Jim Eisenhart, Reset Partnering, Ventura, California
In our first article of this series (April, 2026), we spoke of why well-intentioned professionals from reputable
organizations — even when using a collaborative project delivery method — can still end up with a construction project
with dysfunctional teamwork. We also discussed the importance of leaving all team stakeholders with 4 choices going
forward on a challenged job:
- Argue over who’s right or wrong about why the job is failing
- Focus only on solving today’s problems
- Do nothing – let things play themselves out
- Do a complete project reset: Set aside our history, opinions, baggage and go forward with measurable partnership
goals that acknowledge the contract documents and specifications, and which are not contractually binding.
These will be set by the whole team and will be backed up by personal commitments to action. Existing disputes (and
NOPC’s) will be taken ‘off the table’ and dealt with in another venue. Prior to writing my book on this subject in 2016,
I interviewed 111 owners, CM’s, architects and engineers, GC’s and subcontractors – at both the executive and PM/CM
level. I asked them how important it is have partnership goals if a team wanted to: o. have a world class project team,
and/or o. need to turn around a challenged project? I had expected maybe that 75% to 80% of interviewees would say
partnership goals were important. What surprised me was that
all
interviewees said that partnership or team goals were necessary – many stating that they were essential. “How can you
have a team without common goals?”, was a typical response. There are, however, several important caveats to creating
meaningful partnership goals:
#1. Partnership goals do not replace the contract
. Contract requirements will remain exactly what they are. Partnership goals — and the specific commitments you make to
achieve them — are not contractually binding. Instead, they are created collaboratively by the full team based on
current project realities and then realized through personal commitments to action and mutual trust.
Example:
The stakeholders on the 800mn Benicia-Martinez Bridge in the San Francisco Bay area were at an impasse. The GC ‘s
(Kiewit Pacific) encountered site conditions far different from the geotechnical assessment. Caltrans and Kiewit jointly
walked the site and verbally negotiated a $300mn change order along with an 18-month schedule extension. They then
created revised partnership goals that reflected this change while still stretching the project team. Some might say
this job was a failure because it finished late and over budget.
Roads and Bridges
magazine named it their “Project of the Year” for 2008. The point is simple: teams should not be held accountable
against circumstances they had no ability to influence. “
Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start”
, Nido Qubein, author
#2. Align partnership goals with the end user’s intent.
“Contract documents rarely reflect the real intentions of the commander (end user)”, Captain Mike Williamson, former
head of NAVFAC Southwest once told me. Reasonable people on a construction project can spend enormous amounts of time
arguing over what constitutes substantial completion as well as beneficial occupancy. Partnership goals should instead
focus on outcomes that genuinely delight the end user.
An example:
The Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital modernization project was late and over budget due to unknown conditions. This
created distrust between the design build team and the hospital’s construction manager. We brought the Medical Director
into a partnering workshop and asked him, “what is really important to you about this project?”. He quickly responded,
“getting the 5 operating rooms up and running”. The GC’s PM said, “we can complete those in the next 6 months”. This
became a partnership goal which they hit. They also created a process to meet on site immediately when a future unknown
condition was discovered, agree verbally if it was a change and, if so, create a verbal ROM of cost and schedule impact.
Only then confirm with a document. Despite being late and over budget, the project won both national DBIA and AGC awards
for project excellence.
An example:
The Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center’s General Manager was frustrated with the design-build teams’ ability to
understand her needs and those of the facility. So, she suggested something very unorthodox. She brought 3 detainees
into the next partnering workshop. They shuffled in with baseball caps backwards and low riding jeans. The workshop’s
attendees were clearly skeptical. We asked, “what would make your facility more livable?”. A teenage boy said, “Well, we
like to draw. If we had somewhere to do that it would be cool”. An architect then said, “well, what if we made walls
with whiteboards?”. “Yeah, that would be neat”, the youth responded. With that the A&E’s, contractors, and detainees
engaged intensely for over an hour until the GM said they needed to get back to their classes.
#3. Set measurable partnership goals that speak to the end game.
Teams confuse goals with processes. Expediting submittals, RFI’s or change orders are processes that support the overall
project completion goal. Meaningful partnership goals should challenge the team to achieve outcomes slightly beyond what
they currently believe is possible. What I call “moonshot” goals. Remind the team that there are no penalties for not
achieving their partnership goals. “When a project team sets measurable goals well beyond what is expected or their
contract obligation, it draws the team together in a way that enables true teamwork and innovation”, says Mike Ghilotti,
Chairman, Ghilotti Brothers Construction Company.
Example:
On the Los Angeles County MLK Medical Center in Los Angeles, the county’s senior PM was concerned about quality. The
team went on to define partnership quality goals that stated: o. zero rework (work done right the first time) o. no
written non-conformance reports o. punch list complete no later than 10 days after substantial completion with no more
than 300 items. o. fit and finish as good as, or better than, the recently completed Los Angeles County/USC Medical
Center — which was acknowledged as a regional benchmark for quality.
#4. Set measurable goals can be set for all key elements of project success.
Safety provides a good example. Back in the 90’s “no more than a half dozen OSHA recordables” was common. Over time,
expectations evolved to: o. zero OSHA recordables o. zero lost time incidents. o. zero near misses. o. ultimately, even
zero first-aid cases. The standard kept rising because teams became willing to redefine what safety success looked like.
#4. Establish milestone goals on long-duration projects
. Large infrastructure projects such as transit lines can last over 4 or 5 years. On these jobs there should be
milestone goals that support the overall completion objective. For major transit projects these might include: o. design
completion o. tunnel boring o. trackwork o. systems integration o. Operations acceptance o. revenue service commencement
These interim victories help sustain momentum and accountability over long project durations.
#5. Set goals regardless of how uncertain current circumstances are or seem to be.
On many jobs, people might say, “well, we can’t set any goals because we just don’t know”. Fine. Then establish clear,
near-term goals that enable them to change tactics and direction quickly while staying committed to the overall
direction. For example: o. have developed a clear project completion schedule that has the commitment of all team
members no later than July 1. o. have developed a contingency plan and schedule if we do not get federal funding no
later than July 30. Uncertainty is not a reason to avoid goals. It is an opportunity to create clearer short-term
commitments and team wins.
#6. The project goal setting process is your best vehicle for generating real trust.
Dan Gilbert, Regional Director, Kaiser Permanente, NFS: “There will always be some individuals on a project team who
overestimate what can be done. Some are more cynical. You need to hear from both. It can be challenging but extremely
valuable to get everyone open and honest. The interplay is the real value in building trust”. I have seen goal setting
processes on some projects take a half day. Participants always tell me that that was the most valuable part of the
partnering workshop.
#7. Confirm that you have a comprehensive set of goals
. When you think you have a list (ideally no more than 6 or 7) of goals, ask the team: “When we realize all of these
goals, can we say that the balance of this project will be an outstanding success and all stakeholders will win?”. If
not, ask: “what’s missing?”.
Conclusion
Project goal setting can be your most effective means of getting your team in action toward a compelling project future.
Goal setting, as opposed to problem solving, involves a positive, forward-thinking activity that can engage all team
members. It creates shared purpose, encourages innovation, and gives stakeholders a reason to work together rather than
retreat into blame and defensiveness.
Next article
Getting your team in action towards their goals.
