Development of a Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) for Building Projects
Recent research studies have proven the importance of the pre-project planning phase of the construction life cycle. Specifically, a complete scope definition improves project performance in the area of cost, schedule, and operational characteristics. Unfortunately, until now, the building sector has lacked non-proprietary tools to assist in performing this critical stage of the project. In order to address this need, the Construction Industry Institute (CII) formed the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) for Building Projects Research Team (RT 155) to produce an effective and user-friendly scope definition tool for building projects.
This research report discusses the development of the PDRI including the methodology used to create it, an analysis of its effectiveness in predicting project performance, a description of its potential uses, and a synopsis of the benefits it will provide to the building construction industry.
Specifically, the research team developed the PDRI for building projects, which consists of 64 scope definition elements in a weighted checklist format and provides a method for measuring the completeness of project scope development.
The PDRI for building projects, a weighted index based on industry “best practices,” allows its users to measure the level of scope definition and to compare scope definition to anticipated project success. This tool should help owners and contractors better achieve business, operational, and project objectives.
The 64 scope definition elements of the PDRI for building projects were weighted in order of importance using input from 69 experienced project managers, architects, and engineers. The result of this weighting process revealed the critical elements in building projects that are imperative to project success.
When using the PDRI tool, the weighted score of a project can range up to 1000 points, with a lower score being better. Based on an analysis of 33 completed projects during the validation process, the research team found that projects scoring less than 200 (out of 1000 total points) were significantly more successful than those that scored greater than 200.
The PDRI for building projects was used on several projects that were in-progress during the research. Lessons learned are presented to provide a better understanding of how to use the PDRI tool in planning a project. Logic flow diagrams, developed to provide time-sequenced logic to project planning activities, are also included.
