Three steps to improve project handover and efficiency throughout the lifecycle of your built asset

There is an incredible amount of focus on the build phase of construction projects. But operations and maintenance often last 50 times longer than construction itself.

It is hard to find anyone who has worked on any aspect of handing over project information to the owner organization, or who looks forward to it or has fond memories of the process.

So why is it that in today’s digital world such an important phase is filled with uncertainty and tedious work?

Why is handover so challenging?

In most cases, streamlining and automating processes entails standardization. But because every project is unique, multiple contractors use various systems to execute those projects. And often the owners use different systems to manage the operations and maintenance at various sites. This creates many moving parts and makes standardization on a single system or process difficult.

In addition to the challenge of standardized processes, standard data sets and formats are difficult to secure from various contractors across distributed locations, both nationally and internationally.

So, how do we overcome these challenges to gain efficiencies throughout the 50-plus years of asset operations?

Step 1: Specify one consistent, flexible construction management solution for all projects.

As the owner, no other party has a greater vested interest in the success of the project, and the ongoing maintenance and operations of the built asset. This role gives you the authority to define how the project will managed.

You need to select a solution that supports all your projects and programs, no matter the location. Be sure to factor in what language will be spoken by the people supporting the project and determine what local support will be required in your selection criteria.

Ensure system flexibility to support all your project types regardless of size and contract model. Look for the capability to standardize across projects while still being able to customize the solution by project type and project to meet specific needs.

Finally, implement a single project-wide solution that all parties on the project team can trust and adopt. This will help the team obtain a full project record and help reduce risk of missing, duplicate or conflicting documentation.

Step 2: Plan for handover on day one of the project.

By starting with the end result of a project in mind, you will get a more complete and accurate record for handover if you plan for it on day one of your project. Building in a handover strategy from the start will help your contractors compile records in a fraction of the time.

Provide specifications to your contractors on how they should tag, label, and structure documentation based on how and what you want collected for handover. Specify not only what data, documents, and drawings you want, but also the format they need to be in.

Step 3: Implement a standard solution to manage capital programs across all phases.

Select one cohesive solution built specifically to meet the needs of owners. The solution should manage the full lifecycle of the project from planning through execution and throughout operations.

Ensure system flexibility so you can personalize the system to match your specific terminology and approval flows. Structure your system to bring in data from handover in a consistent fashion across your organization. This allows for consistent data access and easy movement by personnel across facilities no matter the location.

These are just a few of the results you may see from automating handovers, beginning planning on day one, and standardizing on a flexible solution to meet all your capital program management needs:

• 90-100% improvement in data accuracy, which reduces the risk of incorrect information and rework at handover.
• 75% decrease in post-handover calls from the owner to the contractor, saving both parties time and potentially reducing or eliminating equipment downtime.
• Internal reduction of two to three months of potential work overlap between the construction management team and the facilities management team.
• (One to two hours saved) by the maintenance organization per incident over the asset’s life by having fast, easy access to accurate project information.

*Actual results achieved by Oracle Construction and Engineering customers.

Want to get more efficient with project handoffs today? Learn more about Oracle Aconex construction management and Primavera Unifier capital program management solutions.

Oracle Construction and Engineering, the global leader in construction management software and project portfolio management solutions, helps you connect your teams, processes, and data across the project and asset lifecycle. Drive efficiency and control in project delivery with proven solutions for project controls, construction scheduling, portfolio management, BIM/CDE, construction payment management, and more.

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