Integrated project delivery (IPD) has equal promise for the
emerging professional and the industry it is transforming. IPD
integrates people, systems, business structures, and practices to
harness the skills and insights of all participants.
A Call for Leadership
IPD allows for rich interactions on all levels. IPD's richest
transformative quality is how it enables emerging professionals to
be valued, mentored, and engaged in building facilities of the
future. Beyond nurturing, IPD enables gifted individuals to lead
the project delivery process. Throughout the media, 'Generation Y'
is described as the team generation. "A Gen-Y leader is inclusive
and collaborative, and not just within their sphere of influence"
("Being a Gen-Y Leader "by Rebecca Thorman, July 29, 2007,
Work, Entrepreneurship, Work/Life, Career Development).
The AIA/AIACC IPD - A Guide identifies the need for
additional team members under IPD, one of which is the integrated
project delivery coordinator. This individual facilitates
"coordination, organization and direction" of the project team,
skills often found among younger emerging professionals of
Generation Y. The emerging professional is poised to take on this
role. Our industry is transforming, and emerging professionals will
benefit from IPD as they are mentored, access one-on-one
relationships with building industry professionals, and help their
firms provide value to design and construction processes.
Mutual Respect-the Premise for IPD
Equality allows all participants to contribute meaningfully. IPD
is built on collaboration, which in turn is built on trust. Junior
designers and technical professionals provide the digital exchange
currency representing the architect's value to the IPD process.
Building information modeling (BIM) is not IPD; however, IPD is
enhanced by BIM. The intelligence of the BIM is more crucial in an
IPD world, because it allows for visualization, performance-based
design analysis, quantity take-offs, interference checking, code
compliance analysis, virtual rehearsal of the construction, and the
beginning of the lifecycle model for the owner to manage their
facility. At many firms, the emerging professional is teamed with a
senior architect to ensure this value of the BIM. This teaming
ensures cross-mentoring and emerging professionals are respected in
an IPD paradigm.
What Comes First-the Project and Your Relationships Take
Center Stage
IPD is causing the common language of the AIA to change:
• Predesign becomes conceptualization
• Schematic design becomes criteria design
• Design development becomes detailed design
• Construction documents become implementation
documents
• Agency review begins at conceptualization
• Bidding becomes buyout
• Construction is still construction
The phase name changes recognize that our profession needs to
work differently to deliver buildings better. With the project
constituents, the project team can make timely and more informed
decisions to bring the best value. One of my mentors told me that
my relationship is with the project. I did not know what that meant
at the time, but it soon became clear that the value of my
interactions with our consultants, the client, builder, and trades
was not only a value to me but also a value to the firm. IPD
intrinsically has these relationships built into the delivery
process.
