Owners Perspective Spring

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE CONSTRUCTION OWNERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

Project Leadership Gold Award

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OWNERSPERSPECTIVE

SPRING 2016

Pennsylvania State University's Health and Human Development Building

EVOLUTION OF A DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT | BEST PRACTICES FOR PROJECT DELIVERY | COAA OTI COURSE CATALOG | COAA’S 2015 FALL OWNERS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE | Q&A

Everybody enjoys watching the progress of construction. But for you, it's not a pastime. It’s your job. How can you do it better?

Newforma® software provides the metrics and oversight you need to manage a more successful project.

Integrated apps provide access to key information whether you’re at the jobsite or in a conference room.

For more, take a peek at this blog post. It shares a tip for more successful project delivery!

+1-603-625-6212 option 1www.newforma.com

© 2016 Newforma, Inc. Newforma is a registered trademark of Newforma, Inc., in the United States and in other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

How Are You Tracking Your Construction Projects?

Read the blog: www.newforma.com/projecthealth

CONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS

President’s Corner By Dean McCormick

Owner Alerts By John Sier

Owner Q&A: Stuart A. Adler By Randy Pollock

New Members

Calendar of Events

SPECIAL INSERTCOAA OWNER TRAINING INSTITUTE Project Manager Training Course Catalog

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6

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COVER STORYPROJECT LEADERSHIP GOLD AWARD PROFILE

The Pennsylvania State University's Health and Human Development Building

By Matthew Bradford

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF:

MAGAZINE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Stan ScottCommittee ChairScott Consulting

Lisa BerkeyPennsylvania State University

Matt HandalTrauner Consulting Services, Inc.

Dean McCormickIowa State University

Randy PollockHDR

PUBLISHED BY:

MediaEdge Communications5255 Yonge Street, Suite 1000Toronto, Ontario M2N 6P4

PresidentKevin Brown

Publisher and Senior Vice PresidentChuck [email protected]

EditorMatthew Bradford [email protected]

Senior DesignerAnnette Carlucci

DesignerJen Carter

Account ExecutiveMathijs Gordon [email protected]

Contributing WritersDavid J. BammerlinMatthew Bradford Mike BuckiewiczKyle MajchrowskiRandle Pollock

Are you interested in having your project profiled in an upcoming issue of Owners Perspective? Please contact Chuck Nervick at 866-216-0860 ext. 227 or by email at [email protected]

© 2016 All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the association and publisher.

OWNERSPERSPECTIVE

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THE EVOLUTION OF A DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT

A case study of Oregon Health and Science University’s DesCon department

By Kyle Majchrowski and Mike Buckiewicz

RAISING OWNER IQS IN LAS VEGAS

Highlights from COAA’s 2015 Fall Owners Leadership Conference

By Matthew Bradford

START, STOP, AND CONTINUE

Texas chapter develops best practices for project delivery

By David J. Bammerlin and Randle Pollock

Everybody enjoys watching the progress of construction. But for you, it's not a pastime. It’s your job. How can you do it better?

Newforma® software provides the metrics and oversight you need to manage a more successful project.

Integrated apps provide access to key information whether you’re at the jobsite or in a conference room.

For more, take a peek at this blog post. It shares a tip for more successful project delivery!

+1-603-625-6212 option 1www.newforma.com

© 2016 Newforma, Inc. Newforma is a registered trademark of Newforma, Inc., in the United States and in other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

How Are You Tracking Your Construction Projects?

Read the blog: www.newforma.com/projecthealth

Owner Training Institute® Register Today!www.coaa.org/oti/courses (800) 994-2622

UPCOMING COURSES

Who Should Attend CoAA’S otI CourSeS?The training is specifically geared toward Owners’ project management staff at all levels, but some courses may also be valuable for other staff members in an Owner’s organization, such as operations and maintenance, as well as planning and procurement. The course content is designed with an “early to intermediate” mindset, but everyone who’s interested in learning how to be a better Owner gets value from their participation in COAA’s OTI courses.

Experienced Project Managers and Senior Management Experienced project managers get the opportunity to sharpen their skills by participating in the interactive discussions during the courses. They also get the benefit of refreshing their knowledge while listening to the experience of both the instructors and the other experienced participants taking the course. For those who are truly life-long learners, the opportunity to learn from watching others learn something you consider yourself an expert on, is always beneficial. “New” Project ManagersAlthough Owners’ project managers are not usually new to the industry, they are often “new” to working for an Owner organization. So this training provides the opportunity to view and understand their role from the Owner’s perspective. They will not only hear about some of the challenges they are likely to start seeing, but to learn about these from people who have seen and addressed these challenges.

Owner’s Staff with Limited Years of ExperienceThe course content is developed around people who are not new to the industry and ideally have been working for an Owner for at least a year or two. The courses assume that a participant knows the industry vocabulary, knows how to read plans, and knows what a “pay request” looks like. They may still be early in their learning curve as an “Owner” and may not have developed their own best practices yet. These participants know enough to keep up with the conversations and appreciate the knowledge and lessons that the instructors and the experienced participants in the class are sharing.

To maximize the learning environment, COAA OTI® course

size is limited to twenty-five and led by COAA’s signature three-person team

of instructors — an Owner, designer, and contractor — enabling participants to gain a greater understanding of each

party’s perspective.

Construction Management at Risk Sold Out! March 28-29, 2016Hilton Washington Dulles Airport Hotel, Herndon, VALearn what to expect from Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) and how to leverage this method for maximum value.

Schedule Management Sold Out! March 30, 2016Loudermilk Center, Atlanta, GALearn best practices for the development of an Owner’s project schedule including “Do’s and Don’ts” and strategies to manage the schedule during both the design and construction phases.

Project Close Out April 4, 2016K&L Gates, Chicago, ILLearn how planning, teamwork, and effective management are keys to successful close out including why one starts the close out process at the beginning of the project.

Project Management: An Owner’s Perspective May 2-3, 2016Westin Galleria Dallas, Dallas, TXLearn how to lead and motivate a project team to achieve project success including an in-depth discussion of the Owner Project Manager’s role and how it differs from the PM role in design and construction firms.

Introduction to Construction Project Management June 13-14, 2016University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TXGain a broad understanding (or improve your knowledge) of all areas of an Owner’s management of a project.

Construction Management at Risk November 7-8, 2016InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta, Atlanta, GALearn what to expect from Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) and how to leverage this method for maximum value.

Spring 2016 5

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

First, the Board of Directors adopted revisions to COAA’s Mission and Vision Statement that ref lect the changes that have occurred at COAA as the design and construction industry has evolved during the association's 20-year history. Although our core objectives have not changed – we still design and construct buildings and other facilities – few of us would deny that the way we conduct our business now bears little resemblance to the approach we were using twenty years ago.

The changes in the Mission and Vision Statement are not radical, but they reflect the advancement in the important leadership role an Owner plays in a project – a role COAA has had so much influence in developing within our member organizations. The changes emphasize COA A’s focus on collaborat ion and education, and reflect the ever-increasing integration of the planning, design, and construction process.

The changes also serve to embrace the spirit of COAA – the collegial environment and open sharing of information that has drawn many of us to the association. I am confident the new Mission and Vision Statement will set the stage for COAA’s continued growth and expanding influence.

The new Mission and Vision Statement are as follows:

MISSION The Construction Owners Association of America supports facility Owners in the planning, design, and construction process through education and information exchange to f aci l i t ate cont inuous improvement and evolution of the industry.

VISIONEduc at ion: Provide Owner-focused educational and leadership development programs to enhance the skill set of Owners and industry partners Information Exchange: Leverage the wisdom of our collective membership by networking, actively promoting collaboration, and sharing best practices in collegial, supportive venues, both in-person and virtually. Industry Evolution: Develop and foster relationships among related organizations and industry service providers to improve the delivery of facilities planning, design, and construction.

COAA's second major accomplishment of 2015 was hiring an executive director. After a nationwide search that began last summer, we are pleased to add Karen Bresson, CAE, to COAA as our f irst executive director. She officially began her role on January 18, 2016.

Karen comes to us with signif icant experience in association management.

She holds a bachelor’s degree f rom L o y o l a U n i v e r s i t y i n B u s i n e s s Administrat ion / Marketing and is a certified association executive.

In her role as the executive director, Karen will report to the Board of Directors and have general and operational management responsibility for the Association. She will provide guidance and assistance to the Board in the execution of their responsibilities for policy decisions, as well as support long-term planning, financial sustainability, and strategic decision making.

Karen will work side-by-side with The Valisade Group staff to assure that COAA's day-to-day operations are focused on the goals and objectives of the association, and that COAA’s programs and initiatives are advanced in support of COAA's mission and vision.

As we move into 2016, I am excited to see the mission and vision of COAA put into action with a new management structure and fresh ideas. I am honored to fill the role of the COAA president and excited to take on the challenges ahead as we move on to bigger and better things. I want to thank Kevin Lewis on behalf of all COAA members for the leadership he has provided as our president for the past two years. They have been important years in our history.

Lastly, I want to thank all of the volunteers who are filling board positions, serving on committees, providing chapter leadership, and assuming the many roles our members fill within the association. Volunteers are the engine that make COAA successful. If you are not involved in COAA, I urge you to find an area that interests you and volunteer. I am confident you will find the relationships that you will develop to be meaningful, and the experience to be rewarding and an added value to your membership.

You can make a difference!

COAA celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2014. The association is healthy and strong with steadily increasing membership and expanding programs, and 2015 marked an important year in positioning COAA for a successful and strong future.

THE BLUEPRINT FOR 2016 AND BEYONDBy Dean McCormick

6 OwnersPerspective.org

Massachusetts Supreme Court Clarifies the Extent To Which There is An Implied Warranty of Plans to a Construction Manager At RiskMany states and the federal government hold that a public owner impliedly warrants the suitability of the plans and specifications that are issued to a contractor in a traditional design-bid-build traditional setting under the concept known as the Spearin Doctrine. In the Fall/Winter 2014 issue of Owners Perspective magazine, we reviewed the case of Coghlin Electrical Contractors, Inc. v Gilbane Building Company, in which the Worcester County Superior Court found that such a warranty does not apply to a Construction Manager At Risk (CMAR) who has provided design review services. The Massachusetts Supreme Court in September 2015 vacated that decision and sent the case back to the superior court to evaluate the construction manager’s claim to the extent the CMAR may be able to demonstrate reasonable reliance on the plans.

Following substant ial complet ion of the project, subcontractor Coghlin Electrical Contractors asserted a claim for additional compensation against the construction manager, Gilbane, resulting from mismanagement of the project, including various design changes. Gilbane, in turn, asserted a claim against the owner due to the design errors and omissions that

Construction necessarily occurs in the legal environment, which can

be unique for each state, district, or circuit. Changes and developments

can take place gradually or unexpectedly, and most changes will affect

contracts already in place as well as future projects. COAA is a great

resource for maintaining currency on industry evolution and identifying

best practices.

