Question:   How Can Post Occupancy Evaluation help you or DGS do a better job?

The post-occupancy evaluation (POE) process has been discussed for a number of years and in some ways has been implemented on an informal and sporadic basis within the Department of General Services (DGS). Implementing a formal process will allow all staff and management involved in the design and construction of a project to view the information and use this information on future projects.

Within the statistics to be provided, project scope, building/project size, costs, schedule and location are important data in the broader understanding of a POE. This reference information alone would benefit all staff when working on similar project types.

The POE process could better DGS' understanding of how successful projects are accomplished or how not so successful projects can be improved. This may or may not be dependent upon the individuals working on the project, amount of project funding available, client and user input, relationships with design teams and general contractors, municipal or political concerns, and neighborhood involvement.

Creating a history of projects through the POE process would strengthen DGS' opinions and recommendations concerning project funding, fee structures, schedule impacts, and other issues which DGS incurs constant criticism by the legislature.

The ultimate goal of the POE process would be to better our service to our client agencies and make the best use of taxpayer monies. Unfortunately, without constant feedback on projects, we will most likely repeat our mistakes over and over again.

Nick Cimino, Winning Entry
The following people also submitted entries.
Leo Brady
James Drinkard
Susan Dyckes
Ian Ekholm
Diane Elliott
Teresa Kaneko
Peter Liloyan
Gerald McLaughlin
Zach Miller
Lance Muller
Greg Nyland
Elizabeth Parker
Wendy Roberts
Steve Savage
Larry Smith
Howard Sacks
Richard Steuber
Sarah Thamer-Hallford
Roy Tjen-A-Looi
Nancy Vierra
Chris Wicks