team partner selection - lean construction institute · team partner selection | 2 1.0 why lean/ipd...
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1.0 Why EffectiveTeams
Assumptions
2.0 Who FactorsandCriteria
3.0 How
Process
Invitation
Meeting
Decision
FollowUp
References/Sources
Team Partner Selection
“IFYOUDONOTKNOWHOW
TOASKTHERIGHTQUESTION,
YOUDISCOVERNOTHING”| W. Edwards Deming |
A collaborative presentation from over a dozen experienced Lean IPD practitioners.
© 2015 Lean Construction Institute
TEAMPARTNERSELECTION | 2
1.0 Why
Lean/IPDprojectteamsproducebetterresultswhentheyworkwithabroadspectrumofspecialistsandbuildersearlyinthedesignprocess.Thisbroadenstheteamknowledge,amplifiestheabilitytoidentifyriskandmitigationstrategies,anddeliversbetterconstructabilityoutcomes.Whenaprojectteamworkswithavarietyofspecialists,theteamwillalsohaveanearlyunderstandingofcosts–thusempoweringtheowner/operatorwithimprovedValuedecision-makingcapability.
Thesuccessofanyprojectislinkedtotheabilityandsynergyofateamandhowquicklyitcanreachhigh perfor-mance.Whodoyouselect?Whendoyoumaketheselection?Howdoyoumaketheselection?
Thetypicalprocessofselectingteammembersisbrokenandladenwithwastedeffort.HundredsofpagesinanRFPresponseareneverread;theVicePresidentofBusinessDevelopmentneverdeliversonhispromises;oronlytheleastexpensiveinitialpricesareselected.
WhenassemblingLean/IPDprojectteams,itiscrucialtouseadifferentapproachandselectteammemberswhowilldelivertherightprojectforthebestcost–asdeterminedbyassessingthedeliveredcostagainstthebidorfirstcost.
EffectiveLean/IPDteams:
• Useconceptualestimating(specificallyTarget Value Design).• Collaboratewell.• Haveeffectiveteamchemistry.• Innovate.• Arecomfortableinalearningenvironment.
TheRFPandassessmentprocessshouldthereforeseektodeterminetheseeffectiveteamtraits.
Assumptions:
• Applicationcanbeopentoanyteammember,fromdesignertoGC/CMtotradepartnerstoconsultants,etc.• Applicationisintendedforoneteamforaspecificproject,butwiththeintentofformingalong-termhealthy
relationship.
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TEAMPARTNERSELECTION | 3
Whatmakesahighperformingteammember?Thefol-lowing assumes thepotential partners havemet somelevel of pre-qualification to ensure technical capabilityandfinancialsoundness.
FactorsandCriteria:• Ability to affect the final project Conditions of
Satisfaction: The intent of the factors listed belowshouldbeconsideredinthelightof“howthisteammembercanaffectthefinaloverallprojectoutcome,notjustthemember’s”legacyresponsibilities.”• Name on the truck or the person: (Company
alignmentisgood;personalalignmentisbetter).• The company culture and values should align
withtheteamandtheirgoals.• The proposed teammembers should have the
supportofthecompanyleadership.• Theimportanceshouldlieontheconnectionof
theteamtotheproposedindividualsfromthosecompanies.
• The selection should ensure that the proposedteammembersarealignedwithteamvaluesandculturethatsupporttheteamgoals.
Note–Thiscanbemanagedasatwo-phasedapproachofqualifyingthecompanyandtheninterviewingindivid-ualsfortherightfit.
• Chemistry:(Morecomfortwithpersonalityfitisbet-ter;dotheyfillastrengthgap?)• Dotheproposedteammembershaveanatural
chemistrywiththecurrentteam?• Theselectionprocessshouldilluminateindividu-
als’naturalstrengthsandweaknesses.• This issimilartotheinterviewprocessofhiring
anemployeeforyourcompany.Dotheproposedteammembersfitin,andhowwilltheyfunctioninthisteamenvironment?
• Innovation: (More innovativenature is good,moreevidenceofinnovationisevenbetter.)• Dotheproposedteammemberschallengethem-
selves,theircompany,and/ortheindustrytotrynewthings?
• Where have they innovated within their ownorganization?
