Front end planning for infrastructure projects

Infrastructure capital projects are at the center of efforts to invest in the recovery of the economy, both domestically and internationally, and are seen as a primary growth engine of the construction industry today. Sadly, many of these projects are unsuccessful due to poor early project planning. Front End Planning (FEP) is a critical process for uncovering project unknowns, while developing adequate scope definition and a structured approach for the project execution process. FEP assists in identifying and mitigating issues such right-of-way concerns, utility adjustments, environmental hazards, logistic problems permitting requirements and so on. This paper will outline ongoing research funded by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) focused on front end planning of infrastructure projects. This investigation, which includes input from domestic and foreign planning experts from over 30 organizations using as reference over 60 capital projects, provides an understanding of the critical issues that must be addressed during FEP of infrastructure projects. Critical success factors for FEP of infrastructure projects will be shared, including key planning process steps, along with guidance to practitioners involved in planning infrastructure projects.