Construction Partnering
Construction Partnering
|
"Three-fourths of the miseries and misunderstandings in the
world will disappear
if we step into the shoes of our adversaries and understand their view point." - Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948) "I don't like that man. I must get to know him better." - Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) |
"All projects
should start off with one of these sessions!" - Workshop Participant |
Page Topics:
What is Construction Partnering?
Is it a new concept?
Is it legal?
Benefits of partnering
Type of projects that can benefit
Process
Who attends?
Types of workshops
Workshop agenda
Follow-up
Training
Key benefits of partnering process
Comments from workshop participants
What is
Construction Partnering?
Construction partnering is a commitment between the owner, consulting engineer and/or architect, and the contractor(s) to improve communications and avoid disputes by working together towards shared and common goals and objectives on a project specific basis.
Partnering builds goodwill and trust, encourages open communication, and helps the parties eliminate surprises and adversarial relationships. It enables the parties to anticipate and resolve problems, and avoid or minimize disputes through informal conflict management procedures.
Partnering is often called dispute prevention.
Partnering is:
• Working TOGETHER instead of against each other
• A PROCESS for relationship building
• A PHILOSOPHY of teamwork and understanding the other parties' needs
• A COMMITMENT to cooperate and communicate
• An ATTITUDE of goodwill and trust
• SHARING RISKS with a "win-win-win" attitude
Partnering isn't:
• Relaxing contract terms
• Circumventing the processes
• Expecting extra work for free
• An excuse for poor performance
• A cure-all
• Easy!
Is Construction Partnering a New Concept?
No, the construction partnering concept is not new. However, the formal construction partnering process is fairly new - it has been in North America since around 1990, and has grown as people experience the value of formally partnering on a construction project.
Is Construction Partnering a legal relationship?
No, the contract and specifications form the legal relationships. The partnering process and philosophies establish working and communications relationships.
What are the benefits of Construction Partnering?
The Construction Industry Institute (CII) researched nearly 300 projects that
were completed using the partnering approach and found significant benefits:
• Total project costs were reduced by 10%
• Profitability increased by 25%
• Overall project completion time was reduced by 20%
• Schedule changes were reduced by 48%
• The number of claims were reduced by 83%
• Lost-time accidents were 1/83rd of industry standard
• Change orders were reduced by 80%
• Job satisfaction increased by 30%
What types of projects can benefit from Construction Partnering?
Almost any construction project can benefit from using the partnering process. However, the benefits of formally partnering a construction project increase with the project's increased risk. The risk can be evaluated in terms of design and construction complexity, the numbers of major stakeholders involved, budget constraints, and many other factors. Allan Lowe & Associates can provide an evaluation tool to help evaluate the potential benefits of partnering on any construction project.
What is the partnering process?
Once a decision has been made to partner on a construction
project, Allan Lowe & Associates typically does the following:
• Conduct pre-session research with stakeholders, often including
online surveys of key participants
• Design a partnering program specifically for the project
• Hold a partnering workshop
• Partnering follow-up, including partnering evaluations at project
meetings, monthly online surveys of team members to identify areas
of concern, and follow-up partnering sessions as necessary
• Additional partnering workshops at key project stages, as required
Who attends the Construction Partnering workshops?
Ideally, partnering workshops should be attended by all project personnel with
decision making authority, including:
• Owner representatives
• Consulting engineer/architect/design firm representatives
• Contractors
• Key sub-contractors
• Key suppliers
• Major municipality representatives
• Environment officials
• Safety officials
Are there different types of Construction Partnering workshops?
Depending upon the stage of the project and the needs of the team, there are several types of construction partnering workshops that can benefit the team and the project:
• Industry-wide partnering workshop - partnering between the owner, contractors, and consultants to discuss issues, communications, and processes for the mutual benefit of all parties and the industry as a whole.
