There has been a lot of research done on the concept of partnering in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. Partnering literature provides research on the synthesis of key partnering drivers and performance outcomes in the AEC industry. Research on the barriers to partnering in the AEC industry has also been accomplished. However, an evidence based guide developed based on a case study of a partnered construction project is missing. There is a gap in the literature in empirical and rigorous studies for project partnering in the AEC industry, especially focusing on and documenting its immediate implications, that is: the mediating effects on project performance via improvements in team performance. To respond to this gap, this study aims at exploring the team dynamics and project progress during the delivery of an AEC project via an in-depth case study. To accomplish this, influence of the partnering process on team performance, team interactions and project outcomes were examined. An aviation construction project was selected as the case study and the collected data was analyzed in a retrospective and longitudinal manner. Using methods such as qualitative analysis of project documents and social network analysis (SNA), the results of the research obtained emphasize on the use of effective system of issue resolution and open communication to achieve a successfully partnered project. The research shows the link between the implementation of partnering practices, change in team interaction, and project performance outcomes. In the end, the researcher combined all the findings and documented lessons learned and recommendations for the industry.
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