Project Performance Evaluation Checklist for Consulting Engineers

A checklist is presented to evaluate how well a consulting engineering firm performed on a project. As a prerequisite to designing the checklist, the attributes of a successful project had to be defined. The checklist is designed with four main qualities as goals: (1) Comprehensive, covering the key performance criteria; (2) simple to complete; (3) useful to project managers, serving as a tool rather than an additional burden on their time; and (4) sufficiently adaptable to accommodate the wide variety of projects performed by the firm. The checklist assesses performance on a project in the following key areas: professional image, quality of design or service, profitability, risk management, adherence to schedule and budget, and, most importantly, client satisfaction. Use of the checklist is explained, and the steps leading to its development are discussed. The outcome of a pilot test and the resulting revisions are described. Finally, an implementation program to adopt its use on a firm‐wide basis is proposed.