• Internal partnering workshop - focuses within individual organizations
to address internal issues, concerns, and identification of roles within the
organization itself
• Design partnering workshop - partnering between the owner, designer,
and contractor representatives in the design stage of projects can pay the
greatest dividends of all partnering
• Pre-construction partnering meeting - a ½ day workshop just prior to
project start-up for less complex, more straight-forward projects
• One-day construction partnering workshop - the most common
workshop for complex projects, conducted before commencement or
within the first three weeks of a project
• Follow-up partnering workshop - held throughout the life of a partnered
project, often quarterly or semi-annually, as needed determined by monthly
online surveys
• Jump-start partnering workshop - held for a project that is already
underway, but experiencing difficulties that a partnering workshop can help to
improve
• Issue resolution partnering workshop - held to address specific issues that are plaguing a project
• "Lessons-learned" partnering workshop - held at the completion of a project to review the successes of partnering on the project, and identify potential improvements for future projects
What is a typical partnering workshop agenda?
Workshop agendas are designed specifically for each project. Executive Workshops are often held prior to Team Workshops to establish relationships at the executive level, and ensure the commitment of senior management to partnering.
Typical workshop agenda items include:
• Overview of partnering
• Project overview
• Project organization and lines of communication
• Team communication flows
• Goals for the project
• Key expectations and needs of each stakeholder group
• Identification of potential project challenges
• Develop strategies and action plans to address key challenges
• Develop an issue resolution process
• Partnering follow-up tools and methods
• Identify celebrations throughout the life of the project
• Select partnering champions from each major stakeholder group
• Develop partnering charter
Follow-up is as important as the initial workshop!
The initial partnering workshop gives the project an excellent kick start. However, once the workshop is done and the project is underway, it is easy to lose the benefits gained from the partnering workshop.
Allan Lowe & Associates has developed processes to ensure that the partnering workshop benefits continue throughout the life of the project. At the partnering workshop, a partnering follow-up program is developed. The team is then provided with a custom Project Partnering Evaluation Form to monitor the status of partnering commitments at project meetings.
Key to the follow-up program is a Project Scorecard™, which is an online partnering team survey, usually conducted monthly.
The Project Scorecard™ gathers participant feedback on the status of goals and strategies identified for the project's success. Allan Lowe & Associates then prepares a Project Scorecard™ Report which the team can use to make adjustments to ensure that the partnership goals from the workshop continue throughout the life of the project.
When team members do not have internet access or are away from their computers in the field, Allan Lowe & Associates will call them and conduct the interview over the telephone.
For further information on Project Scorecards™ please refer to www.projectscorecards.com.
Construction Partnering Training
Allan Lowe & Associates provides customized Construction Partnering Training to in-house groups or project teams, ranging from two hours to whole day training sessions. These sessions are designed around the specific needs of the group.
Allan Lowe & Associates also offers 2 Construction Partnering Training Workshops which are accredited by the Canadian Construction Association - Gold Seal Certification Program for 1 credit each towards Gold Seal Certification. (http://www.goldsealcertification.com)
• Part 1 – Introduction to Construction Partnering (click here for PDF)
• Part 2 – How To Make Construction Partnering Work In The Field (click here for PDF)
Key benefits of Allan Lowe & Associates partnering processes:
• Allan has conducted partnering workshops for over $1 Billion worth of projects
• Provides " turnkey partnering services " if desired, including all arrangements for the partnering workshop including venue, invitations, and workshop complete with agendas, workbooks, and follow-up reports and partnering charters
• Conducts pre-session research with stakeholders, often including online surveys of key participants
• Partnering follow-up services, featuring a custom Project Partnering Evaluation Form, Project Scorecards™, and follow-up partnering sessions as required
• Allan has worked directly with industry-leading partnering professionals across North America
• He has direct working experience with all of the main stakeholder groups from most construction projects, including owners, consultants and contractors
• Over 15 years of on-site civil project supervision and management experience
• Completed qualifications for Building Safety Codes Officer
• Has been a construction small business owner
• Understands the business needs of all parties
Construction partnering is a commitment between the owner, consulting engineer and/or architect, and the contractor(s) to improve communications and avoid disputes by working together towards shared and common goals and objectives on a project specific basis.