OWNER ALERTS

OWNER ALERTS

By John Sier

Spring 2016 7

OWNER ALERTS

were encountered on the project. The trial court examined the common law principles applicable to a design-bid-build project and found the underlying concept to be inapplicable, and the Supreme Court only partially disagreed.

Massachusetts adopted a law in 2004 authorizing public construction contracts using CMAR “alternative delivery method” in which:

“A construction management at risk firm provides a range of preconstruction services and construction management services which may include cost estimation and consultation regarding the design of the building project, the preparation and coordination of bid packages, scheduling, cost control, and value engineering, acting as the general contractor during the construction, detailing the trade contractor scope of work, holding the trade contracts and other subcontracts, prequali f y ing and evaluat ing t rade contractors and subcontractors, and providing management and construction services, all at a guaranteed maximum price, which shall represent the maximum amount to be paid by the public agency for the building project, including the cost of the work, the general conditions and the fee payable to the construction management at risk firm.” (M.G.L. 149A, Section 2)

The Supreme Court observed that the CMAR may take on additional duties and

responsibilities for the project than a typical general contractor. [Note: The contract used by the State of Massachusetts was not based on an industry form agreement, but some of the language was very similar to that found in an AIA A133-2009, AIA A201-2007 and ConsensusDOCS 500] However, the Supreme Court found that the owner maintains ultimate control of the designs and can transfer liability for defective plans to the responsible designer. While the Supreme Court also noted that the permissive “may” in the statute did not require the construction manager to have extensive input into the designs, the Court did observe that extensive involvement in the design process would affect the CMAR’s ability to argue reliance.

The greater the CMAR's design responsibilities in the contract, the greater the CMAR's burden will be to show, when it seeks to establish the owner's liability under the implied warranty, that its reliance on the defective design was both reasonable and in good faith…Therefore, the CMAR may recover damages caused by the breach of the implied warranty, but only if it satisfies its burden of proving that its reliance on the defective plans and specifications was reasonable and in good faith. The amount of recoverable damages may be limited to that which is caused by the CMAR's reasonable and good faith reliance on design defects that constitute a breach of the implied warranty.

This decision is only binding in the State of Massachusetts, but it does reflect a trend of some other states and commentators who are continuing to define the various legal distinctions between a general contractor and a construction manager. The extent of the application of the Spearin Doctrine, and the local variations, is one of those distinctions.

An Architect Can Be Sued for Improper Certification of Grounds for TerminationIn Barr, Inc. v Studio One, Inc., the United States District Court for Massachusetts examined the circumstances where an architect could be liable to a contractor for certifying that grounds for terminating a contractor exists. The owner hired Barr to construct a HUD project as designed by Studio One. There were various delays, which the contractor attributed to the owner’s difficulty in obtaining funding as well as errors by the architect. The architect and owner disagreed, and the architect certified under AIA A201, Section 14.2.2, that sufficient cause existed to justify terminating the contractor.

The contractor initially sued the owner, which resulted in a negotiated settlement. The contractor then sued the architect for tortious interference with its contract and advantageous relations, which requires the contractor to show that (1) he had a contract or a business relationship; (2) the architect knowingly induced the owner to terminate;


(3) the architect’s interference was intentional and improper in motive or means; and (4) the contractor was harmed as a result. The contractor argued that the architect’s contract allowed the architect to recover additional compensation from the owner in the event that the contractor was terminated, so the architect had an interest in certifying the grounds for termination despite the architect’s responsibility to make decisions in good faith and not show partiality to either the owner or the contractor. A201, Section 4.2.12. The court agreed that the allegations by the contractor established the elements of the claim – particularly the allegation that the termination was motivated by the prospect of additional compensation, so the court denied the motion to dismiss the claims.

J u s t b y c o m p a r i s o n , n e i t h e r ConsensusDOCS 200, Section 11.3.1 nor ConsensusDOCS 500, Section 12.3.1 requires certification by the architect that sufficient grounds for termination exist. The owner may consult with the architect, but the decision to terminate is made by the owner. There could still be allegations by a terminated contractor of interference by the architect, but the argument would not be based on the language of the contracts.

Drones – An OverviewMany people have converted hobbies into businesses, as proven by attending any craft fair. However, few of those hobbies are subject to federal regulations specifically limiting or even prohibiting crossing that line from “hobby” to “business.” Congress responded to the call for businesses to grow, innovate and improve efficiency with Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“drones”) operating in the National Airspace System (“NAS”) by enacting the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act (“Drone Act”), which directed the FAA to issue regulations allowing the commercial use of drones by September 2015; the FAA is currently targeting the Spring of 2016 for the issuance of “final” rules. Many in government and industry agree that drones present a vast array of economic opportunities, and the potential uses are numerous—aerial photography of crops; weaving and actually assembling tensile structures for buildings; photography for selling real estate; law enforcement surveillance; environmental monitoring; fighting wildfires; monitoring wildlife; inspecting oil rigs; assessing damages following disasters; transporting medicine; and even delivering pizza.

However, most also agree that unfettered use of drones is rife with issues involving air traffic control, congested air space, unskilled

operators and invasion of privacy. As a result, the FAA is charged with finding that balance of “enough” regulation to protect the public while allowing an emerging industry to grow.

Commercial use prohibited without specific authorizationUnder the current FAA rules, the use of drones for recreational purposes is allowed subject to registration of the drone as well as certain size, altitude and location restrictions. On the other end of the spectrum, the use of drones for any commercial purpose is banned, unless the FAA grants an exemption. The line between recreational and commercial uses might seem blurry, but FAA officials claim that any activity for compensation is for a commercial purpose and is not allowed without an exemption granted by the FAA.

The FAA only issues exemptions for commercial drone operations through the application process under Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. In September 2014, only two exemptions had been granted under Section 333, but that number has grown to nearly 2800 exemptions by the end of February 2016 with more being granted each day.

Under Section 333, operators must submit a highly detailed petition with the FAA describing how their proposed operation will run in a safe manner. The FAA encourages petitioners to provide any information that might be useful in determining whether the proposed operation poses any risks to the NAS and persons or property on the ground, and if so, how the operators will mitigate those risks. Petitioners should provide information regarding all safety procedures, maximum speeds, maximum altitude, and minimum flight visibility. Other factors used in the FAA’s decision include the drone’s developmental and operational history, the radio frequency spectrum for the drone, potential hazards of the intended area of operation, proximity to populated areas, proximity to airports, procedures for safety risk assessments, pre-f light procedures, and emergency procedures. The FAA also requires the pilot in command be licensed in some form with the FAA in order to operate drones for the specific purpose proposed.

Businesses and individuals interested in using drones for commercial purposes should carefully consider the process before making the decision to apply for an exemption. The process of applying can be expensive and time-consuming. Even after completing the tedious application process, many businesses ultimately do not receive approval or find the conditions placed on the approval to render

commercialized use impractical. However, the proposed regulations could mean significant changes for hopeful businesses trying to gain FAA clearance.

Hiring a drone operator has similar risks relative to the scope of available insurance coverage. Many policies covering aviation risks do not necessarily cover drone operations. While the use of drones in facilities management and construction operations is new, many of the theories of liability are not. Injuries from falling drones or trespassing or invasion of privacy would likely be addressed under general tort principles and common law. However, many states are implementing additional regulations and prohibitions on drone use that could result in additional civil and even criminal risks.

Currently, over twenty state and local governments have passed legislation relating to drone use, which will raise additional questions regarding the interplay of state and local laws with the final FAA regulations. The legislation pertains to issues of voyeurism; unauthorized photography; regulation of drones in agriculture; regulation of drones in law enforcement; photographs over fireworks; and surveillance. For example, Michigan prohibits using drones to harass or interfere with a hunter and likewise prohibits the taking of game by a drone. Each day, additional bills are introduced in cities and states across the country seeking to impose some further restrictions on the use or operation of drones.

ConclusionFlying puns aside, drones present fascinating opportunities to make certain hazardous operations much safer and to allow more effective use of resources. With any new technology, the learning curve will reveal great positive uses as well as more nefarious and dangerous applications. The FAA is considering the varied comments received from hobbyists, researchers, various industry representatives and private individuals in finalizing the rules relative to commercial drone use to accommodate the concerns and potentials. Once the “final” regulations are in place, the construction industry can begin to develop greater application of the technology and hopefully reap the benefits of improved safety and performance. Until the new rules are in place make sure to verify the scope and conditions of the commercial drone operator’s exemption as well as the insurance maintained by the operator.

John Sier is Associate Counsel to COAA and with the firm of Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook in Detroit, Michigan.

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AWARD PROFILE

Creating better collaboration, enhanced efficiency,

and lower operating costs were but a few of the

goals behind the development of Penn State's new

Health and Human Development Building (HHD).

PROJECT LEADERSHIP GOLD AWARDThe Pennsylvania State University's Health and Human Development Building

By Matthew Bradford

Spring 2016 11

AWARD PROFILE


Dedicated on October 2, 2015, the new facility unites a number of the college's research centers under one roof, thereby fostering a greater partnership between these and the College's academic departments.

The new facility was designed as the final phase of a two-phased expansion, which began with the construction of the Biobehavioral Health Building. Erecting the HHD building on the same site allowed crews to use the same laydown areas of the Biobehavioral Health Building construction project. This saved crews both time and resources, while allowing them to apply the lessons learned from the

Type of Project: Institutional (State owned higher education)

Delivery Method: CM agency / multiple prime public bid

Owner: The Pennsylvania State University

Design Professional: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Construction Professional: Massaro Construction Management Services

Landscape Architects: Michael Vergason Landscape Architects Ltd.

Civil Engineers: Sweetland Engineering & Associates, Inc.

Structural Engineers: Silman

MEP Engineers: Bruce E. Brooks & Associates

AWARD PROFILE

Spring 2016 13

AWARD PROFILE

Biobehavioral Health Building to the HHD's development while they were still fresh.

Located on the site of the University's former Henderson South Building, the HHD building encompasses 95,000 sq. ft. of new construction and 39,000 sq. ft. of renovated space preserved from the existing building.

The HDD building was designed to complement the historic Henderson Mall and enhance the Town and Gown border of central campus while providing students and faculty with a new, state-of-the-art and energy-efficient asset. As such, HHD's new construction consisted

of building materials and similar roofing forms that helped blend the buildings together, an energy efficient façade, as well as eco-friendly building systems.

Modern Project ManagementThe success of the HHD project is owed in large part to Penn State's use of collaboration principles and its integration of the latest technologies and systems. That is, while a fully Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) agreement was not possible due to funding source, the essentials of IPD were on full display throughout the build. Highlights included

“Lessons Learned” workshops held prior to the project to capitalize on the lessons learned from the Biobehavioral Health Building; extensive discussions with area maintenance personnel and users; the inclusion of a collaboration trailer for all stakeholders, and the practice of pull planning.

Additionally, pre-submittal and installation meetings, the provision of enhanced construction administration services by the design team, and the streamlining of the project's request for information were also effective tactics used to get the project off the ground.

