Communicate clearly
Expectations are explicit and information reaches the right people at the right time.
Your Teamwork CoachProject PartneringPlan Your SessionConstruction Project Partnering
Construction Partnering
Meetings That Keep
Projects Moving
Professionally facilitated, in-person partnering sessions for USACE, federal, and complex construction projects.
EP 34-1-1 alignedBuilt for constructionPowered by 5 Voices
Construction teams under pressure
Small issues become expensive problems.
Unclear expectations, role confusion, communication gaps, delayed escalation, and avoided conflict sit below the surface. Left alone, they show up later as rework, schedule delays, cost overruns, claims, and damaged relationships.
Clarify roles
Team members understand responsibilities, ownership, and decision authority.
Resolve issues early
Problems are addressed at the lowest appropriate level before they disrupt the project.
Build trust
Stakeholders can have difficult conversations without damaging working relationships.
USACE Partnering Playbook alignment
Designed around the expectations of EP 34-1-1.
The session is tailored to the project’s phase, risk, complexity, stakeholders, and partnering intensity. It supports the relationship-building mindset and practical Partnering Plan elements USACE expects across the construction project delivery life cycle.
Partnering Charter
Shared mission, goals, success criteria, and stakeholder commitments.
Communication Protocols
Clear expectations for information flow, meetings, documentation, and responsiveness.
Shared Risk Register
Proactive identification, ownership, and mitigation of risks to cost and schedule.
Issue Resolution Ladder
Named decision-makers and agreed timeframes for resolving issues quickly.
Relationship Maintenance
Ongoing practices and progress meetings that keep partnering alive after kickoff.
Team Assessment
A practical way to monitor relationship health and correct friction early.
Aligned with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Partnering Playbook, EP 34-1-1 (12 September 2024). Final scope and deliverables are tailored with the project team and contracting requirements.
The people system beneath the project system
5 Voices gives the team a shared language before conflict arrives.
Most project teams spend significant time on schedules, budgets, specifications, and processes. Far fewer learn how their stakeholders communicate, make decisions, handle conflict, or respond under pressure.
Every participant’s 5 Voices profile becomes a practical foundation for the session. The team learns how different voices contribute, where misunderstandings are likely, and how to hear the people whose perspective is easiest to miss.
With 5 Voices, the team can:
- Recognize communication preferences across organizations
- Reduce assumptions and prevent avoidable misunderstandings
- Surface risks and dissent before decisions are locked in
- Adapt communication when pressure changes team behavior
- Build trust for the difficult conversations ahead
What happens during the session
A structured day. Built around your project.
Ryan learns the project, the players, and the pressure points before anyone enters the room. The session then moves from shared vision and team dynamics into concrete operating agreements.
Talk Through Your Project- 1Establish a shared vision
Define success, align stakeholder expectations, and identify risks to project outcomes.
- 2Understand team dynamics
Use 5 Voices to explore communication, working styles, trust, and likely sources of friction.
- 3Clarify roles and authority
Define ownership, accountability, interfaces, and decision-making authority.
- 4Build communication and escalation systems
Set communication expectations and create issue-resolution pathways with timeframes.
- 5Create team commitments
Document rules of engagement and behaviors that support project success.
Project deliverables
Tools the team can use after the meeting ends.
- Project Partnering Charter
- Issue Resolution Ladder
- Role Clarity Index
- Communication Protocols
- Shared Risk Register
- Team Commitments
- Project Partnering Report
Construction partnering facilitator
Calm enough to lower defenses. Direct enough to name the real issue.
Ryan Mayfield facilitates construction partnering meetings for project teams across the United States. He helps owners, contractors, designers, and government stakeholders understand what is happening between people, talk about it clearly, and build practical ways to move forward.
His approach combines USACE-aligned project partnering practices with 5 Voices and proven tools for trust, communication, healthy conflict, and team performance.
Built for complex project teams
Especially valuable when...
Multiple organizations must operate as one team.
The schedule leaves little room for avoidable friction.
Past relationships or current risks make trust essential.
Leaders want a clear process for resolving issues early.
Frequently asked questions
Construction partnering meetings, explained.
What is a construction partnering meeting?
It is a facilitated working session in which owners, contractors, designers, government representatives, and other stakeholders build shared goals, clarify roles, establish communication protocols, identify risks, and agree on how issues will be resolved.
Are these sessions aligned with USACE requirements?
Yes. Each session is designed around the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Partnering Playbook, EP 34-1-1. The exact agenda and deliverables are tailored to the project’s phase, partnering intensity, contract, stakeholders, risks, and complexity.
What does the partnering facilitator do?
Ryan prepares with project leaders, gathers participant input, creates a customized agenda, guides the team through difficult conversations and decisions, and documents practical agreements for use throughout project delivery.
How much does a partnering meeting cost?
Every project is different, but most engagements include a full day of facilitation, preparation, and follow-up. After a brief discovery call, you’ll receive a fixed-price proposal with no surprise fees. Travel is billed separately when applicable.
What does the project team receive?
Typical deliverables include a Partnering Charter, Issue Resolution Ladder, Role Clarity Index, communication protocols, Shared Risk Register, team commitments, and a final Project Partnering Report.
Where are partnering meetings available?
Ryan facilitates in-person construction partnering meetings for project teams across the United States. Sessions are held on site or at another location selected by the project team.
Start with a conversation
Set the project up to work better from the beginning.
Partner before the pressure hits
The technical plan matters. So does how the people will work together.
Complex projects bring together organizations with different priorities, pressures, and ways of communicating. Partnering makes those differences discussable before they become expensive.
Your session produces practical agreements the team can use when the work gets hard.