How
We Work: Our Approach to Serving You
What's
it like to work with Douglas Herring & Associates?
We describe below the kind of results you can expect from
working with us and we set forth the values and philosophy
that underlie our approach to our clients and our work. We
identify the beliefs and policies that guide the operations
of DHA and make it unique among Bay Area environmental consulting
firms.
Expected
Results
We
extend and expand the capability of your staff.
With nearly 30 years of project management and CEQA experience,
DHA's principal provides important expertise that may not
be available within your organization. With our network of
associates and technical experts, most of whom have 20 to
30 years of hands-on experience, DHA offers a breadth and
depth of experience rarely found in a single agency or company.
All of this expertise is at your service.
We
boost the productivity of your staff or employees.
By reducing the work load of your over-extended staff, their
stress levels will go down and the quality of their work will
go up. By selectively outsourcing discreet tasks to DHA, your
staff will be able to focus on what they do best and bring
more attention to their most critical work.
We
help you contain ballooning project budgets. Working
as a coalition of independent professionals and small businesses,
we are able to offer superior services at lower cost (often
substantially lower) than our larger counterparts. We make
sure you maximize the value received for your consulting expenditures.
We
get it right the first time. Although not all pitfalls
are completely avoidable, the thoroughness we bring to every
project means there is less potential for unpleasant surprises
part way through a project. This reduces the need to backtrack
or revise the approach being taken, potentially lowering efficiency
and impeding progress.
We
help you navigate easily through complex regulatory requirements.
Many modern projects face a bewildering thicket of regulatory
hurdles that must be crossed prior to successful project implementation.
Grappling with them can distract staff and prevent them from
working efficiently in their areas of expertise. From the
broad-based CEQA requirements to the intricacies of federal,
State, regional, and local laws regulating biological resources,
water quality, air quality, and much more, we bring expert
knowledge and guidance as well as assistance in securing necessary
permits.
We
reduce liability risks. Because of the thoroughness
we bring to each project and the breadth and depth of experience
and knowledge that we draw from, we are able to get much closer
to the "bullet-proof" document that can withstand a legal
challenge in the unfortunate event that one is brought to
bear. However, by preparing robust documents as a matter of
course, we reduce the likelihood of legal challenges in the
first place.
We
effectively manage complex projects and coordinate multiple
participants. From coordinating multiple components
of an intricate project to directing and overseeing multiple
contractors or other participants, to tracking and managing
budgets, our extensive experience in project management allows
us to keep projects moving forward efficiently, on time, and
on budget.
Guiding
Beliefs
A job
worth doing is worth doing right. We take pride
in producing high-quality work that reflects well on DHA.
We believe that society benefits from the work we do, a belief
that increases our incentive to do the best that we can do.
We don't like to cut corners in our work because we don't
believe it serves our clients well. Therefore, our focus is
more on providing high-quality services than on providing
a product at the lowest price possible. However, we have learned
that this is a cost-effective approach because it reduces
costly mistakes, the need for revisions, and improves the
defensibility of our products.
What's
good for our clients is good for us. We want each
and every client to be highly satisfied with our services.
We want this for its own sake, simply for the satisfaction
of having happy clients. But we also know that enthusiastic
clients are more likely to bring their future business to
us and to recommend us to others with similar needs. Our experience
has proven this to be the case.
A well-planned
project is good for business. Thoughtful
and intelligent planning reduces the need for costly revisions
and avoids delays related to poor coordination or unanticipated
procedural and permit requirements. Good planning allows a
project to progress to completion more quickly, with fewer
problems arising. Spending time and money up front for proper
planning reduces total project costs and allows our clients
to move on to the next project more quickly.
Protecting
the environment is good for business. Many of today's
consumers are drawn to environmentally-friendly products and
developments, and are even often willing to pay a premium
for a positive contribution to the environment. This trend
is evidenced by the increasing popularity of hybrid vehicles.
"Green" and/or energy-efficient developments can be marketed
as such to attract such socially conscious consumers and to
earn the development a place of distinction in the community.
Honesty
is the best policy. Concealing problems does not
serve our clients' best interests or contribute to the type
of reputation we strive for. Open, honest communication allows
problems to be identified quickly and addressed promptly so
they aren't exacerbated and don't spiral out of control. We
are committed to forthright communication, and expect the
same from our clients. Only when we are aware of any problems
occurring can we effectively correct them and improve our
service.
Our
Approach
What
is it like to work with DHA?
We
are committed to our clients' satisfaction. Our
goal is to have every client's needs be met throughout project
implementation, and to have each client be enthusiastically
satisfied with the experience of working with us when the
project is completed. We strongly encourage our clients to
let us know any time their expectations aren't being met so
that we can make appropriate corrections.
Flexibility
is critical. Each project is unique and every client
may have varying needs and different priorities. One size
does not fit all. We approach each project with the same attitude:
what are the specific needs of this project and how can we
tailor our services to best meet those needs? We design each
project to produce the desired results for your agency or
company with the least amount of struggle.
A quick
response is guaranteed. We understand how frustrating
it can be working with a consultant who doesn't return phone
calls or emails. We don't just try to be responsive; we guarantee
your phone calls or emails will be returned within one business
day — though more typically the response time will be
measured in minutes or hours.
Continuity
is assured. When a project manager departs for
another job in the middle of a project — not an uncommon
occurrence in today's economy — project momentum can
be lost, consistency and quality can suffer, and details and
even critical issues can slip through the cracks in the transition
to a new manager. Bringing a new manager up to speed on a
complicated project can also increase project costs or direct
resources away from critical substantive work. There is no
risk of this happening with DHA, where every project is managed
by firm principal Doug Herring, who has been running the company
for close to 20 years, and will continue to do so throughout
the company's lifetime.
Every
project is performed by seasoned senior professionals.
In larger firms, the day-to-day hands-on work of project implementation
is typically performed by junior personnel who frequently
have just a year or two (or less) of experience. At DHA, virtually
all substantive work is performed by DHA's principal, who
has nearly 30 years of experience, or by associates and technical
experts who, in the vast majority of cases, have 20 to 25
years or more of practical work experience. Dollar for consultant
dollar, this means that our clients get superior service and
products for less money.
Now that you have a better idea
of how we work, the results you can expect from working with
us, and our philosophy of working with clients, please go
to our Services
Offered page to learn about the specific
services we offer.
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