CONTACTS 
0201 - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers         202 761 0011
020101 - Mr. James V. Lovo; Team Leader =202 761 4804 fax 4783
020102 - Construction Management Team, CEMP-EC

SUBJECTS
USACE CESPN CSB Review
Wider Use Communication Metrics
Experience, Need Broader Base
Information Overload
Common Administration
Oakland Harbor Project
Partnering

1409 -    ..
1410 - Summary/Objective
1411 -
141101 - Follow up ref SDS 41 8820, ref SDS 35 2700.
141102 -
141103 - Jim forwarded initiative on Common Administration to the people
141104 - working on partnering.  He explains the link between effective
141105 - partnering and the need for improving communication to solve
141106 - information overload that causes mistakes, loss and conflict.  He
141107 - suggests a pilot test, and indicates direct contact between Welch and
141108 - the HQ team can be fruitful.  Partnering can support USACE business
141109 - practice of competitive bidding. Feedback from counsel and industry
141110 - can shape implementation.
141111 -
141112 - Sent ref DIT 1 0001 to Bob and Jeff, linked to this record on
141113 - potential of partnering to support mutual goals of contractors and the
141114 - Corps for "paperless" contract administration. ref SDS 0 9066  Sent
141115 - copy to Jim and Tom Keesling.
141116 -
141117 -     [On 990509 sent thank you note to Jim. ref SDS 42 3255]
141118 -
141119 -     [On 990510 received feedback from Jim to correct the record....
141120 -     ref SDS 43 4770]
141121 -
141122 -     [On 990513 followed up on partnering. ref SDS 44 8200]
141123 -
141124 -
141125 -
141126 -  ..
1412 -
1413 -
1414 - Progress
1415 -
141501 - USACE Partnering Team Considering Common Administration
141502 -
141503 - Received ref DRT 1 7920 from Jim forwarding my letter, ref DIP 2 0001,
141504 - sent yesterday, on our discussion about Common Administration to make
141505 - partnering more effective for the Corps and for contractors.
141506 - ref SDS 41 3408
141507 -
141508 - This shows leadership cited on 970703, ref SDS 10 9603, to overcome
141509 - ignorance, fear and denial explained on 960624, ref SDS 4 1037, that
141510 - avoids the "inertia of success" that prevents executives from using
141511 - new methods, cited by Grove on 980307. ref SDS 14 3740
141512 -
141513 - The goal is to enable USACE to increase savings using Com Metrics
141514 - cited by District Counsel on 981027, ref SDS 16 7315, and estimated
141515 - previously by the District on 971008. ref SDS 11 2979
141516 - ..
141517 - Letter went to...
141518 -
141519 -               Robert W Chesi, HQ02
141520 -               ROBERT.W.CHESI@HQ02.USACE.ARMY.MIL
141521 -
141522 -               Jeff P Krull, HQ02
141523 -               KRULL@HQ02.USACE.ARMY.MIL
141524 -
141525 - Jim's report explains SDS tools that support Communication Metrics.
141526 - (draft #2) ref DIP 1 8960
141527 -
141528 -
141529 -  ..
141530 - Partnering Offers Path to "Paperless" (Less Expensive) Contract Admin
141531 -
141532 - Partnering provides an ideal path for...
141533 -
141534 -
141535 -                 paperless contract administration
141536 -
141537 -
141538 - ...using Communication Metrics on the Internet.  Other ways of
141539 - describing this goal are...
141540 -
141541 -
141542 -                     paperless office
141543 -                     virtual office
141544 -                     repository of knowledge
141545 -                     enterprise management
141546 -                     business intelligence
141547 -
141548 -
141549 - On 990105 Jim Lovo reported paperless Contracting is struggling to
141550 - reach this goal.  He noted that Communication Metrics does not require
141551 - using any paper. ref SDS 21 5880
141552 -
141553 - Communication Metrics offers an immediate, cost effective path to
141554 - accomplish these objectives with minimal impact on existing USACE and
141555 - Contractor systems.  It is an overarching system that makes everything
141556 - else work better by adding "intelligence" to management.
