Guidelines for Implementing a Constructability Program
Consensus is that most successful constructability programs have a clear commitment of senior management, and a single point of sponsorship/leadership for the program. Typical constructability programs include:
- A company program that includes corporate policy, self-assessment, and training among other attributes. (RS3-2, p. 3)
- A project level program that customized the constructability effort to align with the needs of the project.
Although there is no need for a full-time constructability person or organization, there are three key roles within a constructability program:
- Executive Sponsor – the constructability champion to clearly communicate program commitment
- Constructability Manager – the constructability knowledge expert for the organization
- Database Custodian – maintains the “lessons learned” constructability database
The biggest obstacle to good constructability practice is the “review” syndrome. This occurs when construction personnel are excluded from the planning process and are invited only to “review” completed or partially completed products from design. This prevents construction knowledge and expertise input to the early planning, when cost sensitivity is at a maximum and construction should be making its most important contribution. When constructability is approached solely on a “review” basis, it inevitably becomes inefficient and ineffective. The most effective approach engages the entire constructability team with active roles in the planning and design development process. (RS3-2, p. 16)
For those companies that do not have established constructability programs, these guidelines offer several examples of suggested corporate constructability policy and procedures, project constructability organizational charts, lessoned learned, and constructability related savings templates. (Note: RS3-2 has been superseded by RS34-2 and should be used for informational purposes only.)
