What are the most significant differences between a Partnering session and a regular work meeting?
Partnering sessions move away from “how fast” a project is going and consider “how well” it is going.
Eric Sanderson, MIPI, Red Rocks Advisors
In Partnering sessions, the discussion is about the relationship itself, while progress meetings focus on technical discussions, coordination, follow up and RFI submittals.
- Facilitated Partnering sessions drive to quicker decisions.
- The progress meeting is to check status and coordinate, and the Partnering sessions are to dive into problems or establish vision.
Larry Anderson, MIPI, Anderson Partnering
- Partnering sessions focus on questions that never come up in progress meetings, like “Are we coming together as a team?” “Are we communicating?” and “How are we doing with decision-making timelines?”
- In a Partnering session, you step back and look at the process behind the teamwork.
- Partnering sessions give you the opportunity to improve functioning on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis.
- The size and scope of the meeting: Partnering sessions tend to be more broadly attended than a project level meeting and should feel like an event. They include Executive level involvement and also should include stakeholders and end-users. In contrast, weekly Progress meetings usually involve the main people driving the construction project.
- Objectives for the Meeting: in Partnering sessions, we are dealing with issues in a strategic way. We are focused on old, unresolved issues and are also focused on looking ahead and developing a strategy. In progress meetings, you will be typically looking at the upcoming week (or perhaps three weeks) of work and may use an outstanding issues log to make sure the team is well coordinated and resolving issues in the field.
- Who runs the meeting: Partnering sessions are typically run by a Neutral Facilitator, who crafts an agenda based on where the team is at in the project. Weekly project meetings are typically run by the Resident Engineer, Project Manager or Construction Manager. In all cases, teams should identify who is accomplishing what tasks by when.
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