Resources

What is the
Construction Readiness Assessment?

The Construction Readiness Assessment (CRA) is a methodology for monitoring project health, preventing premature construction starts, and avoiding out-of-sequence work. The Construction Industry Institute (CII) defines construction readiness as “activities and procedures that should be completed prior to construction to productively start and sustain construction operations”. Leading indicators of construction readiness are reviewed by the project team to identify areas where action is required for the project to achieve the desired level of readiness and ensure a productive start to construction.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Construction Readiness Critical?

The desire to start projects early often leads to premature construction starts, which have tremendous impact on project performance. A 2016 study by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) looking at premature construction starts helped the industry quantify the severity and commonality of the most common impacts. Cost overruns, schedule slippage, overtime and unplanned work, out-of-sequence work, rework, and poor productivity are among the most common and significant impacts projects face when they are not ready to start.

Who uses the Construction Readiness Assessment?

CII’s research into premature construction starts included projects spanning infrastructure development, government funded renovations, and oil and gas midstream facilities. Any projects susceptible to premature construction starts will see performance improvements with use of the construction readiness assessment.

When is the Construction Readiness Assessment used in the project lifecycle?

The Construction Readiness Assessment can be used at any point during the Execution phase of a project, including:

Detail Design – as a checklist to identify factors that need early attention.
Pre-Construction – to identify any missing readiness factors and focus on action items that will help ensure the project reaches the desired readiness level.
Early Construction – to ensure that readiness is sustained with any late construction work packages.

To achieve best results, the first Construction Readiness Assessment in any project is recommended to be conducted starting at the 60% design review during Detailed Design phase.

How is the Construction Readiness Assessment structured?

CII’s Construction Readiness Assessment includes 228 factors that are divided into 15 categories. Each category has several related factors, with the factors being the lowest level at which construction readiness is assessed. A score is assigned based on the assessment of factors. The premise of the construction readiness assessment is that if an insufficient number of factors have been completed, poor construction productivity will follow.

Where does the Construction Readiness Assessment originate?

The Construction Industry Institute (CII) recognizes construction readiness as a critical element of successful project delivery. Over the past five years, CII’s research and development has focused on helping project teams prevent premature construction starts and out-of-sequence work. The Construction Readiness Assessment is a key implementation resource developed by CII to help organizations apply the findings from their research.

Can any company use the Construction Readiness Assessment?

Yes! The Construction Readiness Assessment is an open industry standard for assessing construction readiness. The Construction Industry Institute is committed to sharing their best practices. CII works with their Registered Providers to help both CII members and the general public learn and implement their tools and best practices.

How can Valency help?

We offer a wide range of services to assist organizations in getting started with the Construction Readiness Assessment, growing your implementation, and standardizing as a best practice across your organization. Our solution offering includes:

Education
Valency is a Registered Education Provider with CII and PMI and offers educational modules including PDRI principles & practices, implementation best practices and facilitation training.

Third-party Facilitation Services
Our team of expert facilitators are veterans in industrial, building and infrastructure projects.

To learn more Valency’s solution offering, please contact us.