Penn State's adoption of advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM) practices was also instrumental to the project's success. Teams used both Penn State Department of Architectural Engineering’s Icon Lab and a 3D immersive environment provided by the Penn State Applied Research Laboratory’s SEA Lab team for the design reviews. The team then implemented AutoCad BIM 360 throughout construction through building turn over. Moreover, techniques such as clash detection were practiced weekly with all primes and the design team.

“Penn State is a leader in BIM with an ultimate goal of integration with facilities management,” said Timothy R. Jones, Project Manager with Massaro CM Services. “The design team was tasked with delivering a fully-coordinated BIM model on bid day with traditional plans and specs. Our role through design was enhanced to facilitate BIM clash detection through design. The process, while new to many parties, resulted in a BIM model that reduced construction coordination by 50 percent and resulted in nearly zero field clashes in the new construction portion of the building.”

Other BIM highlights include the adoption of asset management and bar coding for all equipment, and the team's approach in creating the Commons sculptural wall. The Commons sculptural wall form was designed by the architects utilizing Grasshopper/

Penn State’s Health and Human Development Building brings a new look to College Ave


Rhino software and then transferred to a design-assist contractor for collaboration/joint completion of the Commons design. Support steel and framing models developed by the design-assist contractor were used to pre-fab steel and metal stud framing systems for the Commons forms.

Staying on ScheduleIn construction, timing is key. To that end, Penn State's project m a n a g e m e nt t e a m ensured the building's design team, construction manager, contractors, and University personnel were equipped with all the best tools and resources to control the project schedule.

Perhaps more importantly, Penn State committed to making timely decisions, recognizing their responsibility in maintaining the project schedule. The construction manager was instructed to develop and release multiple bid packages early for the project, resulting in a number of benefits:A smooth start: Crews took advantage of existing laydowns areas for the Biobehavioral Health Building to begin construction.Pre-qualified crew: Pre-qualifying critical contractors prior to the bid ensured that only the most qualified contractors would be considered, thereby reducing delays in the project award process.Better control: Each prime of the project was controlled within each related set of scopes. Carefully considered division of work resulted in an improved schedule.

Implementing an open book policy when it came to addressing related costs was also a priority. Doing so generated a more fluid understanding of cost information, and contributed to a more collaborative review process. Changes in project cost and scope did not impact the overall project schedule.

Quality Control A high degree of quality was maintained throughout the HDD project. This was achieved through the design solution's ability to meet the program, the appropriateness of the building materials to relate to adjacent buildings, the durability of materials to ensure longevity, and the craftsmanship of construction to be certain the building passed the test of time.

Further quality control measures included:• Fostering a constant communication /

feedback loop• Adopting a focus on “getting it right”

through collaborat ion and shared knowledge

• Conducting rigorous on-site quality control from delivery to installation

• Being a good neighbor by coordination with public relations and campus events

• Ensuring enhanced on-site representation during construction

• Undergoing pre-installation quality control

Setting a Sustainability BenchmarkPenn State prides itself on being a role model for sustainability. In addition to receiving numerous environmental accolades and being part of numerous eco-friendly groups and associations, it is the largest university to sign on to the US Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge. Through this, it has pledged to reduce the energy use of 28 million sq. ft. of building areas by 20 percent over the next 10 years.

Naturally, then, sustainability was a core goal for the HHD initiative. As such, a number of sustainable goals were set and met upon the conclusion of the project.

Current ly pursuing LEED Silver certif ication, the HHD building was built as a 100-year building using high-performance and superior quality materials. It

AWARD PROFILE

is designed to achieve a minimum of 30 percent energy savings over ASHRAE

90.1 energy standard through the use of various eco-friendly systems,

the installation of LED lighting for a majority of the lighting systems, and a large number of windows to facilitate natural ventilation and daylight.

Other green highlights include the implementation of rain gardens along Col lege Avenue ; t he preservation of significant trees on the site; the adoption of möbius, Penn State’s waste

management and composting program within the building;

and the installation of low temp hot water systems allowing

for future installation of solar hot water or geothermal technology as

markets develop. Additionally, Penn State’s central production of steam and

chilled water contributed to the overall efficiency of the building.

“Penn State's vision is to embed sustainability as a fundamental value at the University through the development of sustainable literacy, solutions and leadership,” said Penn State in its project submission, adding, “As such, this building was designed to meet the University's design standards which require a high degree of energy conservation, resource management, and systems performance.”

Built to Last Aggressive schedules, budgets, and logistic complexities proved no match for the team behind the Health and Human Development Building. The project was completed on time and within 1 percent of the budget. Moreover, thanks to Penn State’s adherence to collaboration principles, its technologically savvy team, and air-tight project management, Penn State now enjoys a state-of-the art addition to its campus.

“This is an impressive addition to the campus that gives us the facilities we need to operate for years to come,” said Marianne W. Kuhns, Assistant to the Dean. “The quote from the Field of Dreams, 'If you build it, they will come,' reflects what this building has done for our college. We are recruiting outstanding faculty and students because they see the quality of our new buildings, and they know Penn State has made a commitment to and an investment in their future.”

To win the Gold Project

Leadership Award, Owners must not only

achieve budget and schedule goals,

but also demonstrate exceptional leadership and

project management skills. The Health and Human

Development Building project showcased how the entire team

went above and beyond achieving cost, schedule and quality

goals to raise the industry’s bar even higher.

Dean McCormick, COAA Awards Committee Chair

“

”

Spring 2016 15

Sixteen years later, he is now serving as Emory’s director of Program Management in the Planning, Design & Construction Department of Campus Services. Here, he manages the coordination of a $100 million design and construction annual program and oversees the implementation of the campus Design & Construction Standards, construction contracts, and the construction cost audit program.

Adler has a par t icular interest in ut i l i zing new technolog ies in t he construction development and operations and maintenance phases. He also pursues opportunities to incorporate sustainable design principles into the development of the campus, noting proudly that, “Emory

has been at the vanguard of sustainability for the last two decades.”

A registered architect and LEED accredited professional, Adler works to build strong relationships with all customers and stakeholders including Faci l i t ie s Management per sonnel , successfully leads teams, and keeps in mind big picture objectives while resolving complex details. For example, since 2013 he has served as a director on the national

board of COAA, and is also an instructor for its Owner Training Institute.

Randle Pollock with Owner's Perspective recently talked with Stuart recently about COAA and what it has meant to him and his career. He shared insights about what’s going on, what he is doing at Emory, and what he sees as the most impactful trends.

ON COAAWhat are the biggest benefits to you of belonging to COAA?C OA A’s f o c u s a r e a s a r e v e r y complementary to my job responsibilities and areas of interest. The conference session topics help me learn and grow as a professional, and networking with peers and associate members helps me identify the latest industry trends and opportunities to improve my department’s operation. And as an added bonus, I have made many friends through COAA.

Stuart Adler grew up in Atlanta and attended college at Georgia

Tech, where he obtained both his master’s and bachelor’s degrees

in architecture. Following this, he worked as a young architect for

a number of local firms before joining Emory University as a senior

project manager in 2000.

A CONVERSATION WITH STUART A. ADLERAIA, LEED AP, Director of Program Management, Planning, Design & Construction, Emory University, and COAA Board Member

By Randy Pollock

Q&AOwner

“The owner’s project manager is like the conductor of the symphony.” – Stuart Adler

16 OwnersPerspective.org16 OwnersPerspective.org

What do you see as being the biggest challenges for COAA and the industry in general?As institutions such as universities become more focused on efficiency and bottom-line value, it becomes more difficult for departments to provide the time and resources to invest in their staff’s professional growth. Attendees of COAA programs learn best practices within the industry and bring this knowledge back their institutions. The challenge is to provide compelling data that demonstrates that participation at COAA programs has a good return on investment.

ON PROJECT DELIVERY METHODSWhich delivery methods have you employed? Which do you most prefer? For large capital projects, we typically use CM-at-Risk with a GMP. For small projects, we typically bid the work and contract with a lump-sum agreement. Each project is unique and we try to match the delivery method to each project so that we can realize maximum value for the university.

Do you employ Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)?We do not use IPD. We have used IPD-like partnering techniques with an emphasis on teamwork among all parties, but we have never procured a project using IPD contracts or compensation practices. We want to maintain a high level of accountability from all parties and IPD does not lend itself to the accountability controls that we require.

ON ORGANIZATIONAL TRENDSWhat current trends are most impacting the future of your work at Emory University? We have been constructing a steady stream of new buildings on campus for more than 20 years. The bookstore was even selling t-shirts

jokingly claiming that the school mascot was the tower crane. Of course, during that time, we completed many more building renovations than new buildings, but they were not as high-profile as the new buildings.

Now, our focus is changing. Moving forward, we will be improving the efficiency and use of our current facilities, rather than building many new buildings. Changes in technology and practice of instruction and research are rapid. Adapting our existing facilities to meet those changes provides a better value and a more sustainable model. We will still construct new buildings, but our focus

has shifted to adapting our current facility inventory to better meet the evolving needs of faculty, students, researchers, and other mission-critical members of our university.

With the proliferation of so many various technologies involved in every phase of the construction process, how essential is it that an Owner has a strong understanding of all those technologies and their applications?

The Owner’s project manager (PM) is like the conductor of the symphony. The conductor must be familiar with the instruments played by each musician, but the conductor does not need to be an expert at playing any of the instruments.

The same applies to the owner’s project manager; the PM must be familiar with all of the technologies used by the design and construction teams, but they do not need to be experts at using those technologies.

ON TRENDS IN FACILITY DESIGN FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR Sustainability initiatives are becoming increasingly mainstream. How has the push for sustainability affected your work at Emory? Emory University has been at the vanguard

of sustainability for the last two decades. We were early advocates and participants in USGBC and the LEED program, and we recently completed our Water Hub project which converts black water to reclaimed water. The facility converts up to 400,000 gallons every day and can reduce our domestic water usage by up to 40 percent.

Also, we are currently designing a new Campus Life Center with the aggressive energy usage goal of 29 EUI. The building is being designed so that it will be “net-zero ready.” We are aggressively implementing strategies to reduce the volume of material we

send to landfills. These are just a few examples of how integral sustainability is to our culture.

ON TRENDS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF FACILITIES FOR HIGHER EDUCATIONIn terms of project delivery or construction-contracting methods, what are the most significant changes in the implementation of your projects at Emory? Most recently, we have been utilizing a variety of hybrids. For one project, we contracted with a CM for preconstruction services only. Then we used 90 percent construction documents to solicit GMP proposals from multiple construction managers.

Different delivery methods are beneficial for different projects. Since each project is unique, we try to select a method which will best meet the objectives for that project.

About the InterviewerA member of COAA’s national Editorial Committee since 2010 and Program Chair of COAA Texas, Randy Pollock is Science + Technology Director for HDR (www.hdrinc.com). Based in HDR’s Houston, TX office, Randy can be reached at 713-335-1949 and [email protected].

