Document Code No.: CIP-8-5-EO
Affected Agencies: All Executive Branch Agencies of King County Government
Sponsoring Agency: Department of Natural Resources and Parks
Effective Date: March 30, 2016
Approved: /s/ Dow Constantine
Type of Action: New, and Rescinds CIP 8-4 (AEO)

Signed document (PDF, 234KB)

This executive order directs the Deputy County Executive to sponsor the Capital Project Management Work Group Phase 4 to continue work to develop and continually improve capital project management standards and tools, and to monitor capital project performance and drive continuous improvement in project management functions.

WHEREAS, a key objective of the King County Strategic Plan is to build a culture of performance through improving the effectiveness and efficiency of county programs, services, and systems; and

WHEREAS, King County manages a wide range of capital project types to support wastewater treatment, solid waste management, building development and redevelopment, airport operations, surface water management, flood hazard reduction, habitat restoration, park and trail development, and transportation; and 

WHEREAS, on March 18, 2010, the Executive Office issued CIP 8-1 (AEO) establishing a Capital Project Management Work Group (CPMWG) comprised of representatives from each of King County’s capital Implementing Agencies directed to develop and implement consistent, comprehensive standards for reporting, managing, and measuring performance of capital projects; and

WHEREAS, on September 30, 2011, the Executive Office issued CIP 8-2 (AEO) establishing CPMWG Phase 2 (CPMWG 2) and directed CPMWG 2 to continue the work of developing consistent project management process improvements; and

WHEREAS, the CPMWG and CPMWG 2 have completed the work directed in Executive Order CIP 8-1 (AEO) and Executive Order CIP 8-2 (AEO); and

WHEREAS, on July 14, 2014, the Executive Office issued CIP8-4 (AEO) establishing CPMWG phase 3 (CPMWG 3) and directed CPMWG 3 to build upon the success of the previous CPMWG efforts and continue to develop, evaluate and recommend improvements for Countywide facility and infrastructure capital design and construction project management standardization, specifically in the areas of project management tools and reporting; and

WHEREAS, CIP 8-4 item 4.f., Performance Metrics, directed CPMWG 3 to develop a common set of performance metrics to monitor progress and drive continuous improvement in project management functions; and

WHEREAS, a Performance Metrics Subcommittee (PMC) made up of members from each Capital Project Implementing Agency (IA) was convened and chartered to develop metrics to indicate the impacts of the newly applied standards developed under CPMWG 3 and for scope, schedule, budget, and accomplishment rate, and propose adjustments in project management standards based on performance against metrics; and,

WHEREAS, the PMC completed the work directed in the Executive Order CIP 8-4 (AEO) item 4.f., and developed a set of detailed recommendations that found:

1. Performance metrics on capital projects is a recent trend in the public sector.
2. The County compares favorably to other public agencies in the areas of capital project performance metrics and in many instances the County’s approach is more robust.
3. The information included in the King County Project Information Center (PIC) red-yellow-green report is already providing the basic performance monitoring expected for a capital public works project by showing variance between planned and actual performance for scope, schedule, and budget through the use of standard project management practices.
4. It is too early in the implementation of the new Project Management (PM) Standards to determine the impacts of the processes, as so few of the baselined projects have reached closeout.
5. No new performance measures are proposed for scope, schedule, budget, or accomplishment rate; however, there are enhancements or refinements to consider for the current analytical reports on performance measures to increase management efficiency on current projects.
6. The addition of variance trend analysis would further compliment the information communicated to the public, continue to broaden the database and institutional knowledge of overall performance, identify trigger points causing deviations, and enhance risk planning for the CIP Program.

WHEREAS, the Executive desires to further the County’s capital project reporting, management, and performance measurement which will require the dedication of resources for continuous improvement efforts, and,

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Dow Constantine, King County Executive, do hereby order and direct that:

The Deputy County Executive will sponsor the Capital Project Management Work Group (CPMWG) Phase 4 effort to include:

1. Appointment of a functional owner and functional steering committee chaired by the functional owner.
2. The functional owner will be the Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks and shall have responsibility for oversight and application of continuous improvement pertaining to project management standards that include processes, skill development, training standards, tools and reporting, and will chair the functional steering committee.
3. The functional steering committee will consist of senior managers of departments or divisions with significant project management activity and shall have responsibility for defining and implementing the King County project management standards. The functional steering committee will support continuous improvement in project management standards, monitor the implementation of the CPMWG work products, review project performance metrics, and resolve resource issues in implementing best project management practices put forward by the CPMWG.
4. The Capital Project Management Work Group (CPMWG) will consist of representatives with project management experience across King County departments and under the guidance of the project management functional owner and functional steering committee. The committee will:
   1. Establish a work plan for this fourth phase of the CPMWG effort.
   2. Develop Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) guidelines for incorporation in Project Management guidelines and tools.
   3. Monitor and Support Capital Project Standardization – Monitor use of CPMWG established standards, provide guidance for questions and issues that arise, and work with capital divisions and Human Resources Division on identifying training.
   4. Monitor earned value pilot testing, compile evaluation of pilot tests and develop recommendations and standards for use of earned value in project management.
   5. Review and report on the CPMWG developed common set of performance metrics to monitor progress and drive continuous improvement in project management functions.
   6. Support the Human Resources Division effort to develop a new or updated Capital Project Manager series based upon the CPMWG 2 work.
   7. Advise on project management standards to other agency activities, such as:
      1. Finance Section Project Control Officer audit findings on contracts
      2. Support the effort to streamline the annual project Green Building reporting
      3. Project management training
   8. Identify opportunities for continuous improvement in project management best practices.
   9. Direct the maintenance and update of the CPMWG SharePoint site.
5. This EO rescinds CIP 8-4 (AEO) – Improving Project Management Process, Functions, and Best Practices in Management of Capital Projects in King County.
6. This EO directs continuous improvement efforts in the areas of capital project management standards, practices, and tools, and capital project performance metrics developed under previous CPMWG efforts.

Dated this 30th day of March, 2016.

/s/ Dow Constantine
King County Executive

Attest:
/s/ Norm Alberg
Director, Records and Licensing Services Division