Latest trends in High-Impact Interface Management Programs for Mega Projects: Importance of Alignment

Part 1 of 3: Importance of Alignment

By Kelly Maloney, Product Manager, Coreworx
Published in Collaboration, Management and Control Solutions (CMCS) Newsletter

Introduction

Owner/Operators involved in mega projects continue to struggle in monitoring interface progress and risk.  With a mega project typically managed in multiple scope packages, awarded contractors face interacting with one another throughout the project life cycle to establish interface agreements, despite being spread across different geographical locations and different cultures.  Traditional databases, spreadsheets and paper-based interface management systems are severely limiting the efficiency of the contractors, and the Owner/Operator’s visibility and oversight of interface issues.

Leaders in the practice of interface management are seeing positive results by focusing on three key areas.  First, they are recognizing the importance of alignment of all project stakeholders on interface management goals.  Secondly, they are applying a disciplined approach to managing the communication, coordination, and responsibility of the common boundaries between project parties, phases, or physical entities.  Third, they are deploying the most advanced project management and collaboration tools to manage with certainty.

This article will focus on the importance of alignment, and share insight into the challenges related to alignment faced by project teams, and how Interface Managers are addressing them.

Alignment & the Practice of Interface Management

Interface Mangagement Program Alignment”Alignment is the condition where appropriate project participants are working within acceptable tolerances to develop and meet a uniformly defined and understood set of project objectives.  Aligning the project team involves developing clearly understood objectives for all team members and gaining the commitment to work toward those goals.”  Construction Industry Institute Best Practice Summary: 1.02 Alignment

Interface Management programs are created to reduce or eliminate disconnects during construction and commissioning – where most interfaces issues are identified and discovered.  A critical element to achieving this goal is alignment of the project team on the importance of an Interface Management Program, and implementing it early in the project.  Once the program is established, all interactions between contractors related to interfaces can then be managed and carefully coordinated to avoid incidents resulting from misunderstandings and lack of information.  Decisions can be made quicker and with more clarity.

Cross-Organizational Alignment

Alignment of all contractors and project team members involved in an Interface Management Program is critical to ensuring everyone is working towards the same goals, with clear methods to resolve potential conflict.  Factors that can affect alignment and the resulting success of an Interface Management program include:

  • Culture:  the attitudes, values, behavior and environment of the owner organization, the contractor(s) and the overall front end planning team
  • Execution Process:  the project systems, processes and procedures that are used to define interface points and develop interface agreements
  • Information shared:  the data elements that are used to define interface points and agreements
  • Barriers:  obstacles such as unclear definition of contractors’ roles and responsibilities in an Interface Management Program

In order to enhance alignment for your Interface Management program, ensure that:

  • Clear roles and responsibilities are established early
  • Communication within the team and with stakeholders is open and effective
  • Team meetings are timely and productive
  • The team culture fosters trust, honesty, and shared values
  • Interface Management tools are effectively utilized

Defining the Interface Master Plan

Achieving a high impact Interface Management program involves the development of an Interface Master Plan, which clearly describes the roles, responsibilities and expectations of both the owner and the contractors.  This is critical to alignment, and ensures that the right people, processes and tools are in place when and where needed.

The Interface Master Plan generally ensures:

  • All contractors clearly understand the Interface management objectives for the project
  • Roles and responsibilities are fully defined
  • Contractors understand how to resolve conflicts and overcome barriers to the benefit of all
  • Communication channels are described and understood by all
  • The Interface Register and expected use of it is clearly described
  • Appropriate representation (generally a designated Interface Manager) is established for each contractor

Promoting Open & Effective Communication

owner contractor communication interfacesApproximately 80% of all interfaces are identified during the front end planning stage of a project. It is significantly easier to influence project outcome when interface issues are identified and addressed early in the project.    Interfaces that are not properly managed can introduce safety, cost and schedule risk.  The impact of unresolved interface issues is typically not discovered until construction, or worse, during commissioning. 

Owners today are providing tools to help promote early identification of interfaces and open and effective communication between contractors.  This promotes collaboration between contractors to thoroughly document interfaces agreement details, and allow for the proactive resolution of issues before they become major hurdles that impact the project.   Open communication between contractors is important not only during the identification stage of an interface agreement during front end planning, but also in managing activities through to completion and commissioning.

Conclusion

Interface Management can improve overall project performance, but success hinges on all parties being aligned with the projects’ interface master plan.  Clear roles and responsibilities, along with a commitment to promoting open and effective communication in a team environment are essential.   Interface Management is an ongoing process and should be considered dynamic throughout the life of the project, constantly working to maintain a balance between scope, time, cost, quality, and resources. The ability to manage with certainty, rather than manage blindly, is the real reward of a successfully implemented Interface Management program.

 

Part 2 >> | Part 3 >>

Kelly MaloneyKelly Maloney is a Product Manager with Coreworx for the Interface Management product line. She brings over 15 years of enterprise software experience to Coreworx in product management, business analysis, software training, implementation, technical support and quality assurance. Kelly works at the Coreworx headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.