“Emory University has been at the vanguard of sustainability for the last two decades.” – Stuart Adler

Owner Q&A

COAA Owner Training Institute®Project Manager Training

Course Catalog

Construction Owners Association of America5000 Austell Powder Springs Road, Suite 217Austell, Georgia 30106(800) 994-2622 | [email protected] www.coaa.org

Owner Training Institute®

To maximize the learning

environment, COAA OTI® course size is limited to twenty-fi ve and led by COAA’s

signature three-person team of instructors — an Owner, designer, and contractor — enabling

participants to gain a greater understanding of each party’s perspective.


Who Should Attend CoAA’S otI CourSeS?The training is specifi cally geared toward Owners’ project management staff at all levels, but some courses may also be valuable for other staff members in an Owner’s organization, such as operations and maintenance, as well as planning and procurement. The course content is designed with an “early to intermediate” mindset, but everyone who’s interested in learning how to be a better Owner gets value from their participation in COAA’s OTI courses.

Experienced Project Managers and Senior Management Experienced project managers get the opportunity to sharpen their skills by participating in the interactive discussions during the courses. They also get the benefi t of refreshing their knowledge while listening to the experience of both the instructors and the other experienced participants taking the course. For those who are truly life-long learners, the opportunity to learn from watching others learn something you consider yourself an expert on, is always benefi cial. “New” Project ManagersAlthough Owners’ project managers are not usually new to the industry, they are often “new” to working for an Owner organization. So this training provides the opportunity to view and understand their role from the Owner’s perspective. They will not only hear about some of the challenges they are likely to start seeing, but to learn about these from people who have seen and addressed these challenges.


“It is often challenging because the role of the PM for an Owner is very di� erent from being a PM for an architect or contractor. And to be quite candid, I think even some Owners do not fully appreciate the di� erences. Since their PMs have the background in the design or construction industry, they often think they only have to orient them to the Owner’s organization.”

– Terry Cook, Senior Associate Vice President of Administrative Services at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County

IntroduCtIon to ConStruCtIon ProJeCt MAnAGeMent

Gain a broad understanding (or improve your knowledge) of all areas of an Owner’s management of a project.

Learn about all of the elements in the design and construction of a project and tips and tools to achieve project success. Specifi c tools, strategies, and topics are shared and discussed including:

• The role of the Owner Project Manager and management tips

• The pros and cons of the diff erent project delivery methods and how to select a method

• Elements of programming and strategies to engage stakeholders and make decisions

• How to do a master project schedule and strategies to stay on schedule

• An overview of design team and construction team selection options and sharing of lessons learned

• Management of the design process and strategies to achieve the balance of quality, cost, and schedule

• Tips in the management of the budget

• Tactics to manage the construction administration phase and close out

Duration .................................................... Two Days

COAA Owner Training Institute® Training for Owners’ project managers — from the Owner’s perspective13 Owner-focused courses developed by a team of construction industry experts

FOR OWNERSBY OWNERS

deSIGn teAM SeleCtIon

One of the most important decisions an Owner makes for a successful project is the selection of the design team!

Gain a full understanding of the selection process from the RFP and scoring methods to interviewing and award. Learn the best practices in creating a fair and transparent process.

Discover tips on developing project-specifi c evaluation criteria, interviewing fi rms, conducting reference checks, negotiating fees, and conducting debriefi ngs.

Duration ......................................................One Day

PredeSIGn Learn about and drill down on the diff erent components of PreDesign including Project Analysis, Building or Space Analysis, Implementation Plan, Schedule, Estimate (hard and soft costs), and Funding Plan.

Gain an understanding of evaluating risk factors and contingencies, as well as cost of ownership and operations.

Participate in team-driven case study exercises and create a PreDesign Project Checklist.

Duration ......................................................One Day

ConStruCtIon teAM SeleCtIon

Another most important decision an Owner makes for a successful project is the selection of the construction team!

Gain a broad understanding of the methods available and the selection process from the solicitation to scoring and interviews to award. Learn the best practices in creating a process that is fair and transparent.

Discover tips on evaluation criteria, interviewing fi rms, conducting reference checks, considering cost in the selection, and debriefi ngs.

Duration ...................................................... One Day
























FOR OWNERSBY OWNERS





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FOR OWNERSBY OWNERS





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Duration ...................................................... One Day

ConStruCtIon MAnAGeMent At rISK

Learn what to expect from Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) and how to leverage this method for maximum value.

Learn best practices in the implementation of CMAR such as: the art of the guaranteed maximum price (GMP), value engineering the right way, establishing and managing the use of contingencies, and many other valuable lessons learned. Participants will attain a comprehensive understanding of the CMAR delivery method and its mechanics.

Duration ...................................................Two Days

CoSt MAnAGeMentLearn both best practices in the development of the project budget and strategies for maintaining the budget. Learn methods for designing to the budget, de� ning and managing contingencies, value management, use of allowances and alternates, change order management, and the � nancial close out of the project.

Duration .....................................................One Day

SChedule MAnAGeMent

Learn best practices for the development of an Owner’s project schedule including the “Do’s and Don’ts” and strategies to manage the schedule during both the design and construction phases.

Topics include how to properly review the schedule and schedule updates, proactive strategies to maintain the schedule, how to identify the warning signs if things are going o� track, methods to manage � oat, and approaches to deal with various types of delays and how to make up time.

Duration .....................................................One Day

ConStruCtIon ProCeSS MAnAGeMent

Learn about proven tools and strategies to manage your projects and lead your team successfully through construction.

Learn how to lead a project team during the construction phase, monitor the contractor’s schedule, deal with change orders, and make project meetings e� ective and e� cient.

Gain an understanding of the Owner’s role in quality assurance, project safety and project close out, and tips in reviewing a contractor’s pay request.

Duration ..................................................... One Day

“I’ve been in the construction � eld for 18 years and this gave me a lot of new information!”– Quote from an OTI attendee evaluation

ProJeCt MAnAGeMent:An oWner’S PerSPeCtIVe

Learn how to lead and motivate a project team to achieve project success. Tools, strategies, and options will be shared including:

• An in-depth discussion of the Owner Project Manager’s role and how it di� ers from the PM role in design and construction � rms

• Proven methods to manage budget, scope, schedule, and quality

• Strategies to engage stakeholders including O&M colleagues to manage their expectations

• Tools to assess, minimize, and manage the owner’s risk

• Measures to avoid or moderate disputes

Duration ....................... One and One-Half Days

deSIGn ProCeSS MAnAGeMent

Learn why Owners must manage the design process and discover proven techniques for doing so.

Learn how to keep the design on schedule and achieve a project that you can construct within your budget, while mastering the delicate process of satisfying your stakeholders. See the design process from the designer’s perspective, understand what the design team needs from you, and hear strategies for how to lead your project team through a successful design.

Duration ......................................................One Day


ProJeCt CloSe out

Learn how planning, teamwork, and e� ective management are keys to successful close out. Speci� c, proven tools and strategies will be shared including:

• Why one starts the close out process at the beginning of the project

• How and when building commissioning should really start

• Di� erences in project close out based on project size (under $100K, under $1M, and over $1M)

• Tools to employ to streamline close out including prompt punch list completion, complete O&M manuals, and e� cient � nancial close out

• How to deal with elements of close out associated with non-construction vendors (i.e. furniture, moving, telecom, etc.)

Duration ......................................................One Day

deSIGn-BuIldLearn how to prepare, lead, and motivate a project team using the design-build delivery method. Speci� c tools, strategies, and options are shared including:

• The di� erences in managing the types of Design-Build (Closed Book vs. Open Book) and the aspects of each

• Best practices on establishing the appropriate level of design criteria/project program and tools to achieve your goals

• Strategies to maintain control of the design in design-build

• Approaches to quality assurance using the design-build method

• Tips for the management of a design-build project


deSIGn-BId-BuIld: hoW to MAKe It WorK Well

Learn how to make Design-Bid-Build work for you! Instead of focusing on how to do Design-Bid-Build, this course provides best practices on how to do Design-Bid-Build well! Discussions include methods to enhance cost information during the design phase, maximize the completeness of the bid documents, and approaches on how to avoid a “bid bust.”

Experience what it is like to be in a General Contractor’s o� ce on bid day; discover how to overcome what is often an adversarial relationship and how best to ensure quality control.

Duration ......................................................One Day

If you procure or manage design and construction services for your organization — whether you are with a university, K-12 school system, healthcare facility, lodging, government, utilities, or manufacturer — COAA has designed a program that can bring any of our COAA Owner Training Institute® Courses to your location.

Why bring COAA OTI® to your location?

• Our experienced instructors (Owner, architect, and contractor) come to you.

• There is less time out of the o� ce for your sta� .

• You save money by eliminating travel and lodging costs.

• You can train your entire project team so that everyone is on the same page – including the end user.

• You can take advantage of the discounted pricing for training.

• Courses can be held at a time that is convenient to you.

What do you need to do?

1. Decide which course or courses you would like to host at your location.

2. Secure a meeting room (with audio visual) that can accommodate u-shaped seating for 25 (1,000 sqft).

3. Complete and submit the In-House Training Request Form.

In-House Training

WE CAN BRING COAA OWNER TRAINING COURSES TO YOU!






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Duration .....................................................One Day

SChedule MAnAGeMent



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In-House Training


“The tools provided to attendees through OTI will enable an Owner to avoid claims and will enhance the value on every project because of the heightened awareness of the Owner’s representative.”

– John Sier, Kitch Drutchas Wagner Valitutti & Sherbrook

ten reASonS oWnerS’ ProJeCt MAnAGerS Should PArtICIPAte In CoAA otI® CourSeS

1. Most owners do not have the time and/or resources to develop and conduct training for their project managers. The COAA OTI® provides the only industry training available speci� cally designed for Owners’ Project Managers — it is training “For Owners, By Owners.”

2. The training includes valuable and proven tools, strategies, and documents that Owners’ Project Managers can use immediately to minimize project risk, improve e� ciency, maximize quality, and maintain project budgets. Examples include project management guides, design submittal checklists, design review checklists, project budget tracking spreadsheets, and meeting notes formats.

3. Courses are conducted by an experienced 3-person instructor team led by an Owner who is joined by an Architect and Contractor. This approach is unique in the construction industry.

4. The course size is limited to 25 participants by design. So an owner’s project manager does not get lost in a crowd.

5. Course participants are fully engaged with small group exercises, role playing, and “real life” project examples with valuable “lessons learned.” This approach is possible due to the limited course size.

6. The “Return on Investment” of this training for Owners includes avoidance of budget overruns, delays in completion, dissatis� ed end users, and claims. Any owner who has had even just one construction claim knows how costly it can be in time, money, and personnel resources, as well as reputation.

7. Courses provide an opportunity to meet and network with other Owners.

8. Courses are a� ordable and are held in conjunction with COAA Owners Leadership Conferences and COAA Chapter meetings in easy to reach locations.

9. OTI courses can be brought directly to Owners’ organizations/locations providing in-house team training reducing sta� ’s time out of the o� ce and eliminating travel and lodging expenses.

