. In my brief time with Pat H I found him to be an inspiring individual with strong beliefs in the power of the individual. Yet, only by working together, effectively and collectively as a team could we have raised the frame on that Friday.  (I revisited their web site after writing this and saw that they do team building training as well.) 

Many thanks to the Hennin clan and the rest of the staff (especially Arturo for his personal assistance and guidance in the shop), for their honest commitment to teaching, building and living well!