ROMAN Consulting Group
FEL Scope Definition (PDRI)
Poor scope definition is the leading cause of project cost growth and schedule overruns, and it's measurable well before either shows up. ROMAN Consulting Group provides independent facilitation of the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI), converting subjective scope discussions into a quantified score that identifies gaps and aligns stakeholders before a project advances to its next stage-gate.
What is FEL Scope Definition (PDRI)
The Project Definition Rating Index is a structured methodology developed by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) to measure how well a project's scope has been defined during front-end planning. Each project is assessed against standardized elements across three sections, Basis of Project Decision, Basis of Design, and Execution Approach, scored from 1 (complete definition) to 5 (poorly defined) on a 1,000-point scale, where a lower score indicates stronger definition. CII's research shows industrial projects entering execution with a PDRI score below 200 perform markedly better on both cost and change-order outcomes than those above it.
Our Approach
Session Facilitation — a structured, facilitator-led workshop bringing together owner, EPC, licensor, contractor, and operator stakeholders, walking through each PDRI element to assess definition and identify gaps
Gap and Action Identification — producing a scored result along with a specific list of gaps and action items that need to be closed before advancing
Repeat Assessment — facilitating PDRI at least twice per project, once early (FEL-1 or FEL-2) to identify gaps, and again before authorization (FEL-3) to validate scope completeness
Where the engagement calls for it, ROMAN applies the PDRI MATRS enhancement, which assesses not just how complete scope deliverables are, but whether the planning environment itself, leadership, team, resources, process, gives confidence those deliverables are reliable. As a member company of the Construction Industry Institute, ROMAN facilitates PDRI using CII's published research and templates, tailored to the correct project type, industrial, infrastructure, building, mining, or manufacturing and life sciences. Independent facilitation keeps the discussion objective, so the score reflects the project's actual definition, not internal optimism.
Built for Teams Advancing Through FEL
Owners and EPCs preparing to advance a project from FEL-1 to FEL-2, or FEL-2 to FEL-3. Organizations needing an objective, facilitator-led session rather than an internal self-assessment prone to optimism bias. Capital committees requiring documented scope maturity scoring before a stage-gate decision.
Case Study
An owner had completed one PDRI session at FEL-1 and was preparing to advance an industrial expansion project from FEL-2 to FEL-3, believing scope definition was sufficient to support a Class 3 estimate for FID. ROMAN facilitated the project's second PDRI session, this time with the owner, EPC, and licensor all present. The scored result came in above 200, driven largely by unresolved gaps in the Execution Approach section, incomplete procurement strategy and unclear commissioning responsibilities that hadn't surfaced in the earlier, less complete session. The findings gave the owner a documented basis to close those specific gaps before advancing, rather than discovering the misalignment after FID, when the same gap would have cost substantially more to fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is a good PDRI score?
A. PDRI uses a 1,000-point scale where lower is better. A score under 200 is generally considered well-defined and associated with lower project risk and stronger cost and schedule performance.
Q. When should PDRI be used?
A. PDRI is applied during front-end planning and is typically used at least twice, once early to identify gaps, and again before authorization to validate scope completeness.
Q. What's the difference between PDRI and PDRI MATRS?
A. PDRI MATRS enhances the original PDRI by adding accuracy factors. Rather than only measuring how complete scope deliverables are, MATRS also assesses the environment in which planning occurred, giving a fuller picture of whether the score can be trusted.
