What’s Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and how can it aid in total collaboration within the team? Consider what it might be like if all the stakeholders in capital projects came together to anticipate issues prior to the start of the project, sharing equally the risks and rewards of successful completion. The involvement of all parties at the start of the project could be the difference between delays that can cause an unplanned budget or a smooth, punctual project that remains on the right track and could even save money.
Why is it essential to integrate project delivery?
The process utilizes the knowledge and skills of the team of the capital project to tackle issues related to design and construction in a way that is collaborative. The three major project stakeholders, typically the owner, contractor, and engineer/architect, are legally linked by a joint agreement, being joined at the hip, for better or worse. As a result, each of the parties has a vested interest in the actions of the other party. This innovative business strategy is bringing about a new era of project management that is sustainable by making sure that there are no miscommunications or misinterpretations that have plagued the field.
How Does IPD Do Its Work?
Utilizing the IPD method of project delivery to deliver a project, all stakeholders on the project are gathered in the earliest possible time, before any design is even completed, and they contribute their collective knowledge in the creation of the project. To encourage the various organizations, contracts are negotiated in advance, with shared risks and rewards shared, in the knowledge that all involved parties are working together to benefit the project.
This kind of integrated project utilizes ingenious business models to facilitate collaboration and improve efficiency. Each member of the team has to accept the basic rules of collaboration to achieve success. The most important thing is that there should be a high degree of trust between the team members, respect and open communication, as well as mutual benefits and goals that are project-focused. To build these components, it is essential for the key players to engage in clear discussions regarding project concerns and share their experiences and expertise in order to guide toward positive, desired outcomes. These discussions help to clarify decision-making, goals, and team collaboration to create confidence from the beginning and throughout the duration of the program.
Transparent information sharing is essential for seamless collaboration. One tool frequently utilized can be Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM is an online representation of the physical and functional aspects of a constructed project. It acts as a source of knowledge shared by all and is the basis for shared decisions throughout the project’s lifecycle, starting from the beginning of the project and continuing through the project’s completion. Additionally, software and instruments that aid in effectively distributing, mark-up and maintaining project documents and drawings can be very beneficial for sharing the same data while at the same time.
But the most critical aspect is the requirement for consistent and effective leadership from all major stakeholders that seeks win-win solutions and tries to comprehend the underlying motivations as well as needs and positions.
How Does IPD Control Risk?
To allow IPD to be effective, risk should be equally shared among the various parties and balanced by rewards. IPD transforms the traditional contracting language into an amalgamation between “transactional” or “relational” contractual terms.
The term “transactional” agreement is in which exchanges are made between items and services. The typical structure of construction or transactional design may have hidden “costs” because it hinders coordination, hindering cooperation and creativity, and rewarding people for having great ideas and maximizing their performance in the absence of other people. Contrarily, “relational” contracting align the goals of the project with those of the principal project participants.
In blending the relational and transactional contracts, the parties who are externally bound by an old-fashioned transactional contract with the client, a few suppliers, and, internally, the members are tied to a relational contract, which is described as the form of a “pact.” By binding the parties in a partnership over the time period of the project, the contract reduces the costs associated with transactional contracts.
What will the final results look Like?
Through collaborating and aligning members of the group, the work succeeds by reducing the amount of waste, time loss, and wasted resources. The efficiency of each of the stages of design and construction is significantly improved. The team approach is integrated and results in more efficient logistics, shorter schedules, and better management. Projects are enhanced right from the start, and green design concepts are more readily appreciated by all team members. The anticipated outcomes of integrated project delivery will result in a better quality project with less cost.
Strategies to be Successful
The most important aspect of the success of a project using an Integrated Project Delivery method is to form an entire team that is dedicated to building trust and working together to collaborate effectively. So, the abilities of leadership and communication are crucial. Although these abilities are able to be taught, because of the nature of this process, these abilities must be assessed and chosen at the very beginning. The project’s stakeholders should be careful to look at not only an individual’s or company’s resume as well as call references for the “real information.” With IPD, the risk is that one bad apple could ruin not only an entire project but also the entire team!