Program Management

What is a Capital Improvement Program (CIP)?

A Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is a multi-year strategic plan for a community or utility. It identifies, prioritizes, and provides a financing plan for all major capital projects and infrastructure needs, such as new water treatment facilities, road improvements, park development, or public safety buildings. It’s the essential roadmap for a community’s long-term growth and maintenance.

What is Capital Improvement Program Management?

Capital Improvement Program Management is the comprehensive professional oversight of all projects within a CIP. Instead of managing one project at a time, a program manager acts as an extension of your staff to coordinate the entire portfolio—managing the overall budget, schedule, risk, and communication across multiple, simultaneous projects to ensure the entire program’s strategic goals are met.

What is the difference between Project Management and Program Management?

This is a crucial distinction. Project Management is finite; it focuses on completing a single project with a defined scope, start, and end (e.g., building one new pump station). Program Management is strategic and ongoing; it manages a group of related projects to achieve a larger, long-term business objective (e.g., upgrading the entire water system, which may include five new pump stations, two pipeline replacements, and a new well).

Why should our municipality hire an external CIP Program Manager?

Most public works departments or municipal staff are already at full capacity managing daily operations. A large-scale CIP involves immense complexity that can overwhelm internal teams. An external program manager provides the dedicated expertise, specialized software, and focused oversight needed to control costs, manage risk, and keep dozens of projects moving forward on schedule, ultimately preventing costly overruns and delays.

What is a ‘Constructability Review’ and why is it important?

A constructability review is a formal analysis of construction plans before they go out to bid. Our experienced team reviews the design for potential errors, omissions, or conflicts that could cause delays and expensive change orders during construction. Catching these issues on paper is infinitely cheaper than fixing them in the field.

What is ‘Value Engineering’ in a capital project?

Value Engineering (VE) is a systematic process to improve the “value” of a project. Our team analyzes the project’s components and functions to find less costly alternatives without sacrificing quality, safety, or operational requirements. The goal is to optimize the project’s life-cycle cost, ensuring you are not overpaying for materials or designs when a more efficient, high-quality solution exists.