141557 -
141558 - "Intelligence" is defined in POIMS. ref OF 1 0582
141559 -
141560 - Engineers in the field report this is "pretty neat". ref DRP 2 3587
141561 -
141562 - Savings were reviewed on 990201. ref SDS 23 6925
141563 -
141564 - Reducing mistakes, conflict and stress on 990127. ref SDS 22 8299
141565 -
141566 - An example of paperless administration is Jim's memo to Bob and Jeff
141567 - dated today. ref DRT 1.
141568 -
141569 - Partnering with contractors can achieve these benefits.
141570 -
141571 -
141572 -  ..
141573 - Partnering Means "Effective" Communication for Successful Projects
141574 - Common Administration Using "Metrics" Makes Communication Effective
141575 -
141576 - Jim notes that open, effective communication sustained over the entire
141577 - project is vital to the partnering process of creating and achieving
141578 - common goals and objectives. ref DRT 1 5616
141579 -
141580 - Common Administration was developed on 990328 because conventional
141581 - practice cannot sustain effective communication due to the vagaries of
141582 - personality and pressures of information overload. ref SDS 26 9641
141583 -
141584 - Adding "metrics" makes communication effective. ref SDS 26 9641
141585 -
141586 - Common Administration using Communication Metrics as an independent
141587 - agent reduces the impact of personality, that helps the parties
141588 - accomplish common goals, i.e., the aims of partnering...
141589 -
141590 -     1.  get the job done on time and within budget
141591 -     2.  make some money
141592 -
141593 -
141594 -  ..
141595 - Common Admin Makes Partnering Effective Within Bidding Environment
141596 -
141597 - This can be done without eviscerating competitive bidding which
141598 - requires accountability to ensure good faith participation, and a
141599 - vigorous market.  Partnering cannot decay into a give-away process,
141600 - because that will result in race to the bottom; people competing to
141601 - submit the most meaningless bid in expectation of being made "whole."
141602 - That is not "partnering."
141603 -
141604 - Partnering means, as Jim notes, effective communication.  It also
141605 - means timely, fair dispute resolution.  Communication Metrics helps
141606 - both objectives.
141607 -
141608 - The biggest detriment to effective "partnering" is also the biggest
141609 - detriment to successful projects:  failed communications cause work
141610 - that does align with requirements.  Empowering contractors and the
141611 - agency to align communications with requirements is the most direct
141612 - way to ensure the work is aligned with requirements.  Once mistakes
141613 - are made, if the stakes are high, substantive "partnering" fails
141614 - because interests are in conflict.
141615 -
141616 - Common Administration using Communication Metrics eliminates mistakes
141617 - that cause conflicting interests to explode.
141618 -
141619 - Evidence of effectiveness is the report by contractors that better
141620 - communication helped them.  For example, on 970107 Dutra's president,
141621 - Bob Johnston, who was no friend of Communication Metrics nor the Corps
141622 - of Engineers, found that effective common effort can be achieved,
141623 - despite differences, through Common Administration. ref SDS 7 4953.
141624 -
141625 - On 970110 USACE staff reported benefits of Communication Metrics....
141626 - ref SDS 8 2487
141627 -
141628 - On 990419 Dutra's counsel reviewed Common Administration from an
141629 - industry perspective and indicated support. ref SDS 28 9420
141630 -
141631 - On 940103 USACE Chief Counsel reported in an article published by PMI,
141632 - that "partnering" should save money. ref SDS 2 1236
141633 - ..
141634 - Possible action items...
141635 -
141636 -    Review Common Administration on 990328. ref SDS 26 9641
141637 -
141638 -    Obtain opinion from Chief Counsel based on District Counsel's
141639 -    report in San Francisco on 981022 reporting Communication Metrics
141640 -    on the Internet saves money. ref DRP 1 3587
141641 -
141642 -    Conduct trial on a project, per Jim's letter. ref DRT 1 3163
141643 -
141644 -    Obtain industry opinion through focus groups, professional events,
141645 -    canvasing.
141646 -
141647 -
141648 -
141649 -
1417 -
1418 -