OC Public Works Project Delivery Manual (PDM)

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

OC Public Works (OCPW), a department of the County of Orange, California, created the Project Delivery Manual (PDM) to document the complete project delivery process, from Initiation Phase to Close Out Phase, and to ensure OCPW project managers have the tools to manage their assigned projects efficiently and effectively. OCPW project managers are separated into “vertical” teams who work on County buildings and facilities and “horizontal” teams who work on public infrastructure such as roads, bikeways and flood control channels. The PDM aligned project delivery processes across vertical and horizontal teams, brought uniformity and consistency to project management, and helped build stronger collaboration (e.g., best practices, lessons learned) across teams. OCPW’s PDM took an innovative approach by serving as a web-based, centralized repository for processes, reference manuals, forms, and other materials that were once spread across various teams and difficult to find or locate. Many staff were unaware these resources existed prior to the PDM. The PDM made staff access to critical project information easier and faster. The PDM is also used as an on-boarding and training tool for new project managers and engineers. OCPW holds monthly PDM training classes which are open to project managers, staff who are interested in a future career in project management, and staff who simply want to learn more about the project delivery process.