Which performance phases according to AHO exist in Germany?

The situation

If you have been entrusted with the task of coordinating the construction of a new building as the a building-owner or project manager within the company, then as the freshly appointed project manager you will be overloaded with tasks that are not part of normal business, that are new and unfamiliar to you. Starting with defining the project objectives, you will also be responsible for securing funding, awarding planning and construction contracts to architects, engineers, contractors and other professionals and you need to continuously monitoring the project. You must ensure that the company's project objectives are reflected in a user specification and ultimately in the terms of reference for all those who are involved – that can be between 25 and 30 people; just in the planning process. Where do you start? What is important? Which questions need to be answered? While taking a look at the amount of tasks, the complexity seems to grow into infinity. The joy of the new responsibility and the trust placed in you only lasts for a short time, indeed it turns into a certain fear of what might happen to the company if the new task overwhelms you.

This is why external services of project management exist. These are experienced project specialists who have proven themselves in complex projects and to whom you can delegate all tasks that do not fall within your field of competencies. Together with the project coordinator, you will form the project management team for the project. 

The project coordinator will divide your project into phases - phases that have proven themselves in project management and give the project an initial rough structure. It is therefore a good idea to familiarize yourself with the AHO performance phases in order to understand the construction process in its entirety and to be able to manage it professionally so that the building can be successfully completed within budget and time.

The content of performance phases 1-5 according to AHO

The performance phases according to the AHO (Committee of Associations and Chambers of Engineers and Architects for the Fee Structure) are based on the typical processes of construction projects, similar to the performance phases in the HOAI. However, the content of the AHO performance phases differs significantly from that of the HOAI. This is also completely logical. While the HOAI performance phases reflect the content of the planning participants, the AHO performance phases reflect the project management tasks, i.e. the tasks that the building-owner must perform.

Another significant difference is that the project coordinator’s work must begin well before the work of the planning team. After all, phase 1 (project preparation), establishes the foundations for the work of the planning team.

Below you will find a list of the 5 performance phases (project phases) of project coordination according to AHO and their relevant content:

Project preparation (performance phase 1):

• Definition of objectives, determination of requirements and clarification of the project organization
• Determination of project objectives (costs, deadlines, qualities)
• User requirements analysis
• Establishment of project controlling
• Creation of an initial rough schedule
• Establishment of risk management
• Development of change- and supplement management
• Feasibility analysis, economic feasibility studies, business plan
• If necessary: support with the purchase of land
• Define organizational- and process structures for the project
• Advice and selection of planners and expert team
• Support with contracts for planners and experts, contract award negotiations

Key end result: robust and consistent requirements for the planning team

Planning (performance phase 2):

• Management and coordination of planning participants
• Checking drafts for compliance with project objectives
• Deadline monitoring
• Project controlling
• Continuation of risk management
• Continuation of change- and supplement management
• Invoice approvals planning participants
• Problem solving

Preparation for execution (performance phase 3):

• Advice on the award structure for contractors
• Checking the tender documents for compliance with the project objectives
• Conducting contract award negotiations with contractors
• Project controlling
• Continuation of risk management
• Continuation of change- and supplement management
• Support with contracts for contractors
• Invoice approvals planning participants

Execution (performance phase 4):

• Checking the execution for compliance with the project objectives
• Checking project supervision for complete and technically sound service provision
• Project controlling
• Continuation of risk management
• Continuation of change- and supplement management
• Problem solving
• Coordination of acceptances and handovers
• Invoice approvals planners and contractors

Project completion (performance phase 5):

• Ensuring the documentation
• Monitoring the rectification of defects
• Final invoice approval planning team and contractors
• Completion of cost control
• Commissioning management
• Support for facility management in the start-up phase
• Review of the project and lessons learned

In each performance phase of the project, the project coordinator must also serve 5 areas of activity. These are:

1. Organization, information, coordination and documentation
2. Qualities and quantities
3. Costs and financing
4. Deadlines, capacities and logistics
5. Contracts and insurance

If you assign the 5 areas of activity to each performance phase of the AHO, this results in a matrix of 25 task areas, each containing 2 to 8 subtasks for the project coordinator. Describing these subtasks here would go way too far, but it gives a good impression of the scope of holistic project management for a complex construction project. And all of these tasks have nothing to do with the planning coordination work of the leading architect. In other words, every project leader of the company is well advised to analyze their own options carefully and decide at an early stage to seek support from a project coordinator.

Conclusion

Every project manager or building-owner of the company is well advised to analyze the necessary subtasks of project management. Dealing with the contents of the performance phases creates clarity about what is necessary, but also creates clarity about what can and cannot be done. It must be done in any case if the construction project should be completed successfully. The lack of support from professional project management is often the cause of escalating costs and deadlines.