10. Courses are accredited through AIA’s Continuing Education System for Learning Units. Certi� cates of Completion are also available.


WhY otI?The COAA Owner Training Institute® provides a level of training that does not currently exist in the industry outside of a two or four-year degree. Even those degrees do not necessarily provide exposure to the level of experience embodied by each OTI course’s three-person team of instructors, which represents the perspectives of the Owner, designer, and constructor.

The courses are highly interactive, with small group exercises, role playing, and large group discussions scheduled to complement the traditional instruction. This format not only helps keep participants engaged, but it also provides them with � rst-hand experience in dealing with the types of situations Owners are likely to encounter.

While the written materials are high value and comprehensive, the heightened value of the training is primarily delivered through the exercises where the attendees learn from each other in addition to the instructors. Here, the lessons and concepts are emphasized, evaluated, and placed into practice.

Chris Singletary, Program Manager of the University of Florida’s Facilities, Planning and Construction, took the Design-Bid-Build course, and he found one of the course’s group exercises to be particularly enlightening: “We split up into groups and recreated what it would be like for a Contractor on bid day. I don’t think many people in the group had been through a process like that, and it was interesting to see exactly what it’s like from the Contractor’s side. As an Owner, you hear about those things, but without actually experiencing it � rsthand, it can be hard to put into perspective. That was really eye opening.”

FOR THE INDIVIDUALCOAA OTI® courses are held around the country in convenient locations. Courses are typically scheduled just prior to a COAA Owners Leadership Conference or in conjunction with a COAA Chapter meeting/workshop.

One Day Course Member ..........................................................$495 Non Member .................................................$695

One and One-half Day Course Member ..........................................................$695 Non Member .................................................$895

Two Day Course Member .......................................................... $795 Non Member .................................................$995

FOR THE TEAM (UP TO 25 TEAM MEMBERS)Save time and money by eliminating travel and lodging costs for your team’s training. We can bring COAA OTI® courses to you! Train your entire project team — even the end users — with COAA’s In-House Training!`

One Day Course Member .....................................................$ 10,900 Non Member ............................................ $ 12,375

One and One-half Day Course Member .....................................................$12,900 Non Member ............................................ $14,875

Two Day Course Member ..................................................... $ 14,900 Non Member ............................................ $ 17,375

Course Delivery & Fees

“The quality and experience that the instructors brought to the class was invaluable!” – Quote from an OTI attendee evaluation

COAA OTI® IN-HOUSE TRAINING REQUEST FORM

Organization:

Contact: Phone:

Title: Email:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

1. Select the Course(s) you would like COAA to bring to your Organization.

q Introduction to Construction Management 2-Day

q PreDesign 1-Day

q Design Team Selection (Available Fall 2015) 1-Day

q Construction Team Selection (Available Fall 2015) 1-Day

q Project Management - An Owners’ Perspective 1½ -Day

q Design Process Management 1-Day

q Construction Process Management 1-Day

q Schedule Management 1-Day

q Cost Management 1-Day

q Construction Management at Risk 2-Day

q Design-Bid-Build: How to Make it Work Well 1-Day

q Design-Build 2-Day

q Project Close Out 1-Day

2. Provide Date Options (3 options) (Minimum 3-month lead time required)

__________________________ __________________________ _______________________ First Option Second Option Third Option

3. Number of Participants: _________ (Minimum 15, Maximum 25)

4. Submit Completed Form

Email completed form to [email protected] with the subject line In-House Training. A COAA representative will contact you to develop an implementation plan.

For more information, call COAA Headquarters at (800) 994-2622 or email [email protected].

“I have tangible materials I can refer to in the future. The examples simpli� ed and explained the subject matter and the perspectives were real.” – Quote from an OTI attendee evaluation


Over the past four years, the DesCon department has gone through intense and dramatic change by enhancing nearly every aspect of its business practices, processes, and culture. Through persistent effort and application, the department has evolved into a highly driven, engaged, and dedicated team that’s truly determined to improve the design and construction industry. People often ask what our recipe for success is—the reality is it’s simply hard work, dedication, and focus.

When we talk about why we take pride in what we do, it’s quite simple: we’re changing the construction project delivery experience. Every person who has been involved with capital construction likely has a story about a project that cost more than anticipated, took longer than expected, and it didn’t quite come out the way it was planned. DesCon is dedicated to changing this experience.

In order to bring about such change, our department engaged in four key practices: driving leadership, investing in culture, developing project management skill sets, and building relationships.

Driving LeadershipLeadership can be defined simply as taking a group of people from point A to point B. At its core, leadership is very simple. However, you first have to define point B, or where you want to end up. For DesCon, we wanted to be one of the best capital construction departments

Oregon Health and Science University’s (OHSU) Design and Construction department (known as DesCon) consists of a group of more than 40 individuals. Located in Portland, OHSU is an academic medical center with more than 14,000 employees. Spread over multiple campuses, OHSU provides the state’s most comprehensive healthcare services, along with educating the next generation of clinicians and researchers. This combination of healing, teaching, and discovery leads to amazing breakthroughs and innovations that revolutionize the healthcare industry. Complimenting the drive for constant innovation, DesCon employs project leads, certified safety professionals, registered architects, construction inspectors, and office-support services to deliver capital projects, which range from small-office reconfigures to ground-up new facilities.

EVOLUTION OF A DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT

FEATURE

By Kyle Majchrowski and Mike Buckiewicz

A case study of Oregon Health and Science University’s DesCon department

Spring 2016 27

EVOLUTION OF A DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT

FEATURE

in the country. When the four members of the DesCon Leadership Team set this vision over three years ago, it was received with mixed feelings. A few people agreed, many were skeptical, and others believed the goal was too far-fetched. We did not seek consensus when creating this vision; instead, the Leadership Team declared an ambitious goal and invited members of the department to join them in the journey.

With the vision set, the DesCon Leadership Team had to figure out what it would take to successfully move the group from point A to B, including getting those with a “wait and see” attitude to become fully engaged. We had to be intentional and direct by setting, holding, and reinforcing our course. The department recognized that the project leads must have a true sense of ownership in their work. Along with owning the project, persistence was crucial in theory and practice to ensure this new understanding would survive and be supported by an unwavering vision. The push for continuous improvement includes constantly changing processes and procedures in order to step away from the status quo.

Enhancing the process for executing RFPs, defining what is measured, and recognizing achievement are all crucial elements to maintaining this vision. Determining how

client success criteria are captured before, during, and after the project is delivered enables the client to feel emotionally tied to both the process and end result, which ultimately creates a true relationship.

We had to seek feedback—internal and external—to allow us to continually compare our perception of reality to those around us. One specific approach in this regard was the creation of our Vendor Scorecard Program, which applies to all of our architects and contractors. Every quarter, a survey goes out to our vendors, internal DesCon staff, and key stakeholders within OHSU, and it solicits answers to questions about each vendor’s performance. We collate these responses and then add trending data from our PMIS system to compile a report. This report is then reviewed in a face-to-face meeting of DesCon’s leadership team and the vendor. We spend an hour discussing issues, the survey results, and any other topics brought forward by the participants.

This dedicated effort builds trust by promoting an environment where open feedback is encouraged to identify and review processes, procedures, people, and business practices that are not adding value. Investing in this process creates a solid foundation upon which trust can thrive and the “real” issues

(often the most important but the hardest to talk about) are discussed in the open.

Leadership is difficult. Indeed, setting a vision while being intentional in all that you do can be a recipe for failing publicly. Possessing tenacity, knowing when to push/pull/steer, and celebrating with recognition are essential for retaining the vision. Staying true to the process is extremely rewarding.

Investing in CultureThe most significant aspect of a group of people is its culture. Culture is viewed three ways: the culture you think you have, the culture you actually have, and the culture people on the outside see. One of the biggest challenges we faced was aligning these three views. We set forth to define our culture with values of growth, education, recognition, and ownership.

Dedication to growth and education has become a staple in our department. Holding weekly one-hour, drop-in training sessions, with topics driven by the department (not management), empowers team members to take ownership of their professional development. These sessions are led by multiple parties, including department staff, leadership teams, outside departments, campus vendors, and even outside consultants.

2015 offsite team building


Over the last three years, these open sessions encouraged the staff to drop in and participate jointly with colleagues to continue growing and advancing the cultural values.

The outcome of these successful weekly trainings has prompted the leadership team to establish three core values and align those three values with corresponding behaviors. The three values are Relationships, Humility, and Results (see sidebar). As those three words are very large concepts, we crafted

3-4 sentences each that articulated what behaviors demonstrate those values in practice. The values are reinforced through recognition, incentives, and even in the hiring and on-boarding processes. In addition to immersing the entire department – including new hires – in cultural understanding, each member reads the book Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni within the first 30 days of their start date.

After reading the book, the employee gives a book report to the DesCon Director, which helps the employee retain key information. The book report also allows the employee to comment directly and with candor, and from there, the director relates the department’s key expectations and connects them with the book’s concepts on vulnerability. Since the department is essentially a professional services firm within a large organization, we connect very well to the three fears and twelve principles outlined in the book. Continually seeking reinforcement of the principles within the department sets a foundation to spread this knowledge outside of the department.

Culture is the most important and challenging aspect for any organization. By focusing on a culture of true vulnerability, candor, attitude, leadership, and adaptability, we’re able to truly collaborate. This communicates a willingness to genuinely improve and continuously adapt.

Developing Project Management Skill SetsTo develop project management skill sets, our department selects a project management philosophy, and focuses on learning its basics. In organizations around the country—from private to public, large to small—the range of skill sets, backgrounds, and experiences of people involved with delivering projects is tremendous. People from all walks of life manage projects, and since personalities have yet to be standardized, every project is delivered differently.

With this in mind, the focus is turned to acknowledging and then striving to balance both the art and science of project delivery. For example, within DesCon team members come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, such as architecture, construction

management, interior design, and many more. We invest in training at the department and individual level to hone in on the strengths and value each member brings to the table. We provided formal training from CMAA and PMI, department wide workshops for Lean tools including Target Value Design, and continue to seek value driven training opportunities including COA A OTI courses. When it comes to project delivery, these educational events allowed us to begin speaking the same language.

Our next step was to standardize DesCon’s method of project delivery. Incorporating good information, techniques, and approaches from the two methodologies, we found a way to establish the phases of a project and outline what we expect out of each phase. This leaves an open-ended forum for the particulars of project needs to determine “how” to accomplish the overall goal. This allows for a very agile breadth of delivery methods, including CMGC and IPD.

By having defined phases and outcomes and allowing the phases to blend, the project leads have the opportunity to determine how to achieve the goals of each phase, which demonstrates the balance of both flexible and rigid natures the methodology celebrates. The project team is given the power to find the best approach to accomplish the goals set for each unique scenario.

This process requires a large amount of trust and empowerment in your employees. Senior leaders often seek control by dictating procedure and intensely prescribing means and methods to achieve results. The opposite of this logic has proven true: state the desired outcome that addresses how each project will change the world, and trust the project’s leaders to deliver.

