Partnering the Problem Project
Turning a Problem Project Into a Success
The Symptoms of a Problem Project: Distrust, Unresolved claims, Schedule delay, Letter writing, Budget overruns...
We've all been there. Projects that began with good intentions and yet still went "south"...
What is the Turnaround Partnering Workshop?
Ventura Consulting Group's Turnaround Partnering Workshop is a workshop that brings together key project stakeholders to create a significant, positive and immediate shift in project results for all.
How does it work and what results can I expect?
Turnaround partnering assumes that the vast majority of project stakeholders know how to play "hardball" if they have to, and play it well. We also recognize that playing hardball results only in "losers" – there are no real "winners". We also know that very few people actually enjoy playing "hardball". Lastly, we know that once "hardball" starts, it perpetuates itself and effects every aspect of project performance. As in the Cold War, nobody is willing to "drop their shield" while the other party is perceived as potentially hostile.
Our Turnaround Partnering Workshop gives project participants a clear choice relative to the balance of their project. A choice between playing the old game – "business as usual" or, completing their project on the basis of common goals, mutual trust, and specific personal commitments. Our workshop then enables participants to define those common goals and a specific action plan backed up by personal commitments to achieve those goals.
To suit your schedule, Turnaround Partnering Workshops can be completed in either one full day, one-and-a-half days, or in two days. The workshop is proceeded by interviews of principal project stakeholders which enables us to both understand specific project issues and develop a focused workshop agenda.
What this workshop is not.
This workshop is not a vague, "feel good" experience. We employ no games, psychological stuff or lectures. We also assume that most workshop participants have been through team building or partnering "101". Nor is turnaround partnering a process that relaxes, compromises or in any way reduces any party's legal or contractual obligations.
But will it work on my highly adversarial project?
Paradoxically, we have learned that the more adversarial or hostile the project relationship, the more effective our workshop is. Why is that? Because it is very clear to everyone in those circumstances that a continuation of the status quo is clearly a "lose-lose" game for all.
Our experience is that Ventura Consulting Group's Turnaround Partnering Workshop can make a significant and immediate difference in approximately 85% of problem projects. In those 15% that it may not, participants tell us that minimally they learn sooner, rather than later, that things may not get better and can then consider other options to protect their interests. Furthermore, on those projects where, upon completion of the workshop, principals agree that a "significant difference" was not made, you do not pay. That's right, we will forego our professional fee.
How does VCG's Turnaround Partnering Workshop compare with Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes?
Alternate Dispute Resolution processes – Mediation, Arbitration and Dispute Review Boards – can be effective tools in enabling project participants to resolve past disputes. Ventura Consulting Group's Turnaround Partnering Workshop enables participants to put their collective energies into creating a positive future that:
- Realizes common, win-win goals
- Minimizes future disputes
- Creates a way of dealing with future conflicts that reduces the risk of unresolved claims
As such, our workshop activity is often complemented by an effective ADR process.
How do we get started?
Call our office today to learn how Ventura Consulting Group's Turnaround Partnering Workshop can make a success out of your project.
What is required to successfully implement a Turnaround Partnering Workshop?
In our experience, there is one key prerequisite for a successful project Turnaround:
- Senior management must be committed to completing the project on the basis of trust, open communication and common, win-win goals. As a manifestation of this, a principal of each key project stakeholder must be present for and attend the full workshop.
Our turnaround partnering process cannot work without the positive and involved leadership of all the major stakeholders.
When is the best time to implement a workshop?
Consider initiating a Turnaround Partnering Workshop at the point where all key project stakeholders (owner, GC, A&E, and CM) acknowledge that the status quo is not mutually acceptable and that the likelihood of it significantly improving is minimal.
Another optimum time is soon after any change in project management. Under these circumstances, the workshop can enable the new player(s) to "redefine the game" and start, as it were, anew and not encumbered by past "baggage".
"Ventura Consulting Group's partnering workshops consistently provide significant value to our organization in meeting project cost and scheduling objectives."
– Roy Neyer, Division Leader, Projects Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
"Ventura Consulting Group's partnering process is one of the best things we've done in making our projects successful."
– Josh Randall, Vice President, Tutor Saliba Corporation
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