# The Collaborative Process
# Collaboration in the Building Process
# The Collaborative Process Group
# Version 1.1 — October 8, 1996

> Full PDF: https://collaborativeprocessinstitute.com/collaborative-process.pdf

## Summary

The Collaborative Process is a foundational 1996 document that defined a comprehensive framework for achieving extraordinary outcomes in the building/construction industry through collaboration between owners, designers, and builders. It is considered a precursor to Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and influenced the development of collaborative contracting practices in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) industry.

## Key Concepts

### Mission
"To revolutionize the building industry by establishing collaboration as the cornerstone of the building process."

### Definition
The Collaborative Process is NOT a project delivery method. It is a comprehensive set of practices, tools, and systems that enable project teams to achieve extraordinary outcomes at each phase of the building process.

### Prerequisites for Full Benefit
1. Both Architect and General Contractor selected during initial scope/budget/schedule definition
2. Contracts negotiated on an open-book, win-win basis
3. Senior management commitment throughout all project phases

## Core Maxims

1. Integrity and trust are essential for true collaboration
2. The long run is more important than the short run
3. Teams make better choices than individuals
4. Pre-qualify firms, select people (personal chemistry matters more than organizational factors)
5. True creativity focuses on option generation
6. Change is inevitable: be prepared for it (treat change as opportunity)
7. Decision-making should be based on facts and reason, not opinions and emotion

## Five Key Elements

### 1. High-Performance Teams
Characteristics:
- Facilitative Leadership (participatory, not command-and-control)
- Diversity (cultural and professional)
- Common Purpose with Specific Performance Goals
- Collective Work Products
- Shared Responsibility
- High Communication
- Rapid Response
- Trust

### 2. Optimization and Performance Measurement
The "Six Dials of Project Value":
- Cost (including life-cycle performance)
- Time
- Scope
- Function
- Safety
- Quality

An optimal outcome achieves the best mix of these factors for a given owner and project, as expressed in a "balanced scorecard."

### 3. Communication
Overcomes barriers of status, ego, distance, and style through:
- Structured meetings with clear ground rules
- Professional facilitation for critical moments
- Balanced contractual agreements
- Intensive informal correspondence
- "Listening as an ally"

### 4. Problem Solving and Decision-Making
Tools include:
- Brainstorming
- Chip Voting (prioritization)
- Devil's Advocate (avoid groupthink)
- Flow Diagrams & Decision Trees
- Action Planning
- Plus-Delta feedback
- Issue Bins and Decision Logs

### 5. Incentives and Risk Sharing
Alignment through:
- Reputation, references, repeat-business
- Balanced, reciprocal contracts
- Compensation linked to project performance
- Risk allocated efficiently (to party best able to mitigate) and equitably
- Team-based rewards and public appreciation

## Historical Context

The document traces how the building industry transformed from collaborative undertakings in the early 20th century to an adversarial system due to:
- Competitive bidding regulations (response to builder abuses)
- Legal separation between designers and builders
- Economic pressures of the 1980s leading to litigation

The result: owners, designers, and builders all dissatisfied with the design-bid-build process.

## Future Directions (Predicted in 1996)

Many of these predictions have been realized:
- New contractual agreements → AIA IPD documents
- New building technologies → Lean Construction
- New business structures → Integrated Forms of Agreement
- New information systems → BIM, cloud collaboration platforms

## Founding Members

Jack Damonte, Stuart Eckblad, Leo Linbeck III, Peter Nosler, Michael Rosenthal, Chuck Shalley, Linda Spackman, Bob Timmel

## Related Topics

- Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
- Lean Construction
- Design-Build
- Collaborative Contracting
- AEC Industry Collaboration
- Construction Management
- Partnering
- Relational Contracting

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The Collaborative Process © The Collaborative Process Group, 1996