Building RelationshipsCreating and maintaining relationships only strengthens the core mission of any department. To be successful within DesCon, one must be able to recognize the importance of keeping true to relationship proprietorship. Viewing the world as a place full of people who at their core are all trying to do the right thing is very challenging, especially at work. In the business environment, we’re often

FEATURE

CORE VALUES

Results: This person achieves results by influencing and inspiring people to deliver. Their focus is on the team objective, and they focus others toward that objective. This person freely provides recognition and praise for the results of others. They hold themselves and others accountable. They contribute to the success achieved by the team as a team. They are an integral part of the team collective, throughout the entire lifecycle of any project or effort.

Relationships: This person builds, maintains, and values healthy relationships in their professional interactions. They appreciate the power of making others successful. This person values the contributions that others make and recognizes them for their effort. They first seek to understand, before seeking to be understood. This person builds and maintains relationships within DesCon, OHSU, and outside of OHSU.

Humility: This person is more concerned about others than themselves. No task is beneath them. This person performs their work with confidence, balanced with seeking, utilizing and appreciating those around them. This person puts the work first, ahead of personal goals. They are a door at which criticism stops while being a window from which praise flows through to others.

Spring 2016 29

taught to position ourselves as the center of the universe, but the DesCon team seeks to make others successful.

One key aspect of making others successful is to dissolve the chain of command within the department. Moving to a vulnerability-based organization allows people to be open and honest with each other about themselves, their interactions, and their problems and concerns about others.

Imag ine a workplace where a l l employees are f ree to quest ion and constructively criticize each other, without fear of ramification or retribution. When the employees exercise this freedom, the typical response is, “That’s interesting—tell me more.” Fostering this type of environment is an achievable reality and one of the key elements in building successful relationships. This is also one of the most difficult aspects of driving culture.

Maintenance of relationships within the department is just as critical as the communication and interaction with outside entities. Every group that provides design and construction services within the organization can relate to internal challenges with IT, financial services, and facilities, among other issues. By recognizing these challenges and approaching them with enthusiasm, employees are provided with a basis to understand their view of the world.

This systematic and patient process slowly build’s trust and relationships, which impact our business in ways beyond what we could have imagined. Some of the parties involved took months—and in some cases,

years—to develop even the smallest amount of trust. Every relationship must be constantly maintained in order to keep the relationship strong and healthy.

Results—And What’s NextThe results of this massive effort developed trust, clear direction, and cohesion of the leadership team. In once instance, the process empowered a project team to fully understand an internal client-prescribed solution, and this allowed the team to deliver that client a very different project solution that produced significant savings.

Empowerment through department initiatives as well as in individual projects produces amazing results due to superior employee engagement. It’s not enough to have great PMs; you need a great culture within your department to work hand in hand with great project leaders.

Inspiration of people and the organization creates an inspirational environment and energized culture. People’s accountability is held to the highest regard, which promotes ownership and excitement on a daily basis. Humility is a common value in our organization, and this compliments the drive to make the construction project delivery experience exceptional.

On the surface, it may seem like we have it all figured out, but the truth is, we tried many solutions, and most of them didn’t quite work the first time —only a few actually initially succeeded. Most often we find ourselves taking ideas, trying, and either adjusting or killing the idea and moving on to the next.

We’ve found that a winning culture is created by successfully dealing with attempt after attempt, and being accepting if an idea doesn’t work as well as working on it until you find a solution that works.

The next step in our evolution involves building on the ideas and strategies put forth in Patrick Lencioni’s book The Advantage. We’ve put in the difficult work of defining why we exist, what we do, how we behave, and identifying the most important focus for our department’s leadership. The dedication of time, effort, and discipline to repeat these messages diligently connects performance with the success of projects and people. This will allow us to formally incorporate the department’s culture into each and every project, while recognizing how far we’ve come. The road to the ultimate goal is long, but the tenacity and perseverance of our team will only bolster the ever-evolving success of OHSU’s Design and Construction department.

About the AuthorsKyle Majchrowski is currently Director of Design and Construction at Oregon Health Science University, an academic medical center located in Portland, OR. Kyle continues his journey on learning, trying, and implementing collaborative project delivery.Mike Buckiewicz is currently an Associate Project Manager in Design and Construction. He is a part of the Knight Cancer Research Building, a 300,000 square foot research facility being delivered in Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) methodology.

FEATURE

Encouraging team collaboration during DesCon project planning


This year's conference invited attendees to “Raise Your Owner IQ” and dig deeper into the familiar themes of collaboration and communications. It also gave guests an opportunity to gain a front row perspective on the ideas, innovations, and issues facing today's Owners.

“This year, we really wanted Owners to think and to continue the 'collaboration' theme that’s run through the past 3 to 4 conferences,” says Howie Ferguson, COAA Conference Committee Chair from the University of Florida's Facilities Planning & Construction Department. “Part of that was introducing the idea of 'Pecha Kucha', which is a rapid-fire, 'cut-to-the-chase' approach which we thought might have some applicability to our day jobs.”

No doubt, the themes of ef fective communication and partnerships were woven throughout the conference's slate of expert panels, educational sessions, case studies, and interactive events. These kicked off in full on Day One with concurrent sessions featuring an in-depth look at modern practices in project management and procurement, led by Kenn Sullivan, Director, Arizona State University, Capital & Facilities; and Information Exchange / Transition to

It was bright lights, big ideas for attendees of COAA's 2015 Fall Owners Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Held November 4-6, 2015 at the beautiful Green Valley Ranch Resort, the event welcomed Owners, COAA members, and industry stakeholders from across North America for three days of industry insights, education, and networking.

RAISING OWNER IQS IN

2015 FALL CONFERENCE

Highlights from COAA’s 2015 Fall Owners Leadership Conference

By Matthew Bradford

Spring 2016 31

RAISING OWNER IQS IN


Operations, helmed by Mike Kenig, Vice Chairman, Holder Construction Company.

“Owners that have invested the money and resources to have some kind of facility management / operations systems have to have the information about their assets in those systems if they are going to get the return on that investment,” said Kenig, recalling key takeaways from his morning presentation. “Having a process to collect and validate that data – aka the 'handoff process' – is essential.”

Kenig's presentation took at tendees through the ins and outs of building information modelling (BIM) platforms and the importance of smooth hand-offs. It included a moderated discussion on improving transitions to construction and operations, and the lessons learned from those who have participated in COAA's own Information Handoff Initiative.

“The biggest challenge when performing information exchanges is making sure the Owner knows what information they want and what format they want the data in. In addition, Owners might say that many of their design and construction partners today do not have the capability to collect this information, but I imagine that this issue is disappearing quickly as more and

more contractors develop the capability to manage the data collection,” he noted.

Looking back on his turn on the COAA stage, Kenig adds, “This topic seems to continue to be of interest to Owners because it really addresses the idea that we can have a transition from design and construction to operations that can be efficient and improve Owners ability to maximize the return they get on their capital investments from day one.”

Valuable PerspectivesThere were no shortage of insights to be taken away from COAA's stage. Just some of the highlights included a discussion on the intricacies of facility design with Crate and Barrel's John Mobes and Cameron McAllister Group's Clark Davis in Is Perfection Possible? Managing Uncertainty and Expectations in Building Design and Construction; a talk about accelerating AEC automation with Lord Aeck Sargent's Tony Aeck in Design & Construction Smack-Down; and the presentation, You Design & Build It, But They Live In It: Secrets to User Engagement, delivered by Owners Nancy Bayly and Dwight Raby with Emory University, and Carl Bergmann with the University of Georgia.

Surely, the values of collaboration and team-building were echoed by many of the event's presenters. They were sentiments shared by many, including COA A chapter leadership teams in Chapter Best Practices Forum; industry experts in Trust But Verify: Cost Accountability as a Component of Collaboration; and facility reps in Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU)'s Pushing the Limits to Find Collaborative Partners.

Some of the most memorable accounts of industry collaboration were told in Collaboration Stories – Powered by Pecha Kucha. This PK-style session (each story was told with 20 slides at 20 seconds per slide) starred a group of Owners who took turns discussing how collaboration transformed their specific projects. Among them was Nicholas S. Ross with Disney Imagineering, whose case study took audiences through the recent development of a high-tech Disney attraction.

“Collaboration is how we push our projects forward. As complexity has increased over the past several years, it has put an even greater emphasis on working together to solve problems more efficiently. Without f luid communication between all studios, we would not be able to successfully deliver the quality

32 OwnersPerspective.org32 OwnersPerspective.org

product our guests love,” Ross explained to COAA's Owners Perspective. Speaking to his turn at the podium, he notes, “The Pecha Kucha format allowed several of us to quickly share a situation where collaboration helped us through a difficult challenge.”

Ross said he enjoyed the opportunity listen in on other collaboration stories throughout the conference, adding, “It was valuable to hear the experiences of other teams in the industry, and to learn how they solved problems that seem to be universal to all in attendance.”

Leading By ExampleThe best way to lead is by example; and this fall's conference was overflowing with leaders who were eager to impart lessons from their most recent projects. Examples included case study presentations on Stanford University's innovative new energy system; California Institute of Technology's green revolving fund; the University of Michigan's work to standardize construction safety practices; and the groundbreaking Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC).

Additional highlights included a discussion of design and construction industry standards care with Lynda Boomer (Michigan State University) and Jay Smith (Christman Company); and a look at achieving consistently high value results, as exemplified by Ventura County Medical Centre's development of a new hospital wing using LEAN methods.

C e r t a i n l y , t h e r e w e r e a m p l e opportunities for conference goers to acquire on-the-ground perspectives and become part of the event. Cumming Construction Management's Lisa Sachs and MIG's Daniel Iacofano led an industry role playing exercise with How Can I Raise Your EQ?, and The Lean Construction Institute (LCI)'s Lean Parade of Trades® Simulation split participants into teams

for an interactive demonstration of the impact workf low variability has on the performance of construction trades and their successors.

Addressing The IssuesIn addition to its panels and case studies, COAA's fall conference tackled several key issues facing today's Owners. Among these included today's skilled talent crisis, which Don Whyte with the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) picked apart in his Day Three presentation, The Workforce Shortage: Owners Must Just into the Fray.

Whyte's morning session provided audience members with ideas for rebuilding the nation's talent pool through better talent engagement and employee participation.


COAA EXHIBITORS

COAA's 2015 Fall Conference included an Exhibitor Hall featuring representatives from all facets of the industry. This served as the backdrop of the conference's breaks and evening receptions, during which attendees were encouraged to browse the exhibitors and learn more about their products and services.

COAAs thanks the following exhibitors who shared their innovations and expertise with conference attendees:

City of Henderson

Info Tech, Inc.

Lean Construction Institute

e-Builder

Mortenson Construction

AssetWorks

Bentley-EADOC

Structural Group

The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company

Autodesk, Inc.

