PEP 211

PROJECT DEFINITION RATING INDEX (PDRI)

Page 1 of 5
Rev. Date: 6 Aug 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION

PAGE NO.

1.0

PURPOSE AND SCOPE........................................................................................... 2

2.0

DEFINITIONS............................................................................................................ 2

3.0

REFERENCES.......................................................................................................... 3

4.0

PROCEDURES.......................................................................................................... 3

5.0

RECORDS RETENTION...........................................................................................5

6.0

FORMS AND EXHIBITS............................................................................................ 5

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PROJECT DEFINITION RATING INDEX (PDRI)

Page 2 of 5
Rev. Date: 6 Aug 2008

1.0PURPOSE AND SCOPE

The purpose of this procedure is to outline the process for the development of a Project Definition Rating
Index (score), providing an assessment of the quality and completeness of a projects scope definition.
Projects with a total PDRI score less than 200 have been shown to have an increased probability of
success in terms of quality, cost and schedule performance, and will experience reduced growth due to
scope changes.
A PDRI assessment will enhance a project teams overall understanding of the project objectives and
overall execution plan, including owner and third party obligations. A snap-shot-in-time understanding of
the completeness of the scoping effort is obtained, with an action items list developed. When assessing
a definition level score for any element, it is important to view the current status of the element, and not
to anticipate some future, more complete state.
The assessment of a PDRI score is mandatory on projects for which URS is a participant in the
development of the scope definition documents, and/or for projects on which a construction estimate will
be prepared. The results of the assessment will guide the actions of the team as it progresses into the
final design phase.
An alternative use of the PDRI is to quickly assess the quality and limitations of an owner or third party
scope of work package provided as part of a RFP. In this use, the PDRI score sheet is predominately
used as a risk management or contingency assessment tool by URS project teams.
2.0DEFINITIONS
2.1 Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI)
The PDRI is a tool designed for measuring the quality and completeness of scope definition for design
projects. The PDRI score sheet provides a checklist and weighting of scope definition elements.
Through the process of a scoring meeting, project team members assign a weighted score to each of the
various elements. The weighted scores are an implication of the completeness and quality of each
element. Each element is weighted based on its relative importance to the other elements.
The total PDRI score, ranging from 0 to 1000 (lower score being better), is a summing of the weighted
scores of each element, and is the PDRI for that project at that point in time. Projects with a total PDRI
score less than 200 are typically considered well positioned to proceed with detailed design. Projects
that score between 200 and 300 are seen to have an isolated or well-defined limitation in its scope
definition, allowing specific corrective action to be taken. However, projects that score 300 or greater are
often seen to have a more extensive breadth of scope weakness, requiring additional or extended scope
definition/front end efforts.
Note, a definition level score of 0 (Not Applicable) is allowed for on the PDRI score sheet. However,
the intention of a PDRI assessment is to assess the total project definition status, including elements for
which the owner or other third party may be responsible. Therefore, the use of a definition level score of
0 is rarely correct. The overuse of a Not Applicable definition score will result in a misleadingly low
total PDRI score.
Separate PDRI score sheets exist for the following project types:

Industrial/Process projects

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PROJECT DEFINITION RATING INDEX (PDRI)

Buildings projects

Bio-Pharmaceutical projects

Infrastructure Projects (multiple project types)

