Charles  Nelson Author of Evaluating Organization Development
FEATURED AUTHOR

Charles Nelson

General Manager
PSMJ Resources Australasia

I am an American architect with a half-century of diversified experience, and moved to Australia in 1984 with my Australian wife, Jennifer Fall. I’ve had some lucky breaks that have allowed me to work with over 200 design firms on ISO 9001 systems over 15 years. From that grew the opportunity to author a book: TQM and ISO 9000 for Architects and Designers (McGraw-Hill, 1996). That, in turn, led to being considered as an “authority” on the application of ISO 9001 to the design professions.

Subjects: Built Environment

Biography

Charles Nelson, LFRAIA, AIA. Charles has a BA in Architecture and Psychology (Minnesota), and studied Land Use Law & Legislation and Law of Construction Contracts at Harvard University.

He has been involved with the architecture/engineering design and construction industry for more than 50 years, including a decade as the owner/manager of a Boston-based design/build firm.

Utilising this hands-on experience, Charles has provided Project, Design, Quality, and Risk Management training since 1989, and more than 250 workshops across three continents, including workshops at ten American Institute of Architects National Conventions.

His upcoming workshop “Project Management Essentials” provides architects, engineers and other built environment design professionals with the practical tools needed to achieve successful outcomes in all aspects of project management. Find out more at https://psmj.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/PMEssentials2018Brochure7.pdf.

Drawing on the best of the past three decades of research into quality systems for design professionals, Charles has published the second edition of Managing Quality in Architecture, as well as build a new website – www.mqia.com – to go with it.

This latest edition has been completely revised to address the new ISO:9001 standards after the significant 2015 revision. The book assists architects, engineers and other designers working in the built environment to update their quality systems to ensure they adhere to international quality standards.

Order your copy from any good bookseller or direct from the publisher: https://www.routledge.com. Book Depository (bookdepository.com) offers a good discount and free shipping worldwide.

Websites

Books

Featured Title
 Featured Title - Managing Quality in Architecture NELSON - 1st Edition book cover

Articles

PSMJ Resources Australia

The Importance of Risk-based Thinking


Published: Jan 24, 2018 by PSMJ Resources Australia
Authors: Charles Nelson
Subjects: Built Environment

Risk shadows your every step whether you think about it or not. Anyone can sue you, at anytime, for anything. However, the greatest risk of all is not taking any risk. The secret is: become a low-risk practice to give you the competitive advantage you need. How shall I go about this, you ask? Largely by establishing a keen appreciation of risk issues and persistently following design processes that lessen the severity of risks if they occur, and even limit the likelihood of their occurrence...

PSMJ Resources Australia

Managing Upward 101


Published: Jan 13, 2016 by PSMJ Resources Australia
Authors: Charles Nelson
Subjects: Built Environment

Managing people is about influencing their behaviour. There are two “managing upward” scenarios: First, the need to influence the behaviour of a person senior to you, and Second, to influence the behaviour of a secondary client, for example where you are employed by another consultant who in turn is employed by the primary (end user) client.

PSMJ Resources Australia

Credit Where Credit is Due: Minuteman Press


Published: Jan 13, 2016 by PSMJ Resources Australia
Authors: Charles Nelson

OK, call it a New Years Resolution – if you must – but the point here is to honor the consultants and suppliers who make our business viable. Over the next few weeks, I will single out our best suppliers, tell you a little bit about them, and why I am a “rusted on” client.

PSMJ Resources Australia

The Elements of Trust


Published: Jan 05, 2016 by PSMJ Resources Australia
Authors: Charles Nelson
Subjects: Built Environment

Thinking about my recent post on Trust brought back to mind a short article I wrote some time ago on the topic; here it is. I had come across something especially compelling in a very compelling book, Jason Jenning’s The Reinventors: How Extraordinary Companies Pursue Radical Continuous Change. It was in a chapter on leadership (p 118 if you want to find it).

PSMJ Resources Australia

The 7 Cardinal Sins of Managing Project Managers


Published: Jan 03, 2016 by PSMJ Resources Australia
Authors: Charles Nelson
Subjects: Built Environment

The idea of the Seven Deadly Sins, or “Cardinal” Sins, has been around since the 14th century – they were then (and perhaps still are): wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. It’s not clear why they were called “Cardinal” sins, except that Cardinals, in particular, should refrain from succumbing to any of them. Tough order!