Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/522582
14 | THE DATA CENTER JOURNAL www.datacenterjournal.com t he data center construction market and America's favorite pastime have a few things in common. In both, the teams most likely to achieve long- term success and hold winning records recognize that not every pitch hit—or every project tackled—will be a home run. Project teams, like batters, will likely face a few curveballs that require them to adjust their approach to get on base or, better yet, knock one out of the park. And just like a strikeout against a tough pitcher, the lessons learned from highly challenging data center projects are oen as important, if not more important, to a long-term success as the easy wins. With every experience comes valu- able lessons learned that exemplify hurdles that project teams face on data center projects. In hindsight, these valuable les- sons provide a roadmap of sorts for how to better prepare for and adapt to such chal- lenges in the future. It is these experiences and exposure to a variety of challenges that help teams navigate a market sector and industry where the only true constant is rapid change. When Bringing a neW ProDuCt to market, align on aPProaCh Picture this scenario: ere's a brand new, first-of-its-kind data center that an Owner is looking to build. is product has the potential to shape the future of the Owner's business and strongly impact the company's branding in the market. It must be delivered within strict financial con- straints, on a highly accelerated schedule. Sound familiar? In the highly competitive world of data centers, companies are continuously looking for opportunities to differentiate themselves and bring new products to market as quickly and efficiently as pos- sible. Oen with new offerings, there are also many corporate layers with clear ad- vocates and equally vocal opponents who want to maintain the status quo. erefore, it is important to put together the right team to build alignment within the organi- zation. Assembling a highly experienced, knowledgeable and integrated team is the essential first step to ensure the highest degree of success in data center delivery. e right design and construction team will know what questions to ask and how to obtain the right answers to help the Owner make critical decisions and build alignment within the organization. For example, on a recent data center project, the team understood that the project's success would require a highly collaborative approach among multiple parties. Although not formally structured as an integrated project delivery (IPD) contract, the building and design team were expected to act like project stakehold- ers. Key project subcontractors, the builder and the architect/engineering team needed to work in close partnership with all levels of the Owner's team to not only deliver the physical project, but also to help the Owner present and sell the project vision to the company's board. ere was clear pushback from some levels of the Owner's team. Some repre- sentatives were skeptical and not every- one within the Owner's team universally accepted the decision to put a contractor at the helm and help guide the internal decision-making. On top of that, the design-build team members also needed to understand the Owner's expectations and their unique role as project leaders and collaborators. e team worked hard to forge open communication and buy-in from everyone on the design-build team and the Owner's ranks—from the "C-level" suite of execu- tives, to the vice president/directors' level, to the construction/facility management and engineers' level. e sheer numbers and different layers of people to respond to and collaborate with magnified the project's complexity. Relationships go a long way in help- ing to eliminate rocks in the road. e right team focuses on building trust. make it Personal According to Babe Ruth, "the way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime." It's important to continuously analyze where the team is on a project. Where it feels weak. When additional talent is needed. Another key element is to inspire the team to do what's best for the proj- ect, especially if there is no contractual obligation such as an IPD contract where everyone has some skin in the game. On one design-build project, it was important that our partners and subcontractors knew that they were not just designing something on paper but really thinking about the project in terms of spending their own money. We asked them to visualize every decision, every line drawing, and imagine that it was coming out of their own savings account or their kids' savings accounts for college tuitions. unDerstanD regional DifferenCes It is important to understand the business attitudes and practices on both sides of the U.S. Design-build is more prev- alent on the West Coast than on the East. Additional differences include the level of vertical integration within the subcontrac- tor community. We ran into this issue on a project where the initial product development stage took place on the West Coast, but the product execution and deployment was on the East Coast. Having project stakeholders on both coasts made it important to include real-time decision-making and input from the East Coast into the mix from the start. A long-term presence on both coasts helps builders understand the different dynamics of the building communities that could im- pact the deployment strategies. Knowledge of these nuances impacted the strategy for selecting subcontractors with a national or bicoastal presence. e level of complexity on the project did not stop there. e primary Owner structured a deal in which another firm would own the data center site develop- ment and shell portion of the job, while the main Owner was responsible for the inside—or "brains"—of this data center project. e design-build team was work-