Ground zero for construction partnering was in 1987, when the US Army Corps of Engineers coined the term “partnering” for the productivity improvement process developed out of the Business Roundtable’s efforts. Construction Partnering has continuously evolved since then. Today, Collaborative Partnering has become a powerful framework, backed by research, that allows a project team-of-teams to form, storm, norm, and perform, in a manner that creates a high trust culture. We know that high trust = high performance.
Looking at how construction partnering has developed, and the lessons learned, is important. Partnering has evolved, becoming more and more refined and effective over the decades. Construction Partnering’s objective has always been to ensure that the construction project team succeeds. Leaving a project team’s fate up to “hope” or “chance” is just way too risky. Let’s look at the evolution of construction partnering and what we’ve learned along the way.
PARTNERING 1.0
Partnering in the 1990s — Key Lessons Learned
A one-time Partnering Session focused on team building is not going to determine how the project team will operate.
Construction project claims, arbitrations, and litigation exploded in the 1990s. Most leaders felt helpless to stop the tidal wave of conflicts and claims. Construction was often referred to as a “war zone.” Wanting to find a way to improve the situation, Partnering was seen as a “miracle” way to stop the craziness. One insurance company paid for the partnering workshop because they found that the projects that partnered had 75% fewer claims. While effective for some, it stopped short of supporting the team over the life of the project. A one-time, 2-day partnering session was not enough to break down the adversarial mindset that existed between the team’s stakeholders. Many people in the industry still believe this is what partnering is today. They are missing out on the benefits their projects could enjoy as partnering has evolved.
PARTNERING 2.0
Partnering at the Start of the Century:
Having the team know that Partnering will happen at regular intervals over the life of the project, saves costs and time, while improving safety and quality.
In the 2000’s, when many in the industry looked at Partnering as a novelty, some owners started to implement partnering at the “program” level on all their projects. Some owners saw real tangible project and program benefits. Often this included saving 5%-10% on total installed costs. The contractors, designers, and CMs on these projects were also excited with their results. With regular partnering sessions, project teams started to follow through with the commitments made during their partnering sessions, because they had to face each other again and be accountable. They also started implementing a monthly partnering survey to provide feedback and accountability on how the team was doing. This shifted the relationships to be more collaborative, and the project results showed it, such as having fewer claims, quicker responses, and more ability to know where the issues are.
PARTNERING 2.1
Partnering: 2010s
Focusing on creating a culture of collaboration allowed the project team, and organizations, to operate under a new set of values. Partnering values. This grew trust.
Building on what was developed in Partnering 2.0, by the 2010’s the International Partnering Institute had been formed by a group of owners, contractors, and construction managers, who wanted to share the results they were achieving with the rest of the industry. Together they developed the IPI Collaborative Partnering Framework and Matrices based on their own experiences and results. This formalized what was learned in Partnering 2.0 and dramatically shortened the learning curve for any project wanting to use Collaborative Partnering. As the Collaborative Partnering Framework continued to evolve, we learned that more frequent, shorter partnering sessions had a bigger impact on results. As the director of a large construction program once said, “We did some partnering and got results. We did more partnering and got more results. And, when we went all in, we got extraordinary results.”
PARTNERING 3.0
Construction Partnering in this Decade — The Evolution Continues
Only key project leaders attend the partnering sessions, and they are important. But what if we could activate everyone on our project to be a part of our Collaborative Partnering effort every day? This would be exponentially more powerful.
In the 2020’s we have new delivery methods being used that “require” collaboration to work, like Progressive Design Build. We have new technology that assists project leaders to see the problems before they happen, so they can be prevented. And our projects continue to be more and more complex making communication and teamwork even more challenging and the need for trust and collaboration even more essential.
Continuing with the Collaborative Partnering Framework that we know works makes sense. And if we can also add a series of trainings on how to make Collaborative Partnering work, the entire team can be integral in the formation, development, and ongoing creation of a high-trust high-performing project team. The joint Collaborative Partnering trainings also create a unique team alignment, as the team operates from a common framework, common tools, common vocabulary, and common expectations. This allows them to get smarter, better, and faster.
Construction partnering has evolved a great deal over the past 30+ years, and I am sure it will continue to evolve with the changes and needs of the industry. But if you and your projects are not evolving too, using these frameworks and tools, you are likely to get left behind as we continue to progress. The learning curve will get steeper as time goes on.
PROJECT LEADERS, GET CERTIFIED THIS SEPTEMBER
In September the International Partnering Institute is holding it’s last Project Leadership Certification Training for individuals. After September, the training will only be available for project teams. Register for the September cohort to learn how to help your team operate as a high trust team.
Sue
Sue Dyer, MBA, MIPI is a Master Partnering Facilitator & Founder for OrgMetrics LLC, WSJ bestselling author on Trusted Leadership for construction leaders, Founder of the International Partnering Institute, and President of sudyco® LLC. You can contact Sue at suedyer@orgmet.com or 510 504-5877.