Power Generation

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Rev. Date: 6 Aug 2008

2.2 Facilitator
The facilitator is an independent resource, usually an internal candidate, who is familiar with the PDRI
process. The main objective of the facilitator is to manage the scoring meeting, obtaining a balanced
and unbiased assessment of the quality and completeness of the projects scope definition. Typical
candidates for the facilitator role include Project Managers, Engineering Managers and lead discipline
engineers who are not directly involved in the scope definition efforts of the candidate project.
2.3 Issue Authorization and Maintenance for Use
The Project Management Functional Leader is responsible for the maintenance of this procedure and will
review the procedure annually to determine any necessary updates. Should an individual employee
have a suggestion for improvement or modification to this procedure, he or she may mark-up a copy of
the PEP and send to the Project Management Functional Leader for review. The Project Management
Functional Leader will review the recommended changes and respond back to the employee on plans to
address the suggestions. Changes to the procedure will be distributed to other Corporate Department
Managers and Corporate Functional Leads for their concurrence. When the reviews are complete, the
Project Management Functional Leader will consolidate and recommend changes to this PEP to the
Senior Vice President, Project Operations who has the authority to issue revisions to this PEP.
3.0REFERENCES
3.1 PEP 201, Scope of Work Document
3.2 PEP 202, Project Execution Plan
3.3 PEP 212, Risk Mitigation Plan
3.4 CII publications IR 155-2 and IR 113-2
4.0PROCEDURES
4.1 Process Work Flow
Action By

Action

Project Manager or PEM

1. Determines the need to perform multiple, area specific PDRI

assessments. Larger projects with distinct area battery limits can
benefit from an area specific PDRI rating.
2. Determines the need to perform PDRI ratings at various points
during the projects scooping phase. Larger projects with lengthy
scooping efforts can benefit from performing PDRI ratings at

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PROJECT DEFINITION RATING INDEX (PDRI)

Action By

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Rev. Date: 6 Aug 2008

Action
multiple points throughout the effort. The assessment can help to
direct the scooping effort by identifying areas of weakness.
3. Works with management to assign an independent facilitator.
4. Works with the facilitator to identify project team members who
need to participate in the assessment. This can include project
management, project engineering, engineering leads, construction
leadership, procurement, and estimating, and can often include
owner counterparts.

Facilitator

5. In advance of the following scoring meeting, distributes PDRI

documentation to relevant team members. This includes Score
sheets and element descriptions and definitions.
6. Schedules a scoring meeting, inviting the relevant team members.

Project team members

7. Prior to the scheduled meeting, reviews the score sheet elements

and definitions. Assigns a score of 0 to 5 to those elements with
relevance to their discipline or function. Note: team members
should only rate those elements with which they are familiar. It is
not necessary for each team member to rate every element.

Facilitator

8. Conducts the scoring meeting. Facilitates open communication

among the team members towards the establishment of a
consensus or composite score for each element. It is often
beneficial, from a communications perspective, for the facilitator to
request an explanation of a score from a team member. This is
especially true for extreme scores (1 or 5), or when scores provided
by multiple team members very widely.
While individual team members may not score all of the elements,
the collection of the entire team should provide a completed score
sheet. Note: an element score of 0 (not applicable) is rarely a
correct assessment, and should be avoided.
9. Compiles the results and issues a report to project and business
unit management.
Provides sensitivity analysis concerning
elements with widely diverging scores among the project team
participants.

Project Manager or PEM

10. Reviews the PDRI report with the facilitator and determines the
need for corrective action within the scope definition effort.

Project Manager or PEM

11. From a risk management perspective, reviews the PDRI results

with estimating and business unit management to determine the
need to adjust cost and engineering hour forecasts/estimates, etc.

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PROJECT DEFINITION RATING INDEX (PDRI)

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Rev. Date: 6 Aug 2008

5.0RECORDS RETENTION
A copy of the PDRI Score Sheet is retained in the project files for the duration of the project. After project
completion, it is processed in accordance with the procedure for Records Filing, Retention, Retrieval and
Destruction of Documents (see PEP 316).
6.0FORMS AND EXHIBITS
6.1 211-01 (MM), PDRI Score Sheet Industrial & Process Projects
6.2 211-02 (MM), PDRI Score Sheet Building Projects
6.3 211-03 (MM), PDRI Score Sheet Bio-Pharmaceutical Projects
6.4 211-04 (MM), PDRI Score Sheet Infrastructure Roads & Bridges Projects
6.5 211-05 (MM), PDRI Score Sheet Infrastructure - Rail Projects
6.6 211-06 (MM), PDRI Score Sheet Infrastructure - Dam Projects
6.7 211-07 (MM), PDRI Score Sheet Power Generation Facilities

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