Partnering builds goodwill and trust, encourages open communication, and helps the parties eliminate surprises and adversarial relationships. It enables the parties to anticipate and resolve problems, and avoid or minimize disputes through informal conflict management procedures.
Partnering is often called dispute prevention.
Partnering is:
• Working TOGETHER instead of against each other
• A PROCESS for relationship building
• A PHILOSOPHY of teamwork and understanding the other parties' needs
• A COMMITMENT to cooperate and communicate
• An ATTITUDE of goodwill and trust
• SHARING RISKS with a "win-win-win" attitude
Partnering isn't:
• Relaxing contract terms
• Circumventing the processes
• Expecting extra work for free
• An excuse for poor performance
• A cure-all
• Easy!
Is Construction Partnering a New Concept?
No, the construction partnering concept is not new. However, the formal construction partnering process is fairly new - it has been in North America since around 1990, and has grown as people experience the value of formally partnering on a construction project.
Is Construction Partnering a legal relationship?
No, the contract and specifications form the legal relationships. The partnering process and philosophies establish working and communications relationships.
What are the benefits of Construction Partnering?
The Construction Industry Institute (CII) researched nearly 300 projects that
were completed using the partnering approach and found significant benefits:
• Total project costs were reduced by 10%
• Profitability increased by 25%
• Overall project completion time was reduced by 20%
• Schedule changes were reduced by 48%
• The number of claims were reduced by 83%
• Lost-time accidents were 1/83rd of industry standard
• Change orders were reduced by 80%
• Job satisfaction increased by 30%
What types of projects can benefit from Construction Partnering?
Almost any construction project can benefit from using the partnering process. However, the benefits of formally partnering a construction project increase with the project's increased risk. The risk can be evaluated in terms of design and construction complexity, the numbers of major stakeholders involved, budget constraints, and many other factors. Allan Lowe & Associates can provide an evaluation tool to help evaluate the potential benefits of partnering on any construction project.
What is the partnering process?
Once a decision has been made to partner on a construction
project, Allan Lowe & Associates typically does the following:
• Conduct pre-session research with stakeholders, often including
online surveys of key participants
• Design a partnering program specifically for the project
• Hold a partnering workshop
• Partnering follow-up, including partnering evaluations at project
meetings, monthly online surveys of team members to identify areas
of concern, and follow-up partnering sessions as necessary
• Additional partnering workshops at key project stages, as required
Who attends the Construction Partnering workshops?
Ideally, partnering workshops should be attended by all project personnel with
decision making authority, including:
• Owner representatives
• Consulting engineer/architect/design firm representatives
• Contractors
• Key sub-contractors
• Key suppliers
• Major municipality representatives
• Environment officials
• Safety officials
Are there different types of Construction Partnering workshops?
Depending upon the stage of the project and the needs of the team, there are several types of construction partnering workshops that can benefit the team and the project:
• Industry-wide partnering workshop - partnering between the owner, contractors, and consultants to discuss issues, communications, and processes for the mutual benefit of all parties and the industry as a whole.
• Internal partnering workshop - focuses within individual organizations
to address internal issues, concerns, and identification of roles within the
organization itself
• Design partnering workshop - partnering between the owner, designer,
and contractor representatives in the design stage of projects can pay the
greatest dividends of all partnering
• Pre-construction partnering meeting - a ½ day workshop just prior to
project start-up for less complex, more straight-forward projects
• One-day construction partnering workshop - the most common
workshop for complex projects, conducted before commencement or
within the first three weeks of a project
• Follow-up partnering workshop - held throughout the life of a partnered
project, often quarterly or semi-annually, as needed determined by monthly
online surveys
• Jump-start partnering workshop - held for a project that is already
underway, but experiencing difficulties that a partnering workshop can help to
improve
• Issue resolution partnering workshop - held to address specific issues that are plaguing a project
• "Lessons-learned" partnering workshop - held at the completion of a project to review the successes of partnering on the project, and identify potential improvements for future projects
What is a typical partnering workshop agenda?
Workshop agendas are designed specifically for each project. Executive Workshops are often held prior to Team Workshops to establish relationships at the executive level, and ensure the commitment of senior management to partnering.
