![]() It should include a time element wherein a decision is allowed to linger at a certain level for a defined amount of time before it’s automatically transferred to the next level up. This includes a decision-resolution matrix for internal use as well as a project-specific matrix. Establish organizational assets that align with collaborative delivery.Note that not every project should use collaborative delivery and that collaborative delivery is not the panacea for fixing performance issues or morale. The first step is to assess if the project will benefit (i.e., the probability of the project’s success increases) from the early involvement of a contractor. Develop a “project identification process.” This is applied to projects after they’ve been chartered and are not past the 30% design phase.Establish modified, lean business processes.Institute and invest in a “Plan-Do-Check-Adjust” culture that allows for improved processes, work environment, and outcomes. Continual improvement – Share learned lessons.Learn that the directness and transparency of a contractor is a GOOD thing! Learn how they view topics such as owner maturity, appropriate risk transfer and sharing, pricing (not cost) for variables like vendors changing their warranty, labor shortages, escalation, how they team, etc. Education – Engage your future teammates: the owner advisors, the technical design firms, AND the contractors.These are your collaborative delivery mentors that provide consistency and continual improvement. Get “certified” and establish a “train-the-trainer” program to institutionalize this new knowledge and behavior as a core competency. Training – Not just for the leadership team but for new staff and team members.Invest in training, education, and continual improvement.The team should meet bi-weekly to establish their relationship with each other and discuss topics. The team should have a charter (e.g., business purpose and goals, areas and limits of authority, communication protocols, and QA/QC processes) and the accountability for successfully delivering the project/program.The team should emulate your goals and style without you needing to be there. The team should have a chairperson who is comfortable empowering the team to commit and manage resources (within their authority) to make timely, effective decisions.Choose people with positional and personal leadership skills from the following functional areas: legal, procurement, planning, permitting, design, project controls, construction, and operations & maintenance. The team should consist of eight or less key decision-makers (more than eight becomes unmanageable).Establish an integrated leadership team (maybe even a committee).I’d like to share my list of Top 3 action items for owners to consider before issuing an RFQ for a collaborative delivery project. I’ve learned how to lead with my actions, behaviors, and, most importantly, to make an investment in staff and future team members. Since then, I’ve modified my mindset as a leader. How did this happen? I had believed that being an executive level leader who had attended conferences and completed courses was all that was needed to make a project successful. Twenty years ago, I implemented my first design-build project and fell into the trap of thinking that I didn’t need to prepare my staff when making this shift in delivery methods. Whatever your reason for considering collaborative delivery, I can tell you as a prior owner, we tend to overlook the importance of investing in staff and organizational preparedness that’s fundamental to ensuring project success. Do you have a one-time mega-project that you don’t have the capacity or capabilities to deliver? Is your capital improvement program growing quickly and you need to equip your staff with the right skills and relevant knowledge to keep up with the rising demand? Do you need to decrease your average project delivery time due to rate-payer or political pressure? All of the above?
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