Step 7: Fabrication drawings — developed from the IPD concept book system flow diagrams (step 3), equipment purchases (step 5), and demolition drawings (step 6) — would now be the final design drawings and would take into account serviceability. When completed, these drawings would eventually become the as-built drawings. In sync with these piping drawings, the other trade contractors and the design engineers would collectively produce the remaining fabrication/as-built documents.

Step 8: The O&M personnel would be an integral part of the drawing development and central chiller plant automation as part of their ongoing training.

Step 9: With the equipment arriving and installed, the startup and water balancing would be completed. The balancing would be based on the chilled water management staging of chillers in sync with sequence of operation. Using the system flow diagram, each diagram showing design flow and actual pressure readings, these drawings would be printed and laminated and posted in a convenient location for quick and easy reference. Diagram would also include emergency shutdown(s).

Step 10: O&Ms in hand, the CMMS system would continue to be populated with operating procedures, sequences of operation with associated system flow diagrams, flows and pressure readings, planned maintenance workorders, parts inventory, and special tools and fluids.

At the end of the project, the following deliverables are seamlessly delivered:

• As-built drawings

• Individual sequences of operation, along with associated system flow diagrams

• A populated maintenance management database and associated workorders

• Comprehensive training

• Comprehensive energy and central plant monitoring and data collection

• Energy retrofit project completed on time

• Infrastructure project completed in budget

For the naysayers, this process may sound like utopia, but teamwork always outperforms individual efforts. In addition, the cost of the job is always an open book where the owner received the best price for the team effort and the trade contractors receive a fair profit. More importantly, these types of projects inherently move quicker and more efficiently, and the O&M staff is better prepared to operate the system at continuous efficient performance.

An FTP process is far more successful because the approach is based on consensus. No one on the team can instigate an “I told you so” discussion because the individual would be in the minority. In addition, consensus inherently brings lots of data collection from various individuals with various experiences to draw upon, contributing to the optimum solution.

In all the years of my being involved with projects that had an integrated team of participants, I can’t say there was ever a job that ran over budget or was not completed on time. Again, teamwork simply outperformed any other type of project delivery.

Still, many owners are skeptical of aligning themselves with a select group of individuals. The same can be said for many architects who like to shop around for consultants to optimize their own bottom line. General contractors and construction managers also can be resistant to change and be reluctant to give up their leadership role to share decisionmaking by consensus. Change is difficult for most, and FTP isn’t for everyone, yet I personally have found that sharing has always been a better way for my HVAC designs to meet with the best client satisfaction. And client satisfaction usually equates to repeat business!