Typical workshop agenda items include:
• Overview of partnering
• Project overview
• Project organization and lines of communication
• Team communication flows
• Goals for the project
• Key expectations and needs of each stakeholder group
• Identification of potential project challenges
• Develop strategies and action plans to address key challenges
• Develop an issue resolution process
• Partnering follow-up tools and methods
• Identify celebrations throughout the life of the project
• Select partnering champions from each major stakeholder group
• Develop partnering charter
Follow-up is as important as the initial workshop!
The initial partnering workshop gives the project an excellent kick start. However, once the workshop is done and the project is underway, it is easy to lose the benefits gained from the partnering workshop.
Allan Lowe & Associates has developed processes to ensure that the partnering workshop benefits continue throughout the life of the project. At the partnering workshop, a partnering follow-up program is developed. The team is then provided with a custom Project Partnering Evaluation Form to monitor the status of partnering commitments at project meetings.
Key to the follow-up program is a Project Scorecard™, which is an online partnering team survey, usually conducted monthly.
The Project Scorecard™ gathers participant feedback on the status of goals and strategies identified for the project's success. Allan Lowe & Associates then prepares a Project Scorecard™ Report which the team can use to make adjustments to ensure that the partnership goals from the workshop continue throughout the life of the project.
When team members do not have internet access or are away from their computers in the field, Allan Lowe & Associates will call them and conduct the interview over the telephone.
For further information on Project Scorecards™ please refer to www.projectscorecards.com.
Construction Partnering Training
Allan Lowe & Associates provides customized Construction Partnering Training to in-house groups or project teams, ranging from two hours to whole day training sessions. These sessions are designed around the specific needs of the group.
Allan Lowe & Associates also offers 2 Construction Partnering Training Workshops which are accredited by the Canadian Construction Association - Gold Seal Certification Program for 1 credit each towards Gold Seal Certification. (http://www.goldsealcertification.com)
• Part 1 – Introduction to Construction Partnering (click here for PDF)
• Part 2 – How To Make Construction Partnering Work In The Field (click here for PDF)
Key benefits of Allan Lowe & Associates partnering processes:
• Allan has conducted partnering workshops for over $1 Billion worth of projects
• Provides " turnkey partnering services " if desired, including all arrangements for the partnering workshop including venue, invitations, and workshop complete with agendas, workbooks, and follow-up reports and partnering charters
• Conducts pre-session research with stakeholders, often including online surveys of key participants
• Partnering follow-up services, featuring a custom Project Partnering Evaluation Form, Project Scorecards™, and follow-up partnering sessions as required
• Allan has worked directly with industry-leading partnering professionals across North America
• He has direct working experience with all of the main stakeholder groups from most construction projects, including owners, consultants and contractors
• Over 15 years of on-site civil project supervision and management experience
• Completed qualifications for Building Safety Codes Officer
• Has been a construction small business owner
• Understands the business needs of all parties
Comments from attendees at Allan Lowe's
Construction Partnering Workshops:
• "All projects should start off with one of these sessions!"
• "I hope the project goes as well as the partnering workshop went - thanks!"
• "That was the best partnering workshop I've attended - and I've attended many!"
• "Excellent organization of discussion - we got issues that were bothering people on the table."
• "I'd like to see more of these prior to any major project commencing."
• "Great session. I had worried it wouldn't be so pertinent to the specific project."
• "This was a concise and streamlined session - an efficient management of time. Thanks!"
*Project Scorecards™ is a registered trademark in Canada to Allan Lowe & Associates Inc.
• "All projects should start off with one of these sessions!"
• "I hope the project goes as well as the partnering workshop went - thanks!"
• "That was the best partnering workshop I've attended - and I've attended many!"
• "Excellent organization of discussion - we got issues that were bothering people on the table."
• "I'd like to see more of these prior to any major project commencing."
• "Great session. I had worried it wouldn't be so pertinent to the specific project."
• "This was a concise and streamlined session - an efficient management of time. Thanks!"
*Project Scorecards™ is a registered trademark in Canada to Allan Lowe & Associates Inc.
