Implementation of the best in class project management and contract management initiative at the Department Of Energy's Office Of Environmental Management - 16062

Since its creation in 1989, the Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental Management (EM) has struggled with a legacy of inadequate project management and contract management. This has been manifested in recurring scope changes, cost overruns and schedule delays, and has been documented in multiple internal and external reviews. EM has committed itself to improving project performance and undertaken a number of proactive management initiatives including the development of a 'Best in Class' Project Management and Contract Management organization (i.e., the BICPM Initiative). During 2007, EM assessed the status of project management and contract management at 15 EM sites. These assessments evaluated strengths and weaknesses in 12 key project management capabilities and three contract management benchmarks. The January 2008 Compilation Assessment Report showed that EM faces significant challenges in its mission execution due to staffing shortages, project and contract management integration, insufficient project-oriented culture, and lack of a clear role for Headquarters in BICPM. EM then formulated a strategy to meet their objectives in the March 2008 Corporate Implementation Plan. It summarizes BICPM efforts, introduces the vision for BICPM, identifies the strategy for achieving BICPM, and describes a process for implementing BICPM. That is, it acts as a road-map to address EM's challenges. It also documents 18 Recommended Priority Actions (RPAs) that are the key to correcting these challenges. These RPAs provide a clear path forward that can be communicated to the entire EM organization and provide the foundation upon which a BICPM culture can be built. EM has since gained considerable momentum and progress towards institutionalizing BICPM. This paper provides a discussion of the BICPM Initiative and its implementation. (authors)