Progress in Improving Project Management at the Department of Energy

Progress in Improving Project Management at the Department of Energy
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 141
Release: 2002-01-31
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309082803

The Department of Energy (DOE) is engaged in numerous multimillion- and even multibillion-dollar projects that are one of a kind or first of a kind and require cutting-edge technology. The projects represent the diverse nature of DOE's missions, which encompass energy systems, nuclear weapons stewardship, environmental restoration, and basic research. Few other government or private organizations are challenged by projects of a similar magnitude, diversity, and complexity. To complete these complex projects on schedule, on budget, and in scope, the DOE needs highly developed project management capabilities. This report is an assessment of the status of project management in the Department of Energy as of mid-2001 and the progress DOE has made in this area since the National Research Council (NRC) report Improving Project Management in the Department of Energy (Phase II report) was published in June 1999.

Measuring Performance and Benchmarking Project Management at the Department of Energy

Measuring Performance and Benchmarking Project Management at the Department of Energy
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 52
Release: 2005-08-01
Genre: Transportation
ISBN: 0309181763

In 1997, Congress, in the conference report, H.R. 105-271, to the FY1998 Energy and Water Development Appropriation Bill, directed the National Research Council (NRC) to carry out a series of assessments of project management at the Department of Energy (DOE). The final report in that series noted that DOE lacked an objective set of measures for assessing project management quality. The department set up a committee to develop performance measures and benchmarking procedures and asked the NRC for assistance in this effort. This report presents information and guidance for use as a first step toward development of a viable methodology to suit DOE's needs. It provides a number of possible performance measures, an analysis of the benchmarking process, and a description ways to implement the measures and benchmarking process.

Improving Project Management in the Department of Energy

Improving Project Management in the Department of Energy
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 150
Release: 1999-10-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309066263

The U.S. Department of Energy has been at the center of many of the greatest achievements in science and engineering in this century. DOE spends billions of dollars funding projects-and plans to keep on spending at this rate. But, documentation shows that DOE's construction and environmental remediation projects take much longer and cost 50% more than comparable projects undertaken by other federal agencies, calling into question DOE's procedures and project management. What are the root causes for these problems?

Independent Research Assessment of Project Management Factors Affecting Department of Energy Success

Independent Research Assessment of Project Management Factors Affecting Department of Energy Success
Author: Civil Engineering Research Foundation
Publisher: ASCE Publications
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9780784475621

Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy by the Civil Engineering Research Foundation. This report presents the findings of a research study to improve the project management undertaken by the U.S. Department of Energy. It identifies key components affecting project performance, evaluates performance factors, measures, and metrics in relation to their correlation with project success; and makes recommendations with regard to improving performance on different types of projects. Sixteen projects were selected by the DOE Office of Engineering and Construction Management, and then examined by the independent research team, which grouped and prioritized factors affecting success and formulated recommendations.

Proceedings of Government/Industry Forum

Proceedings of Government/Industry Forum
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2002-05-29
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309169690

Recurrent problems with project performance in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in the 1990s raised questions in Congress about the practices and processes used by the department to manage projects. The 105th Committee of Conference on Energy and Water Resources directed DOE to investigate establishing a project review process. Many of the findings and recommendations in this series of reports identified the need for improved planning in the early project stages (front-end planning) to get the project off to the right start, and the continuous monitoring of projects by senior management to make sure the project stays on course. These reports also stressed the need for DOE to act as an owner, not a contractor, and to train its personnel to function not as traditional project managers but as knowledgeable owner's representatives in dealing with projects and contractors. The NRC Committee for Oversight and Assessment of Department of Energy Project Management determined that it would be helpful for DOE to sponsor a forum in which representatives from DOE and from leading corporations with large, successful construction programs would discuss how the owner's role is conducted in government and in industry. In so doing, the committee does not claim that all industrial firms are better at project management than the DOE. Far from it-the case studies represented at this forum were selected specifically because these firms were perceived by the committee to be exemplars of the very best practices in project management. Nor is it implied that reaching this level is easy; the industry speakers themselves show that excellence in project management is difficult to achieve and perhaps even more difficult to maintain. Nevertheless, they have been successful in doing so, through constant attention by senior management.

Assessment of the Results of External Independent Reviews for U.S. Department of Energy Projects

Assessment of the Results of External Independent Reviews for U.S. Department of Energy Projects
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 74
Release: 2007-05-10
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309106397

Peer review is an essential component of engineering practice and other scientific and technical undertakings. Peer reviews are conducted to ensure that activities are technically adequate, competently performed, and properly documented; to validate assumptions, calculations, and extrapolations; and to assess alternative interpretations, methodologies, acceptance criteria, and other aspects of the work products and the documentation that support them. Effective peer reviews are conducted in an environment of mutual respect, recognizing the contributions of all participants. Their primary objective is to help the project team achieve its goals. Reviews also contribute to quality assurance, risk management, and overall improvement of the management process. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) conducts different types of peer reviews at the different stages of a project, including reviews to assess risks and other factors related to design, safety, cost estimates, value engineering, and project management. Independent project reviews (IPRs) are conducted by federal staff not directly affiliated with the project or program and management and operations (M&O) contractors. External independent reviews (EIRs) are overseen by the Office of Engineering and Construction Management and conducted by contractors external to the department. EIRs are the primary focus of this report. However, the committee found that, in many cases, IPRs are explicitly used as preparation for or as preliminary reviews prior to EIRs. Thus, because IPRs are integral to the review process in DOE, they are also discussed because they might have an effect on EIRs. In October 2000, DOE issued Order 413.3, Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets (DOE, 2000). The order established a series of five critical decisions (CDs), or major milestones, that require senior management review and approval to ensure that a project satisfies applicable mission, design, security, and safety requirements: approve mission need, approve alternative selection and cost range, approve performance baseline, approve start of construction, and approve start of operations or project closeout. Assessment of the Results of External Independent Reviews for U. S. Department of Energy Projects summarizes the results.