• Wherehavetheyinnovatedonrecentprojects?
• LearningandContinuousImprovement:(Morelearn-ing attitude is good;more examples of continuousimprovementisbetter.)• Are the proposed team members humble
enough toadmit there is always room to learnandimprove,yetconfidentintheirskillsetsandknowledge?
• Cantheproposedteammembersprovideexam-plesoftheirhumilityandconfidence?
2.0 Who
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TEAMPARTNERSELECTION | 4
• Commercial Terms: (Clear and concise documen-tationoftermsisgood;comfortwithanIntegratedFormofAgreement(IFOA)isbetter.)
• Whilethisshouldnotbeamajorfocusforselec-tion, it is prudent to understand a company’stermsfordoingbusinessandtheirendorsementoftheteam’scontractualarrangement.
• Have these itemsonhandduring the selectionprocess:
• Profit–especially if thedeliverymethodwillinvolveIFOA,thecompanyneedstostatewhatprofit theywould bewilling to place at risk.This is typically and initially based as a per-centageofthecompany’sworkresponsibility.Overhead–whatamountkeepsthelightsoninthehomeoffice?Thisisalsotypicallybasedonapercentageofthecompany’swork.
• PersonnelRates–whatisthebillablerateforsalaried personnel and the rates for directlabor+burdensDefinethedifferencebetweenDirectCostandIndirectCost.
Note – More information can be requested, butunderstand that you should attempt to establish aleveloftrustandtransparency--evenatthisearlieststage.Ifapotentialteammemberperceivesthatyouare“casebuilding,”thentheteamisalreadypointedin the wrong direction. Trust is developed whentransparencygoesbothways.
When using an IFOA the terms are full open-bookaccounting. It is imperative that all teammembersare open and willing to share the details of theircostsandhowtheygetassignedtoaproject.Whileitisunderstoodthatfirmshavedifferentaccountingmethods,thissharingisnecessarytoinsurenocostsaredoubledup.
• Desired Skillset: (Stronger andmore effective skillsarebetter.)• Conceptualestimating–cantheproposedteam
memberseffectivelyforecastthedirectionoftheproject cost and clearly relay that informationtotheteam?CantheyenvisiontheprojectthatanswerstheConditions of Satisfactionandillus-tratethosecosts?
• SpeakupandSpeakout–cantheteammembersfunctioninagroupandchallengeeachotherinarespectfulandnon-disruptivemanner?
• Forecasting–cantheteammembersunderstandthe anticipated effort to accomplish the teamgoalsand forecast thetimeandcosts thatsup-portthataccurately?
• Transparent–aretheproposedteammemberscomfortable sharingallof theirdetail that sup-portstheirestimatingandforecasts?
• Self-Awareness–cantheyrecognizewhenadditionalresourcesarenecessaryandaskforhelp
• Technical Skills – are the proposed teammembershighlycapableincoreworkproductresponsibilities?
2.0 Who
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TEAMPARTNERSELECTION | 5
TheInvitation:
• Therequestforproposal(RFP)shouldsetthestagefor the typeofenvironmentyouareattempting tocreate.Itshouldalsofocusonthekeyaspects.Istheask lengthy, wordy, and loaded with legalese thatattemptstopaintamemberintoafinancialcorner,orisitefficientanddirect?Doesitexplainthenatureoftheproject,explainwhytheteammemberisbeingasked to the table, and highlightwhat the team isspecificallylookingforinanewteammember?
• Itishelpfultoincludethemeetingagenda.• Some teams have been successful in using the A3
formatforboththeRFPandtheexpectedresponse.They also request résumés for all proposed teammembers.
• Allowrespondersenoughtimetodeveloparesponse.ForanA3response,two–threeweekshasprovenenoughtoframeanddeveloptheresponse.TheRFPshouldbebuilttosuiteachproject.
• Note – As soon as a need is known, reach out topotential team members and give them time toensure appropriate team members can be madeavailableforupcomingprojects.
TheMeeting:• The actual meeting is best framed as a conversa-
tion interview, and not a prepared presentation.Thinkabouthowyouwouldinteractwithapotentialemployee.
• Facilitation – the meeting led by the right personhelpsensuresuccessfuloutcomes.
