GOOD TEAMS

Erika's piece on public-private housing partnerships stresses the critical importance of the project team, to ensure the good communication that leads to a high-quality outcome.

Over the years, many institutions have increasingly preferred planning project teams composed of multiple firms to ensure maximum coverage of all systems from academic to waste water.

These large teams require strong leadership. The team's lead firm must have deep experience in-house and good team management and coordination skills.

Applying all team members' talents to the project in appropriate amounts at the right time requires clarity about desired outcomes as a key starting point. While the project team can help identify, refine and articulate the scope and depth of deliverables, this is fundamentally a client responsibility, so spend some time during the drafting of the RFP focusing on the specifics of the deliverables. After all, these are the tangible products that will represent the many hours of work and collaboratively-generated wisdom of the project team. The documents will be used over several years to guide decisions on campus development. Talk with your colleagues about what your institution requires of these products? Who will use them? How will you use them? Answers to these questions early in the project will guarantee a satisfactory outcome.

When evaluating teams, consider combining local expertise with national (or even international) experience. Teams that meld these perspectives and knowledge will provide stronger input and richer solutions.

If yours is a large, complex institution, a large, complex team may well be necessary. For smaller colleges and universities, a small team is beautiful. If specialized assessments and knowledge are required, these skills can be added to the team as needed in a focused way, rather than bloating the team (and its fees) from project inception to completion.

Finally, in team selection, pay attention to the personality and character of the team leader. Campus plans typically take several months to complete, and the quality of the relationship with this person can make the difference between an adequate and an excellent plan.

- George Mathey