Preparing an Owner Organization to Perform Design-Build - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 57

Table 6-2. Example results for organization structure self-assessment
Where are we now? What is the current state of our organization?

1. A highly structured organization that is set up to plan and execute capital projects

through DBB delivery.
• Departments or groups, each with their strictly defined role and responsibilities,
that operate at arms-length of each other
• A project development process that represents a linear, reactive approach
• Fairly rigid culture, with very well-defined operating procedures
• Processes and administrative procedures to manage all the steps and phases of
project design and construction

2. Regulatory agency interaction is with a DBB project delivery culture

What characteristics and capabilities are needed
for successful DB project execution?

1. An evolving organization to meet future challenges and needs.

2. An organization with a flexible structure and culture, adaptable to various methods

of project delivery. This new structure would contain:
• Use of integrated teams, with key departments or groups represented early in the
project planning and development stage
• Continuity of project management from concept through completion
• Project roles and responsibilities, adaptable to the chosen project delivery method
• Proactive coordination with regulatory agencies and stakeholders
• Adaptable project administrative methods to the chosen delivery approach
• Additional tools and processes to address various project delivery methods
• Contract documents that promote fair risk allocation
• A management approach that promotes collaboration and partnering that
reduces overall project risk, specifically our organizational risk

Throughout the self-assessment process, issues within the owner's organization will
become evident. These issues should be documented and discussed, and specific strate-
gies should be developed to address those issues. Issues might require tasks to begin
adapting the organization's culture, procedures, project management approach, contract
terms and conditions, and other characteristics or standards.

DISPELLING SOME MYTHS

Before beginning the preparation tasks for DB, it is useful to address and potentially dis-
pel certain myths that are rooted in the experiences of the well-established DBB approach.
These myths stem from a lack of understanding of how DB procurement and contracting
differs from that of DBB. Design-build project delivery is a performance-based, results
oriented approach, performed by an integrated design-construction team to provide