PROJECT PARTNERING FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

It is no secret that problems in the construction industry can quickly escalate into full-fledged conflicts; adversarial positions taken by the various parties involved in a project routinely lead to disrupted schedules and costly litigation. It doesn't have to be that way.

Project Partnering for the Design and Construction Industry provides powerful tools for improving working relationships among contractors, designers, clients, and suppliers. Speaking directly to the construction professional, author Ralph J. Stephenson demonstrates numerous ways to avoid conflict and ensure successful, on-time project deliveries by promoting teamwork, establishing noncontract ground rules for ethical and responsible behavior, and employing a variety of conflict-resolution techniques.

This thoroughly practical handbook describes all the steps, procedures, and guidelines you need to make project partnering work for you. You'll discover how to identify possible sources of conflict before the work begins and learn to plan and write a project partnering charter. You'll develop the ability to identify commonly encountered problem-types and avoid miscommunications and disputes that may arise from incompatible personalities and management styles.

Using real-world case studies, examples, and his own personal observations, the author examines construction projects of all sizes and types, from inception and design through completion and beyond. He offers a historical overview of the construction industry, comments on its nature as a business, analyzes its various components, and offers helpful tips on management methods for specific projects and organizational structures.

This comprehensive and enthusiastic book demonstrates how effective project partnering fosters competent, high-quality work throughout the entire life cycle of a project. It also enables construction professionals to make each project more profitable and less stressful, while finding renewed job satisfaction in a revitalized working environment

How to manage construction projects on time, within budget--and without major conflicts . . .

To many contractors, architects, design engineers, and suppliers, a conflict-free construction project may seem like an impossible dream. Not so. Project Partnering for the Design and Construction Industry provides step-by-step instructions on how to conduct a high-quality, on-time, profitable construction project, while avoiding strife, adversarial behavior, or debilitating legal action.

Written in plain English and spiced with humor, this enormously useful guide:
* Examines all practical methods and procedures needed to create successful partnering systems for a wide range of projects
* Shows how project partnering dispute resolution techniques can defuse problems and disagreements quickly and inexpensively before they get out of hand
* Describes a variety of preventative measures to help contain liability and reduce time spent on nonconstruction activities
* Helps establish productive relationships among all participants in a construction project, including designers, contractors, clients, and suppliers
* Provides numerous case studies where project partnering has been applied successfully, as well as real-world examples, charts, illustrations, and actual partnering charters
* Offers alternative dispute resolution techniques for situations where project partnering is inappropriate
* Discusses background, history, and the general organizational structure of the construction industry


For contractors, engineers, architects, subcontractors, suppliers and owners, and anyone involved in the decision-making process on construction projects, this book provides the key to undertaking projects with confidence and building a solid reputation in the marketplace.

About the author RALPH J. STEPHENSON is an engineering consultant with over forty years's experience in land planning, facilities location, building design, and construction. He held executive positions with Smith, Hinchman, and Grylls; Victor Gruen Associates; Benjamin Schulz Associates; and the H. F. Campbell Company. His involvement in all segments of the construction industry has taken him through several billion dollars worth of construction projects for industrial, commercial, and institutional clients. Mr. Stephenson has lectured extensively on subjects of alternative dispute resolution and partnering on construction projects, and has taught hundreds of technical and management seminars in the United States and abroad. He is the author of numerous magazine articles and coauthor of the book Critical Path Method.

INTRODUCTION: THINGS THAT GO RIGHT.

The Evolution of Modern Construction.

Keys to the System: Understanding Construction.

The Nature of Conflict.

Risk and Dispute.

The Problem Job and How to Identify it Early.

Project Success and Dispute Resolution.

Partnering Concepts and Structure.

Where Partnering Applies.

Setting the Partnering Charter Meeting Format.

Building a Partnering System.

Conducting the Charter Meeting.

The Project Partnering Evaluation System.

Preparing and Implementing the Project Partnering Issue Resolution System.

Using the Partnering System to Improve Performance.

Twenty-Six Recommendations for Improvement.

Appendices.

Index.