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core planning team, a project team and an executive level committee often leads to success. The core planning team, responsible for the decision-making on the project and the initiation process, can provide representation at varying levels, including supply chain, engineering, legal, infection control, design and construction and others. This ensures each team has a say and ties everyone to the success of the outcomes. Most members of the core planning team will participate on the project team, but that doesn't always have to be the case. An executive steering committee allows for transparency, conflict resolution and executive buy-in. This is the framework from which the vision and goals can be set. Once the internal structure is in place, it is imperative to develop a concise vision and goals for the project. This is the most critical step in every project and is often overlooked. Consider how drivers such as sustainable design, operational efficiency, flexibility or patient experience could sway a project one way or another. Those goals should be transmitted to all parties in the design and construction process. It is from these goals that success should be measured and selection criteria for the other participants in the team should be developed. If collaborative selection criteria is developed and transmitted to the project team, from day one, it will provide a clear understanding of expectations. ILLUSTRATION: DRAFTER123/ISTOCKPHOTO Establishing the process The process for engagement of the right external team is complex and needs to be evaluated carefully. Once organized internally, the project procurement process has many steps and understanding them and preparing for them prior to the inception of a project is critical to getting the right team. > Developing external relationships: Having relationships prior to the project start is critical for appropriate inclusion of all firms. For owners who don't have a wide array of relationships, they are restricting the ability to know the right firms to contact when a project develops. > Request for qualifications: This ensures the firms eventually brought to the table have a qualified body of work and the ability to deliver. Often this step is eliminated due to schedule restrictions. This can be rectified by conducting a yearly RFQ in which all applicable data is collected and on record. Projectspecific information for potential projects www.mcdmag.com Once the internal structure is in place, it is imperative to develop a concise vision and goals for the project. This is the most critical step in every project and is often overlooked. is collected for the given year. This allows for architects and contractors to be evaluated into tiers and categories, eliminating lost time upfront on projects and aligning firms with projects so they are best positioned for success. > Request for proposals or quotations: Development of the RFP is essential to the success of the project. Rushing through this portion of the project can lead to monumental challenges in relationships, costs and functional or operational output. Team selection The opportunity for the greatest success comes in developing teams that collaborate well together. Traditional delivery models place less emphasis on relationships and more on costs and prior experience. These characteristics aren't always good predictors of success. Given a design/bid/build or other similar delivery models, conversations with the architects often aren't communicated to the builders. Additionally, these organizations and individuals may not work well together. This fragmentation creates unclear expectations. Developing teamfocused RFPs allow for the owner to see the interaction between the entire team ahead of the project kickoff. Being open to this approach takes a culture shift. It is more about forming relationships and less about cost or schedule. Those items will come later. If selection criteria — derived from goals — leads each team to the same place, the decision will be balanced through the right thought process. Concentrate on the tools provided to the core planning team to force the team to think about selection in the right context. Develop a decision matrix that weights all of the selection criteria or consider modifying the bid submission forms to pull out critical items. In order to allow the bidding parties to understand needs accurately, other than the formal pre-bid walkthrough, consider a forum to ask questions and pull from the core planning team their goals and aspirations. Whether conducted in a large group or individually with the finalists, this allows both sides to familiarize with each other and can be precursors to ensuring teams mesh. Taking it a step further, releasing an RFP that allows teams to self-select (given prequalification), ensures having teams that want to work together. This can be done without contracting as a design build or using multi-party agreements and have similar success. Coupled with the right core planning team, it is a recipe for success. Consider the following approaches: > Collaborative RFP with architect lead: When factors such as building efficiency, Lean design or others drive a project, bid to the architect and allow them to select from a list of pre-qualified construction management firms. > Collaborative RFP with construction management lead: When logistics and delivery are of greatest concern, bid to CM firms and allow them to select from a list of pre-qualified architectural firms. > Collaborative RFP self selection: Bid to a list of pre-qualified firms and allow each side to pick and choose their partner. Given the available options for creativity in the market, there is no right or wrong approach. Call it what you want and contract it as you are comfortable, collaboration doesn't need a title such as Integrated Project Delivery or Design Build to be successful. Giving much thought at the inception of a project on what system works best is what is most important. In the end, it is the people and cultural similarities of the organizations in the mix that will create success. With changes in the healthcare environment and a focus on efficiency, the need for efficient design and implementation is paramount. Although many organizations think about collaboration to help combat inefficiencies, the approach some take may lead to challenges during implementation. The project initiation process is the opportunity for the greatest impact to help chart successful outcomes. Judson Orlando, MBA, CHFM, is director of planning, design and construction at ChildrenÕs Medical Center of Dallas. November/December 2013 | Medical Construction & Design 23