Balfour Beatty Construction’s Chief of Innovation Mark Konchar recently joined fellow research partners to present findings from their report “Maximizing Success on Integrated Projects: An Owner’s Guide” at the Design-Build Conference & Expo in Denver. The conference is the Design-Build Institute of America’s annual conference that brings together industry professionals spanning the A/E/C community, including owners who are both new to and experienced in design-build project delivery.

Presenting before the general session, Konchar and his research colleagues led a discussion on how owners can apply the most important findings from the report. With the goal of providing owners with empirical evidence and practical guidance for making delivery strategy decisions, the new research data was prompted by numerous requests to update the 1998 Construction Industry Institute (CII)/Penn State study on project delivery methods. Based on the analysis of 204 U.S. projects completed between 2008 and 2013, the resulting new data and process provides owners a structured approach to developing a holistic project delivery strategy to improve project outcomes.

“Joining my peers to present this updated research is rewarding because it’s important for our industry to continuously evaluate processes and provide owners with the insights and data necessary to effectively set up projects for success,” said Mark Konchar, chief of innovation, Balfour Beatty Construction. “Historically, many owners have selected project delivery methods alone based on what they’re most familiar with, but what this research highlights is that owners themselves drive project success by selecting project delivery strategies which increase team integration and cohesion.”

A key learning from the research is that project delivery decisions should not be made independently from one another. As the authors reported, the organizational structure, procurement processes and contractual terms should be designed in concert as a strategy. In particular, the research indicates that strategies that align project teams, through both integrated processes and attention to team cohesion, are now critical factors for achieving project success in terms of cost, quality and schedule performance.

The research also demonstrates that no one project delivery strategy is appropriate for all projects. Rather, project-specific goals and constraints will determine the optimal delivery strategy. The results of this research show that owners should seek to maximize integrated practices and group cohesion to the greatest extent possible in all project delivery strategies.

For more information or to download “Maximizing Success on Integrated Projects: An Owner’s Guide,” visit: http://projectdelivery.weebly.com/.

About Design-Build Institute of America

The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) is the only organization that defines, teaches and promotes best practices in design-build. Design-build is an integrated approach that delivers design and construction services under one contract with a single point of responsibility. Owners select design-build to achieve best value while meeting schedule, cost and quality goals. DBIA represents the entire design and construction industry. As an institute, its primary objective is to provide education, training, networking and support to all players involved in the design and construction industry. Learn more about DBIA at www.dbia.org.

About Balfour Beatty Construction US

An industry leader for more than 80 years, Balfour Beatty Construction US provides general contracting, at-risk construction management, and design-build services for a wide variety of markets, serving clients in both the public and private sectors. The company is the U.S. subsidiary of London-based Balfour Beatty plc (LSE: BBY), a leading international infrastructure group that finances, develops, builds and maintains complex building programs focused on social and commercial buildings, power and utility systems, and transportation. Consistently ranked among the nation’s largest building contractors, Balfour Beatty Construction Services US has been cited as a Top 10 Domestic Building Contractor and Top 10 Green Builder by Engineering News-Record. To learn more, visit www.balfourbeattyus.com or look for BalfourBeattyUS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.