News media, trade journals and white papers are filled with dire stories of capital projects that did not meet schedule, budget and/or scope targets. In short, those projects failed. At the same time, productivity in the construction industry has decreased over the last 50 years - not improved - despite major technology advances.
In their latest book, Building with Certainty: Empowering the Astute Owner with Evidence-Based Construction, Robert Levine and Georgeann Burns lay out a prescription to avoid these ills. The book is a roadmap to using proven evidence-based construction tools and methods for capital project development, helping facility owners become more astute to drive successful project completions.
Levine, who passed away in November 2018, was passionate about changing how capital development projects are created. Throughout his 50-plus-year career he was responsible for completing nearly $3 billion worth of healthcare construction. Based on his extensive experience and incredible perspective, he believed that evidence-based construction was a better way to develop capital projects. He worked tirelessly to co-author this book right up to his death.
"Levine was one of the most respected healthcare construction executives of past several decades", commented Glenn Fischer, AMFP secretary and treasurer and executive vice president of the Corporate Realty, Design & Management Institute. "He stood head and shoulders above most in healthcare construction industry. Personally, I learned a ton from him".
Burns, who co-edited Capital Projects and Reform: Navigating Design and Delivery in an Era of Disruption with Levine, has devoted her career to healthcare projects. Her focus has been master planning, programming, detail planning and project management for multiple facility types and institutions. Through Health Facilities Planning Partners LLC, she shares Levine's vision to reshape how capital projects are created through evidence-based construction.