There's no doubt that design/build is becoming a more popular project delivery method. AEC firms with large commercial clients and even those with government clients are increasingly seeing design/build RFPs. Design/build projects require firms to adopt a different managerial mind-set from that of the traditional design-bid-build framework. They also demand a new mind-set in the hiring process.

In many construction projects, conflict among engineers, architects, and contractors is expected - at least to a certain degree. It's not something people enjoy, and it certainly can be disruptive if it gets out of hand, but to some extent it comes with the territory. "It's "The Scarecrow Effect" where everyone is pointing in a different direction," says Tom Ellis, senior associate with Heery International in Lexington, MA.

In design/build, though, all parties absolutely have to work smoothly as a team. Otherwise, because you're working with a fixed price, conflict quickly leads to lost time, and lost time leads to lost money.


Exemplary communication and teamwork skills
So, design/build demands that project managers and supervisors have superior communication skills and teamwork ability. If you are working on design/build projects or expect to in the future - and with the increasing popularity of alternative project delivery methods, that may be a good bet - you must recruit people who have these necessary supervisory and management skills and attributes.

"Design/build is an interdisciplinary environment," says Richard Weiland, director, project control, Marshall Erdman & Associates, Madison, WI. Having a good grasp of all partners' roles in project management is important, Weiland says. Marshall Erdman aims to broaden employees' perspectives by cross-training them on various projects in the multiple services that it offers: architecture, interior design, engineering and construction management. Managers with a good working knowledge of contract management and some grounding in business law are also especially valuable on design/build projects, he says.

"In addition to technical skills, softer skills are essential, especially the ability to resolve conflicts," Weiland emphasizes. These skills don't come from book knowledge, and can be difficult to assess in a candidate.

The ideal candidate profile Let's outline the profile of a good design/build project manager. His or her personal qualities include:

• Confidence and assertiveness, but not arrogance. Mutual respect of other project team members' opinions is a primary qualification.
• Innovative problem-solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal communication skills.
• Flexible mind-set to adjust to ever-changing plans and conditions, and to compromise when necessary.

• Can the candidate provide a work history of being involved in teaming situations?
• Ask the candidate to cite specific examples of how they worked with other firms on a project to resolve problems and/or reduce risk.
• Check references. Ask engineers, for example, for references from owners, architects, and contracting firms that they have worked with. Try to get a feel for the candidate's communication strategies and ability when you speak with those references.
• Give a hypothetical challenge in a design/build environment and ask candidates what they would do in that situation. Try to ascertain candidates' inter-disciplinary fluency from his or her responses.
• For public works project managers, ask the candidate to cite their experience dealing with public officials and/or citizen advocacy groups. Can they communicate complex projects in terms that laymen can understand?