MySmartPlans

Viewpoint Construction Software

ConsensusDocs

Multivista

Faro Technologies

“I thought [the conference] went very well, and that feeling was confirmed by attendee evaluations. Our content and speakers were virtually all home runs, and the main room offered a unique setup that really allowed for a most professional feel when coupled with an A/V crew that also raised the bar.” -Howie S. Ferguson

COAA’s main stage hosted presenters, Owners, and experts from across the industry

Spring 2016 33

“It is critical for Owners to take the lead on driving training and education, and the most effective and long-lasting changes in the industry are those that are supported and encouraged by the Owner community,” Whyte emphasized after the event. “To overcome our industry’s workforce challenges, Owners should require contractors to invest in training as a key criterion in both the prequalification and final selection of contractors – just as safety, quality, and schedule are considered.”

Whyte added he was thankful or the opportunity to share his insights with the Owner community, noting, “NCCER is always excited to have the opportunity to discuss the construction industry’s work force i s sue s w it h in f luent ia l organizations like COAA. Owners who are educated about the political workforce issues facing our industry are bet ter positioned to drive positive change that benefits both our current and future workforces.”

Networking OpportunitiesInteractive sessions and engaging panels weren't the only events on offer at COAA's Fall Conference. Throughout the industry meeting, at tendees enjoyed a host of networking oppor tunit ies, including catered breakfasts and lunches, open-bar receptions, and tours of local attractions.

“As proud as we usually are of the presenters and content, it ’s the space between that of ten really makes for a good conference – but the two go hand-in-hand,” ref lected Howie. “Thoughtful attendees are inspired to think by good presenters, which creates an electricity that spills into the breaks, meals, and other 'gap' times. From meeting folks who may have a bet ter handle on something than you to simply learning that most of our challenges are shared by other Owners, the benefits are many.”

It helped that the conference was held in one of the Las Vegas region's premier event and entertainment spaces. Located a short drive from the Las Vegas strip, Station Casinos' Green Valley Ranch Resort treated at tendees to luxurious accommodations, onsite entertainment, fine dining, and over 50,000 square feet of casino floor gaming. More importantly for COAA, it also provided over 65,000 square feet of state-of-the art conference space.

“We are very proud of the Green Valley Ranch,” says Barbara Coffee, Director of

Economic Development / Redevelopment with the City of Henderson, who was on hand to open the conference. “It's one of the Station Casinos' top-of-the-line proper t ies and it s just minutes from McCarran International airport. Everything is right there.”

What's more, Coffee says having the conference in Henderson leant a symbolic importance to COAA's themes of growth, collaboration, and economic development. “Coming out of a recession period, we're starting to gain a lot of new activity, which we haven't seen in a long time. So to have the construction Owners out here to see what's happening in our region is a good thing and we're happy about that.”

Owner's Roundtable The Owners' Roundtable is a popular staple at COAA's bi-annual conferences, and this year was no exception. Before attendees packed their bags for home, Owners were invited to ask questions of their peers and event presenters.

The open forum launched with a thank-you from COAA to everyone who made it to the conference, as well as a send-off to outgoing COAA president Kevin Lewis.

“One thing I would encourage you all to do is get involved,” Kevin told the crowd, noting, “Personally, I look forward to continue helping develop a sustainable workforce, and look forward to being involved for many more years with COAA.”

With a final goodbye, the room was open for the Roundtable. Over the course of an hour, Owners offered their personal experiences and spoke candidly about their most pressing concerns. Topics ranged from maximizing the team selection process; best practices when working with principals; the feasibility of adopting the BIM model; and the importance of raising the industry's reputation to attract the next generation of skilled trades workers.

“ [What's good about the Owners' Roundtable] is it's a chance for Owners and others to raise – or maybe re-raise – topics, ideas, issues, challenges, questions, or anything else on their mind in an unstructured forum that allows everyone else to chime in,” said Howie.

As any Owner can attest, playing in this industry takes skill, smarts, the right team, and a little luck. Thanks to COAA's Fall Conference, Owners left with more tools and insights to lead the game.


COAA AWARDS

Several COAA members took the spotlight during the conference's Project Leadership Awards luncheon. Held on Day Two, the presentation honored both COAA's Gold and Silver Project Leadership Award winners, which included:

Gold Project Leadership Award: The Pennsylvania State University for the Health and Human Development Building.

Silver Project Leadership Award: Western Michigan University (WMU) for the Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine.

"The two projects selected represent excellence in innovative project management concepts, fully collaborative team development and execution, overcoming obstacles, adaptive re-use of existing buildings and inherent complexity, adherence to challenging schedules, and exceeding the end user's expectations while respecting sustainable practices. We can all learn something from their efforts,” said COAA Awards Committee member, Dave Cozier, Mount Carmel Health.

Read more about Penn State's Health and Human Development Building project in this issue, and look for a profile on Western Michigan University's award-winning Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine in an upcoming edition.


It’s a classic case of two steps forward and one step back for the construction industry—and it’s costing billions. The Texas Chapter of COAA recently instituted a surprisingly simple process to begin addressing abysmal industry productivity rates, with the hope of improving the project delivery process.

FEATURE

By David J. Bammerlin and Randle Pollock

Texas chapter develops best practices for project delivery

START, STOP, AND CONTINUE

Spring 2016 35

FEATURE

It’s a classic case of two steps forward and one step back for the construction industry—and it ’s costing billions. The Texas Chapter of COAA recently instituted a surprisingly simple process to begin addressing abysmal industry productivity rates, with the hope of improving the project delivery process.

It’s well documented that construction productivity has declined over the past 50 years1. Waste in labor coordination and materials installation ranges between 25 to 50 percent2. Inadequate technology interoperability is costing up to $15.6 billion in losses per year3. Moreover, the Federal Facilities Commission estimated4 transactional costs to resolve construction claims and disputes to be around $4 to $12 billion annually. New tools and delivery methods, such as BIM and Integrated Project Delivery, can hopefully reverse the decline in construction productivity.

With the apparent advances in design and delivery, COAA Texas wanted to understand root causes behind the productivity decline. And with that knowledge, what are the opportunities for improvement? Chapter leaders used a basic method to start unraveling the current industry productivity challenges—and that involved asking all project stakeholders for input.

Candid Conversations To Uncover Concerns More than any other industry organization, COAA gathers feedback from all major entities involved in construction. Owners, developer s , a rchi tec t s , en g ineer s , contractors and even large sub-contractors and suppliers are actively involved in chapters across the country. COAA Texas recognized the value in this complete perspective as a way to better understand how the action of one entity impacts the entire project team.

The chapter formulated a “START/STOP/CONTINUE” roundtable process to uncover specific productivity issues in the project continuum. The chapter kicked off the roundtables at the COAA Texas Winter Workshop in September 2014. The premise was to gather the major team players around one table to find out what actions should START happening during the project lifecycle to improve the process and outcomes, which ones were detrimental and should STOP occurring, and which actions were working well and should CONTINUE. All stakeholders shared their unfiltered input—the good, the bad, and the ugly—through a moderator.

David Bammerlin, Associate VP for Research and Education Facilit ies at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and COA A Tex a s Chapter President, was instrumental in out lining the process. “Every COA A member wants the same thing, which is a positive outcome for their part in a project ,” said Bammerlin. “COA A is a place where we can have hard conversations, but still be friends. If we are talking about better project delivery, and a project stakeholder isn’ t at the table, a perspect ive is missing. And that means a possible solution is also missing.”

Tough Pills = Good MedicineOrganizers planned a series of START/STOP/CONTINUE sessions over the course of two COAA Texas workshops. Input from the first roundtables laid the foundation for the seconds. Participants divided into groups of Owners, architects, and contractors to share their varying perspectives. More than glorified gripe sessions, moderators probed participants to articulate possible causes of adverse outcomes during the project lifecycle. Though the participants were divided by project role, several common issues emerged:

Front-End Planning• The Owner’s consultant selection process is

not clearly defined• All major project parties are not involved

early enough• Numerous project starts and stops increase

changes and re-work• Team building• Lack of a collaborative environment does

not foster trust• Key executives from all parties do not

maintain involvement throughout the project

• Cloaked communication of problems inhibits team problem solving

• System integration• BIM is not used effectively between team

members• Information sharing needs overall

improvement• Data is not effectively transferred to Owner

for O&M use at closeout

Architects and contractors shared one surprising concern: not everyone feels empowered to engage. This begged the question—is the client’s organization the main source of risk to project success?

Possible Paths ForwardThe first roundtables were open-ended discussions to identify the issues. The second ones, at the COAA Texas Winter Workshop in February 2015, focused on possible solutions. Again, all key project roles were represented, but this time participants did not segregate by role. Instead, they self-selected from among four specific discussion topics pared down from the February workshop:


• Coordination of review time among stakeholders

• Fostering team collaboration in problem-solving

• Improving the consultant selection process• Determining the process for updating the

BIM model

Facilitators guided the discussion of each topic, with the task of distilling input into the top-three recommended actions to resolve the issue.

Coordination Of Review Time Among StakeholdersFacilitated by an Owner, participants were asked to provide suggestions targeted specifically at Owners. Their input provided a few key pieces of advice:• Conduct face-to-face, facilitated reviews

of design deliverables with stakeholders, including the full design team and end user. A related recommendation suggested to obtain stakeholder-drawing approval at key milestones.

• Educate stakeholders early about the review process and expectations, with a pre-established timeline and schedule for reviews.

• Maintain continuity of reviewers and consistency in the review process.Transparency was a common element

of all comments shared. Contractors and the A/E team want to know who has final authority, how decisions will be made, and when major reviews must be completed. Ideally, this information would be shared with the full team at the same time.

Fostering Team Collaboration In Problem Solving Take-aways from this roundtable were directed at contractors and included:• Establish the rules of engagement at the

project outset and recognize that how the first problem is addressed will set the tone. And keep in mind the acronym QTIP: Quit Taking It Personally.

• Create a culture of trust in order to maintain transparency. Measure the success of the whole team rather than individually.

• Embrace a collaborative environment,

and empower team members at all levels to disclose concerns.

Participants had practical suggestions that would be easy to implement at any project phase, such as offering a potential solution when discussing a problem.

Improving The Consultant Selection ProcessTypically, the selection process is the first official interaction between A/Es and Owners, and the A/Es offered one pointed suggestion for Owners:• Provide more details about the A/E

selection process. How will selection criteria be weighted? What is the project scope and schedule? If there are multiple Owner stakeholders, whose goals matter most?

What are the metrics for project success?With ample details, A/E firms can be more selective about pursuing projects that align with their experience, and Owners will get a better pool of candidates.

Determining The Process To Update The Bim ModelBIM is now widely used, but many questions exist across project teams for its effective and integrated use. A/Es made several recommendations for contractors:• Information is king and the most

important item to keep updated. Owners may be best to manage raw data, but the digital representation is better left with the contractor or architect.

• Owners must provide clear contractual re qu i rement s . Even w i t h c le a r requirements, the group felt a project “Technology Kick-Off” meeting would be beneficial for the entire team to get on the same page.

