Great to see the launch of Trust and Productivity, the Private Sector Construction Playbook, an initiative through Be the Business today (November 10^th) and with the contribution of a wide range of industry leaders across sectors.

The UKG’s Construction Playbook has been out for a while now. It’s a good start. We have debated in our Leaders’ Breakfast Forums over the last 2 years how useful and effective it is and will be, but it always felt something was missing.

Don’t get me wrong, clients are critical to successful outcomes but without the Supply-side having its equivalent we were only dealing with half the story.

For example, the level of understanding and capability in effective requirements setting and management in infra and construction compared to other sectors is still a key area for development (for both client and supply side!).

Great to see some of the names on the new Playbook (including many friends of Advance) – but also there are MANY influential and important companies NOT shown.. let’s hope that as this is launched, many will come on board and put their weight behind it and seek to effectively embed its principles in their activity with accountability.

I haven’t read it in detail (yet) but the signs are encouraging. The ten overarching Drivers for Success are welcome and align closely with our own approach of Professional Collaboration©. “Form Effective Partnerships”, “Adopt an Outcome-based Approach”, “Promote Innovation and Continuous Improvement” are just three of the 10 that stand out.

Delving into Chapter 1 (Setting up the Project and Defining Success) the themes resonate strongly for Advance given that we exist to challenge and support transformational leadership in complex environments to deliver outcomes. Without being quite as explicit as we would be, the Playbook hangs its hat on the clear integration of systems (work processes), Structures (authority and organisation), and culture (leadership, values and behaviour). This is the integration model we adopt in all our work.

“Stating Objectives”, “Defining Success”, “Clear Roles & Responsibilities”, “Governance and Empowerment”, “Early Engagement” and “Collaborative and Cohesive Culture” all resonate strongly through the deep experience we have in working in these environments.

My only quibble so far is the use of the phrase “Project Charter”. This has become an over-used and misunderstood concept and is synonymous with values pasted on office walls and duly ignored. The name ultimately doesn’t matter though, having the vision and the Systems-Structure-Culture aligned to deliver is what matters.

Kudos to those involved, early days but what I read is positive. We’ll be dissecting this further in due course.

If what the Playbook says resonates with you and you want to understand more about how Professional Collaboration could help you and your team/project, get in touch, we’re open to a chat and #welisten.