• Interviewersshould• Understand and reach consensus on the selection
criteria.• Asktheteamwhathasmadeagoodteammember
inthepast,andwhatquestionscan illuminatethattraitintheproposedpartner.
• Assignthosequestionstoindividualstoensurethatthosetraitssurfaceduringtheinterview.
• Addressquestionstospecificproposedteammem-bers,andholdthemaccountabletorespondtotheinterviewer. Try to avoid theproposed teammem-bers from passing the question to their desiredresponder.
3.0 HowWhatistheprocesstogettherightteammembersattherighttimeforaproject?
Self-Selection:• The team grows organically. For example, the Client
selectsTeamMemberA,theClientandTeamMemberAselectTeamMemberB,theClientandTeamMembersAandBselectTeamMemberC,andsoon.
• Thistypeofteamassimilationhelpsensuretrustandvalue-basedselections,andaidsinfasterteamsynergy.
Risk Based Selection: (not mutually exclusive with SelfSelection):• Whatarethegreatestrisksand/ordecisionsfacingthis
specificproject?Whichexpertscanbestmitigatethatriskorinformthosedecisions?
• Mappingoutthedecisionsandtheirplacementontheprojecttimeline should informwhen the teammem-bersareselectedandonboarded.
• This keeps the early project development spend incheckandforcestheteamtounderstandtherisksanddecisionsthatneedtobeaddressed.
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TEAMPARTNERSELECTION | 6
TheRoom:• If possible, use a round table; itwill best facilitate
directconversations.• Strategically and sporadically place empty seats
aroundthetabletoforcetheproposedteammem-bers to spread out among the current team. Thisseating arrangement avoids the “Us versus Them”scenarioandfacilitatesbetterconversations.
• Allow enough time for conversation. Have a dedi-cated person manage the clock. Interviews lastingfrom45to90minuteshaveproventobeappropriate.
• Allow enough time between interviews to discussanddocumentthefindings.
Note–teamshaveexperimentedwithdifferenttypesofinterviewstyles–includingproblemresolutioninateamatmosphere and work site visits. The goal is to allowenough time to analyze and understand the proposedteammemberandassesshisorherability toproblemsolve,mitigaterisk,andaddvalue.
Whocomestothemeeting:• For the team,anyonewhohasa stake in theproj-
ectandconsiderstheselectionofthisteammembercriticaltotheirperformance,oranyonewhohasspe-cific knowledge of the deliverables this participantwillprovide.
• For the proposed team member, the attendeesshouldincludetheleadpersonnelwhowillbedoingthe work (designer, estimator, project manager,supervisor,etc.),andsomeonethatcanspeakforthecompanyandmakeacommitmentonthecompany’sbehalf.
• Themeeting should not include business develop-mentpeopleandsuperfluousexecutives.
TheDecision:• Make the decision quickly. Successful teams have
hadtheinterviewsoveradayortwodayperiodandmadethedecisionattheconclusionofthemeetings.Thisestablishesanatmosphereofanaction-orientedteamfocusedonresultsandadvancement.Themoretime that expires between the interview and thedecision,themoredetailsfadeandmemoriesfail.
Note–thisisanopportunitytodisplayandestablishthedesiredcultureoftrust.
• Tool:teamshavebeensuccessfulusingChoosing by Advantages to organize, gain consensus,make thedecision,anddocumenttheprocessandinformation.
TheFollow-Up:• Aquickretrospective withthesuccessfulnewteam
membershasprovenbeneficial.• Whyweretheychosen?• Wherecouldtheyimprovetheirprocess?• Whatweretheconcernsof theteam,andhow
cantheybeaddressed?• Whatabouttheprocessfromthepointofview
oftheintervieweecouldbeimproved?• Whatconcernsdoes thenewest teammember
have,andhowcantheybeaddressed?• Dive deep with unsuccessful invitees providing a
transparentglimpseintohowandwhyotherswereselected.Askquestionssimilartothoseabove.
• It is valuable to the invitees tohearback fromtheinterviewcommittee.Thisisanopportunitytolearn.Takeinterviewnotesandsharethedecision-makingoutcome to help those who did not win improve.Becandidandfair.Itisalsovaluableforthewinningpartnerstounderstandwhytheywereselected.Thiscanhelpestablishexpectations.
3.0 How
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