• Though each team member purpose-builds the model for their specific needs, all stakeholders recognize that BIM has value in the delivery process and is therefore worthy of dedicated time to establish a process for maintaining one master model.Models are starting to serve new needs

for Owners’ operations and maintenance, prompting the idea that perhaps Owners

should provide the one family to be used by the full team. All participants felt that BIM discussions too commonly are theory-based—they want an interactive workshop focused on the current possibilities and limitations within BIM.

What Next?New tools and delivery methods are available resources that can be leveraged by team members to improve construction productivity. However, a productive team is at the heart of an efficient project. Denton Wilson, Vice-President of Design & Construction at Methodist Health System, set out to not only improve Methodist’s delivery process, but to permanently change its culture. He leveraged collaboration to change the mindset of every participant on his projects.

“Every project participant had a vested interest in the project, so we started with the question of what would define common value,” said Wilson. “That helped to cultivate trust. And thankfully so, because I pushed members of the team completely out of their comfort zone. Our covenant was ‘Thou shall cross the line,’ which gave every person a voice AND accountability. It was painful at times, but I asked the team members to be invested in the project enough to grow, both professionally and personally.”

Wilson is the exception among Owners pushing team collaboration to the outer limits, and he admits there were successes and potholes in his process. Considerable “learning on the fly” occurred, but with it came new ideas to implement in the future. Outside of an active project, COAA Texas is the avenue to bring all project stakeholders together for candid discussion and idea sharing. Through programs like START/STOP/CONTINUE, all team members can share real pain points and brainstorm possible solutions rather than more “learning the hard way” on a project.

David J. Bammerlin, P.E., is the Associate VP for Research and Education Facilities at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. David is also a COAA Texas Chapter Past President. Randle Pollock is Science & Technology Director with HDR.

Sources1. http://www.aecbytes.com/viewpoint/2013/issue_67.html 2. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12717/advancing-the-competitiveness-and-efficiency-of-the-us-construction-industry 3. http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build04/PDF/b04022.pdf 4. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11846/reducing-construction-costs-uses-of-best-dispute-resolution-practices-by

FEATURE

NEW MEMBERSOWNERS

Ada County Doug Cox Catherine Freeman Kale Gans Cory Nielson Sharla Robinson Ng Nancy Werdel Erica White

Advocate Health Care Nancy Dolan

Allegheny Health Network Brian Mathie Anthony Pugliese Tammy Suchanek Richard Thompson

Atlanta Airlines Terminal Corporation Tiffany Jones

Augusta University Daryl Bullock

Auto-Owners Insurance Company Dan Keefe

Board of Regents / University System of Georgia Teresa Corso

Broward County Carlos Hernandez

California Institute of Technology Thomas Shaffer

CampusParc Sarah Blouch

Capital University Beth Anne Carman Wesley Snow Bradley Swiniarski

Carnegie Mellon University Nicole Graycar Wen Li

Carroll County Department of Public Works Scott Moser

Central Michigan University Linda Slater

City of Peoria Kathy Sponsel

Cleveland Clinic Richard O. Gamble II

College of William and Mary Steve Stafford

Cook Children’s Medical Center Gary Brown

Dart Development Group Karl Griffin Abraham Hands Richard Lewis Eric Miilu Terry Miller Eric Philips

DC Public Library David Saulter

Foremost Development Terry Bailey

Frederick County DPW Bret Fouche

Georgia Institute of Technology Scott Jones

Grand Valley State University Scott Whisler

Iowa State University David Blum Wesley Gee Nathan Graves Jim Haberichter Jordan Hutchens Eduardo Rosa Scott Sankey Brad Tonya

Johns Hopkins University Kevin Ames Rodney Barnes Jason Ford Michelle Lee Patrick Norton Ronald C. Prietz Jr. Billy Thompson

Kodiak Island Borough Kelsea Kerns Steven Neff Rick Ryser

Loudoun County Public Schools Chris Glassmoyer

Maryland National Park and Planning Commission Todd Ensimger

MD Anderson Cancer Center Matthew L. Berkheiser Lisa Tannehill

Michigan State University Tiana Carter Matt Postma

Mount Carmel Health Kylie Noble

New Stanford Hospital Patrick Carroll Tuyen Dagondon Kim Daley Jessica Epstein Bob Goldberg Grace Hsu Ernesto LaGuardia Cliff Moser Erin Rindal Jim Roberston Lizette Solias Daniel Srour

Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) Martha Cardoza Anil Manchada Steve Patterson

Northwestern Medicine Skender Rugova

Oregon Health & Science University Kelly Forsyth

Penn State University Brian Hayes

Port of Seattle Janice Zahn

Prince William County Parks and Recreation Ron Lilley

Purdue University Rabab Al Louzi Drew Furry

Seagate Ronald Ice

Sentara RMH Rob Lynch

Sparrow Health System Karrie Blundell

State of Tennessee Department of General Services Natalie Hansen

Syracuse University Laura Steinberg

Texas Children’s Hospital Alex Llagostera Jill Pearsall

The Westminster Schools Chris Sanders

University of Central Florida Trey Beck Beverly Bell Cheryl Colvin Renwick Daelo Ben Fauser Derek Findlay Walter Gordon George Hayner Ronald Lupianez Bill Martin Robert Sharps John Weaver Jeremy Williamson Maria Yebra-Teimouri

University of Chicago John Barlow Alicia Berg Kareem Cousar Matthew Curtin Dan De Young Juliana Jovanoski Roxsand King Charles Maher Antonio Mena Michael Ross Mike Stopka Anthony Tagliola Roxann VanWyne-Brown

University of Chicago Medicine Marco Capicchioni Philip Demma Clay Goser Tonia Harden Girard Jenkins Judd Johnson George Kasang Elizabeth Lockwood Steve Oden Kevin Ryan Nicholas Siorek Bruce Wance Anthony Zamer

University of Houston - Victoria Brenda Svetlik

University of Illnois At Chicago John Lewis

University of Maryland Baltimore County Suzanne Crawford

University of Maryland, College Park Andrea Crabb Ruth Heffes Jennifer Wegman

University of New Mexico Isabel Gonzalez Rick Henrard Gary Prosoki Jenny Ramirez Michael Reid Sharon Rodgers Eric Schwaner John Tomaszewski

University of North Texas System Brooke Haygood Mickey James Chad Joyce Nicole Savage

University of Pittsburgh Owen Cooks

University of Virginia Mashal Hartman

University of Washington Travis White

University of Wyoming Laurence Blake

ASSOCIATES

Affiliated Engineers Inc Michael Bove’

C.W. Driver Contractors Betty Senes

CCS Clive Bransby

DRMP David Sowell

Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc. Dan Launstein Jeff Schumaker

Fort Hill Associates, LLC Douglas Plyer

Hartman Fire Station Consultants David Hartman

Howard Shockey & Sons Inc. Jennifer Macks

Jamerson-Lewis Construction, Inc. Preston Craighill Phillip Jamerson

Olympic Associates Company Eric Smith

r.o.i. Design Mary Witte

SSC at Texax A&M Bob Casagrande

Tandus Centiva Karen Perucki

Tarlton Corporation Tarlton Corp Jeffrey Freese Ted Guhr

Turner Construction Company Wade Milligan

Zurich Insurance Robin Toler

Spring 2016 37


MARCH

CM at Risk - (OTI Course) March 28-29, 2016 Hilton Washington Dulles Airport Hotel Herndon, VA

COAA-MI Spring Workshop March 29, 2016 Crowne Plaza Novi Novi, MI

Schedule Management (OTI Course) March 30, 2016 Loudermilk Center Atlanta, GA

COAA-GA Spring Workshop March 31, 2016 Loudermilk Center Atlanta, GA

APRIL

Project Close Out (OTI Course) April 4, 2016 K & L Gates Chicago, IL

COAA Webinar – Is Perfection Possible? Managing Uncertainty and Expectations in Building Design and Construction April 26, 2016

MAY

Project Management: An Owner’s Perspective (OTI Course) May 2-3, 2016 Westin Galleria Dallas Dallas, TX

2016 Spring Owners Leadership Conference May 4-6, 2016 Westin Galleria Dallas Dallas, TX

JUNE

Introduction to Construction Project Management (OTI Course) June 13-14, 2016 MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX

SEPTEMBER

COAA-TEXAS Fall Workshop September 15-16, 2016 Courtyard by Marriott Austin Downtown Austin, TX

NOVEMBER

CM at Risk (OTI Course) November 7-8, 2016 InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta Atlanta, GA

2016 Fall Owners Leadership Conference November 9-11, 2016 InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta Atlanta, GA

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

On A wing and a prayer?When it comes to construction projects, you can’t simply rely on luck to see things through. Let the Kitch firm help you anticipate and resolve construction or legal issues that may arise – or better yet, avoid them all together.

Call John Sier at 313.965.2915 or email [email protected] to discuss your next move.

www.kitch.com

Kitch_3.333x4.583.indd 1 1/21/09 9:17:05 PM

GET NOTICED!Owners Perspective (OP) magazine subscribers are comprised of North America’s most influential audience of construction industry executives. For information on advertising in the magazine or its companion digital media products or if you’d like to discuss the development of custom marketing programs for your organization, please contact Chuck Nervick at 416-512-8186 ext. 277 or [email protected]

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THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE CONSTRUCTION OWNERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

OWNERSPERSPECTIVE

OP_1_4_HOUSEAD.indd 1 2016-03-15 2:44 PM

“The LCI Congress is my measuring stick for all other conferences. The content is real, honest, diverse, and thought provoking, which is very unique. It is great to catch up with old friends and meet new ones and know that we are in the battle together to make our industry better for our people, our clients, our companies, and our partners.”

JESSICA KELLEY Director, Learning and Development–Southland Industries

“As a long-timer in the industry but a first-timer to LCI Congresses, I’ll admit I approached it with some skepticism. Now, I can’t wait for next year in Chicago. The intensive, collegial environment of the Training Days was a great way to deepen the learning experience. During the Congress, my Lean passion was truly revitalized by being able to meet so many well-known Lean Construction thought leaders and practitioners, and then have stimulating one-on-one discussions about both philosophical foundations and practical challenges. Finding out that the Congress

attendees and presenters covered such a broad spectrum of academics, consultants, designers, and builders was also a welcome surprise!”

DAVID W. HALLPrincipal–Contract Tensegrity, LLC and Project Contract Mgmt. Services (PCMS), LLC

SAVESAVETHE DATETHE DATE

Lean Design and Construction are rapidly becoming the standard for project planning across the U.S., and the 18th Annual LCI Congress is the industry’s #1 must-attend event. This year, we’ll be gathering October 3-7 in Chicago, IL!

Come and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to learn about Lean techniques and practices. Congress has enjoyed a 40% growth rate in attendance over the past three years with 999 registrants in 2015...and 28% of the companies in the $712b construction market have implemented at least one Lean practice.

For questions about Congress and programming, please contact Joan Piccariello, Director of Program Development, at [email protected]

For questions about Congress sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities, please contact Ilene Goldberg, Manager of Membership and Component Relations, at [email protected]

www.leanconstruction.org

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