Letter from Leadership: Measure What Matters

“If you’re not keeping score, it’s just practice.” That sentiment from one of our founders, the late Peter Nosler, has taken on new meaning in our data-rich world. Now, it’s not only about the score but also the myriad other metrics we can measure, correlate and track along the way to better predict outcomes.

In construction, success has traditionally been measured by the completion of projects on time, within budget and with zero rework. While these metrics are still important, there is so much more to the story of a successful project.

For example, at a 350,000-sq.-ft., 40MW mission critical data center underway in San Antonio, the story is one of integrating early and driving efficiency through prefabrication. Integrating early, the team demonstrated substantial cost and schedule advantages of prefabricating 25 “plug-and-play” electrical rooms, saving nearly 15,000 electrical on-site worker hours. Prefabricating these critical components reduced the safety risks and allowed the team to start preliminary testing sooner and address any issues quicker than waiting to start testing once work was done in the field.

When success can be measured by a broader set of metrics that go beyond the finish line—measuring what matters—we uncover opportunities to learn, grow and improve the final product. It also allows us to focus our efforts on the things that positively impact the project and the industry. 

Things like the collaborative project delivery approach embraced at Sutter Health’s 320,000-sq.-ft. office to ambulatory surgery center conversion. Implementing an Integrated Form of Agreement (IFOA), the team is leveraging Lean construction tenets such as respect for people and focus on flow to increase collaboration and guide decisions to better the project and maximize efficiency. The relationships being built have proved invaluable as the team came up with a timely solution when the weight of the 1980s-era roof could not support the weight of utilities needed for new equipment.

At DPR, our benchmark for project success includes safety measurements for people (physical and psychological) and for the planet. It includes building belonging and growing an inclusive environment that fosters healthy teams whose members engage and communicate. It also includes gauging quality and process efficiency—everything from mitigating risks with self-perform work crews to ensuring accuracy using 3D modeling, which in turn allows for more prefabrication opportunities. Planning, scheduling and financial wellness continue to be key. We’re looking at the overall journey of construction—what happens between the first plans laid and the final turnover of a completed facility and beyond—because that’s where the true learning takes place.

In this issue, we explore how we’re keeping score of the metrics and measurements that matter (this is not practice). These metrics impact our expanded definition of project success. We hope these stories inspire you to expand your own definition of success and to measure what matters most to you.

Ever Forward,

-DPR Leadership Team