Partnering: Providing Effective Project Control

Abstract

Partnering agreements in contracts have been around since the early 1980s. Although their use as a contracting strategy has been comparatively embraced by manufacturing industries, partnering comes under fire in project‐related activities. This paper attempts to answer the call by Cook and Hancher for research on the subject. This paper also discusses a controversial benefit of partnering as it relates to project control. Some feel project control is the ability to dictate a course of action and demand those results. The military has another word for this ability—command. Command is the ability to give direction authoritatively and expect that direction to be followed. On the other hand, control is the ability to check and verify progress and the results. The purpose of this paper is to define in detail the art and science of control, and to illustrate how a partnering agreement effectively controls a project, as observed at the Air Force J‐6 Special Program Office.