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Q. What specific process(es) do you use at a new project's initiation session to assure that those E/A/Cs involved . . . . . .

  • 1.  Q. What specific process(es) do you use at a new project's initiation session to assure that those E/A/Cs involved . . . . . .

    Posted 08-05-2021 05:41 PM
    Q. What specific process(es) do you use at a new project's initiation session to assure that those E/A/Cs involved will be clear
    as to the project's group interfaces in terms of scope, schedule and budget? How frequently do you apply Phase Gate Reviews as the project moves on?

    Stay Healthy!

    Cheers,

    Bill



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    William M. Hayden Jr., Ph.D., P.E., CMQ/OE, F.ASCE
    Buffalo, N.Y.

    "It is never too late to be what you might have been." -- George Eliot 1819 - 1880
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  • 2.  RE: Q. What specific process(es) do you use at a new project's initiation session to assure that those E/A/Cs involved . . . . . .

    Posted 08-09-2021 09:20 AM

    I spent a significant part of my career developing and implementing processes to manage the front end of oil and gas exploration and development projects. General characteristics of these projects included complexity across the  technical, economic, commercial and political landscape. Opportunity Framing was the  number one process for clarifying issues, developing priorities and building alignment across a multi-functional stakeholder group.  The outcome was a decision driven road map with deliberate decision or stage gates and endorsement of this map from the executive charged with making the decision and his/her team of peers who would need to own components of the decision. Opportunity Framing in its simplest form intentionally asks 1) where are we now, 2) where do we want to be, and 3) how do we get there. A framing session for a large, complex, project could take up to week between grounding presentations and  facilitated discussion. The approach is incredibly powerful for bringing method to madness and is relatively agnostic to the type of problem and field. This I know from my volunteer experience with application of Opportunity Framing to traditional civil engineering projects and technology projects in the life sciences.



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    Mitch Winkler P.E., M.ASCE
    Houston, TX
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  • 3.  RE: Q. What specific process(es) do you use at a new project's initiation session to assure that those E/A/Cs involved . . . . . .

    Posted 08-27-2021 08:06 AM
    Hello!

    I find the question very interesting, especially because it is an issue that engineers face on a daily basis, but somehow the tools we have to address them are not acquired at school. I hope my comments are useful.
    I have had the opportunity to direct some projects, where Architects, Engineers and Builders are involved, and to ensure that the whole team is clear and present the scope, schedule and budget I have practiced involving them from the initial stages of project planning (from the plans to the design for example), doing the exercise of contributing ideas and opinions (however obvious or basic they may seem) related to the project and based on these three fundamental questions:

    Where do I want to go?
    What do I do to achieve it?
    What elements or tools do I have to achieve it?

    I have done the exercise of contributing ideas using a brainstorming technique (at least that is how we know it in Mexico), all participants can contribute, and there can only be contributions for a lapse. At the end of this brainstorming time, we do the team exercise to discern which contributions are eloquent or possible and finally we have a draft of objectives, scope and calendar. They are sessions of few hours to maintain interest. We repeat this exercise as a team to detail the plans once or twice, depending on the size of the project.
    In the end it turns out that everyone is sufficiently aware and above all that a high sense of belonging is created towards the project, which helps too much for teamwork.

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    Horacio Galicia-Gaona Ing., S.E., M.ASCE
    Morelia
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