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August 30, 2001
The following techniques and best practices have been helpful in Seattle’s use of partnering with other agencies in support of improving the development, design and construction of public capital project. These suggested practices are easily adaptable for use in any large-scale development effort that relies upon a collaborative relationship between diverse players.
Making a commitment
Once there is some level of interest in developing a partnering approach with another jurisdiction or agency, a commitment must be obtained to customize the arrangement and make it work for the participating organizations. It may be helpful to begin discussions on key issues and who is expected to lead or facilitate the preparations for the partnership conference.
Pre-conference activities
If this is the first partnership effort for your organization, extra time may be needed to educate your staff and other participants on the benefits of partnering and what is expected. Here are some preliminary actions that lead up to the partnership conference:
Structuring effective conferences
There are several features of the partnering conference (normally a two-day event) that truly increase the probability of success resulting from this approach.
First, leaders should have some idea of the big issues that need to be addressed during the conference and reserve time accordingly.
Second, a written document produced from the conference should identify how decisions are made in each participating organization and the agreed-upon timeframes for decisions at each step.
Third, there also needs to be commitment to “elevating” decisions to the next level if they cannot be agreed upon at the lower level within the agreed-upon timeframes.
Finally, a partnership agreement or charter should be developed during the conference and signed by all the attendees. The development of the agreement represents a true team-building activity — one that people remain loyal to once they have signed their name.
Partnering for results
The partnering conference should be the beginning of a long-term commitment to achieving mutual goals. How do you know if partnering is making a difference?
If there has been a suitable agreement on how results are measured or how survey results are reviewed at regular meetings, these follow-up sessions can also be a powerful means to renew a dialogue with partnering agencies. A group of problem-solvers can be assigned to figure out a way to close a schedule issue or fix a communications gap that is causing confusion.
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