Design, Build, and Operate the World's Infrastructure

"Good communication between contractors and owners is the biggest factor for project success. If you're not communicating about change, risk and your vision for the project, you'll run into problems down the line," says Joe Johnson, PMO manager for construction projects at Texas Health Resources.

Even the best-laid plans can run awry during project execution. An owner and contractor's ability to understand and manage change can make or break a project's success. Errors in change management and cost capture reduce project profitability. Inaccurate reports provide misleading information about a project's progress. A lack of transparency and visibility minimizes an organization's ability to plan ahead and re-allocate resources.

An integrated project and construction execution solution enables the owner or E&C contractor to share product, asset and engineering documents across the enterprise to effectively manage time, costs, resources, contracts and changes. Project teams can increase collaboration and coordinate the change management process with all stakeholders. With visual access to drawings documentation and information, accountability and decision-making improves. Integrating project financials with project delivery and controls enables detailed budgeting and forecasting, reducing project risk.

Lean management principles and BIM technology are key components of successful project delivery. BIM enables a closer, more collaborative relationship between owners and contractors throughout the entire value chain, from preconstruction through post-construction.

The productivity-focused lean process approach calls for predictability of workflow, and efficient use of resources, and increased collaboration between project team members, especially the field.

This article appears in the current issue of Construction Connection.