Keelhold™
by Everist-Labs
Before anyone designs anything, the owner's conditions for satisfaction go on paper, each written so it can be answered yes or no. A gate closes when every condition it carries is checked, not when the calendar says so, and the design can't pass it until then. The same conditions carry across the handoff into construction.
Who it's for
Design-build teams at the start of a project, and the owners whose satisfaction the project exists to meet. For the team, it sets and holds the first of the six functions of Design Management, the one the other five are built on. It works inside a single organization too, applied to a decision instead of a project.
What you keep
The conditions, the gates, and the record of which ones closed belong to the owner. If the team changes, the owner keeps all of it.
How it ends
I set it up with the team and coach it until they hold it on their own. The engagement is built to end there, and I close it myself rather than letting it run on.