Best Practices Implementation Workstream Proposal

Best Practices Implementation Workstream Proposal Best Practices Implementation Workstream Proposal The Best Practices Implementation workstream group met at the National Construction Forum in Arlington, VA in mid-November. It began its meeting with a formulation of its problem statement, which, once articulated, had several components. First, not all best practices (BPs) are applicable to every project, project type, or organization, and they are not universally applied within individual organizations. Also, across the industry, the terminology for best practices is not universal. For example, the AGC/ASA calls them guidelines for construction. Furthermore, other groups use terms such standard practices, and these may differ from best practices. As far as motivations to use best practices are concerned, project demands and previous experience drive managers toward staying with their tried and true ways of performing their work. This resistance to change is also related to the industrys unbalanced risksharing model. Determining whether any given best practice is applicable across all industry sectors is also a matter that requires attention. Also, legal liability might attach to any efforts to disseminate best practices across the industry, and thus, such concerns should be investigated. Another issue is the variation and differentiation that can come from different organizations internal best practices training. The reality that different organizations teach best practices in their own ways also engenders proprietary concerns about sharing them with other organizations. The industrys improvement on best practices implementation is hampered without a baseline from which to measure progress.