Evolution of the Owner’s Role in Program Management – Activity: Scope

Evolution of the Owner’s Role in Program Management – Activity: Scope (#4 in the series Evolution of the Owner’s Role in Program Management)
By Robert Prieto

Traditional Owner Role: Overall program objectives are defined at the “C”-Level and translation of those objectives into a definitive program description is carried out under the Program Level Executive. Definition of specific projects including associated trade-off studies are led by the Owner organization with strong support from requisite external resources. Optimization often focuses on project by project optimization.

Owner Role Under Program Management:

• Overall program objectives are defined at the “C”-Level and translation of those objectives into a definitive program description is carried out under the Program Level Executive.
• Definition of specific projects including associated trade-off studies are led by the Owner organization with strong support from requisite external resources, including resources not traditionally engaged, but with the additional involvement of the Program Manager in order to ensure that standardization across all projects within the program is maximized and that overall optimization is focused on programmatic versus project by project optimization.

Program Manager’s Role Under Program Management:

• Participates with the Owner in top level program definition and tradeoff activities, providing added specialty resources not traditionally engaged by the Owner organization and bringing a programmatic focus to assessing strategies and impacts on overall program schedule and cost.
• Works in support of the Owner to define the level of scope definition required at the study phase while avoiding prescriptive definitions that undermine overall programmatic standardization and procurement leverage activities.

Robert Prieto, Senior Vice President

Robert Prieto is senior vice president for Fluor, where he leads strategy for Fluor’s Industrial and Infrastructure group. Mr. Prieto focuses on the development and delivery of large, complex projects worldwide.

Prior to joining Fluor, Bob served as chairman of Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. As head of PB’s board of directors, he was responsible for overseeing management performance, establishing top-level policies, and ensuring the firm’s continued long term success.

He is a member of the executive committee of the National Center for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a member of the board of directors of the Business Council on International Understanding, a member of the board of the Civil Engineering Forum for Innovation, and co-founder and member of the board of the Disaster Resource Network. He currently serves on the National Research Council’s committee framing the challenges on Critical Infrastructure Systems. Until 2006 he served as one of three U.S. presidential appointees to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and served as chairman of the Engineering and Construction Governors of The World Economic Forum and co-chair of the infrastructure task force formed after September 11th by the New York City Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the board of trustees of Polytechnic University of New York, and was previously selected as alumni of the year by its New York Chapter.

He has had an executive sponsorship role in the World Trade Center Transportation Hub; West Coast Rail Modernization; Train Protection and Warning System; Level 3 Communications Long Haul Network and Superconducting Super Collider.

Prieto holds a master of science in nuclear engineering from Polytechnic University of New York and a bachelor of science in nuclear engineering from New York University.

Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) provides services on a global basis in the fields of engineering, procurement, construction, operations, maintenance and project management. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Fluor is a FORTUNE 500 company with revenues of $14.1 billion in 2006. For more information, visit www.fluor.com.