Design Management
Design Management seeks to establish project management practices that are primarily focused on enhancing the design process. For Infrastructure and Building projects the successful implementation of Design Management throughout the entire Project Life Cycle can represent the difference between a superior outcome for the project in terms of Quality, Timing, Cost and Value or failure, given the complexity of Infrastructure and Building projects in today’s environment.
Design Management is however primarily focused on the Design Process within the project framework and as such is only a part of the overall Project Management of a project, albeit a critical part of the project.
If you are going to be a successful Design Manager and achieve superior outcomes for both your clients and your own business, you cannot manage design haphazardly and expect consistent results. You must manage design projects by undertaking a proven stage by stage process. This brief article outlines those stage by stage processes and gives the Design Manager a guide to successfully design managing Infrastructure and Building projects. The Design Management role is considered in this article in the context of an in-house or consultant client side Design Manager and not a Design Manager within the design team itself. It is also on the basis of a fully documented Design and Construct only contract.
Stage 1: Early Design Management Involvement-Statement of Need
The output for this stage will be a Design Report that will directly feed into the Client’s Statement of Need and overall Business Case.
Early involvement to the Project Life Cycle is important but this may need to be reinforced with the Client to appreciate and understand the benefits this will provide. There are several key tasks during this stage:
1.1 Obtaining and Assessing all the available key design Information
- Collation of all available data and information
- Visit the site
- Review contract as related to design aspects
- Review the level of the design that has been prepared to date
- Evaluate information and highlight critical issues
- Review findings with Client
- Assess the team capability requirements and resourcing
- Assess any spend on fees required at this stage
- Engage consultant as required to provide required technical and project inputs to assist the preparation of the design report.
