DESIGN WORK PLAN

The design team leader must develop a work plan

during proposal preparation to effectively
coordinate the design process. This plan should
include the scope, budget, and schedule for
performing the work, integrating and interfacing
work by various design disciplines. The scope of
work defines design deliverables, drawings, and
specifications for each discipline.
DESIGN WORK PLAN
The design cost is typically measured in work-
hours, and a milestone bar chart is used to
schedule the work packages. A work breakdown
structure is then developed, defining the various
work packages required to generate design
deliverables. The number of design-hours is
assigned to each work package for each discipline,
and a milestone bar chart is created.
DESIGN WORK PLAN
The cost-loaded bar chart is produced weekly for
monitoring and coordinating the project. A
earned-value analysis can be performed for each
week during the design process, comparing actual
design-hours billed to the job and planned design-
hours to measure the performance of the design
process.
 PRODUCING CONTRACT
DOCUMENTS
The use of computers in design evaluation and contract
document production offers numerous design alternatives
that were once prohibitive. However, excessive computer use
can lead to overdesigning, overwriting, and overdrafting,
which can result in errors in contract documents. To prevent
this, lead designers should develop a system to monitor
design efforts, ensuring progress without excessive billable
hours while producing well-defined plans and specifications
for contractors. This will reduce complaints of errors and lack
of constructability in construction drawings.
 MANAGING
SCOPE
GROWTH
DURING DESIGN
Some designers make design changes to please clients without considering
the impact on the project's cost and schedule. These changes can be
categorized as project development or scope growth. Project development
involves changes needed to accommodate the current defined scope, while
scope growth alters the project's original scope. A process to control scope
growth is necessary for any design effort, with both the owner and engineer
committed to scope and change control. The owner must be serious about
freezing project scope after the conceptual design stage. Every proposed
change must undergo a formal review and approval process considering cost
and schedule implications and consequential effects on other activities.
The owner and engineer should agree on a change
management philosophy and plan. For example, under
what conditions will changes be considered: If it won't
work? If there are legal implications? If there are
environmental impacts? When changes are proposed,
there must be an answer to such questions as: Does the
change add value and is the change necessary? A "no-
later-than" date for freezing scope should be agreed to by
the owner and the engineer.
In a competitive market, the owner may want to modify the project scope
during design and construction to suit the functionality of the completed
project. This requires more collaboration between the design team and the
owner, who must be informed of the full impact of scope changes. The cost of
engineering and construction must be evaluated against future financial
benefits, including revenues, operations, and maintenance of the facility. The
project budget should include a contingency for changes in scope and a
management reserve for scope growth. Proposed changes must be
transmitted to all discipline managers, who must determine and report the
cost and schedule impacts. Work must not proceed until these impacts are
reviewed and approved by the owner's representative, engineering manager,
and project manager.
MANAGING SMALL
PROJECTS
 MANAGING SMALL PROJECTS
A project manager often has multiple projects at once, but the
challenge lies in managing each project with the necessary
attention, complicating schedule and resource control. Due to
minimal staff, the project manager must share resources with
other managers, requiring them to take responsibility for
multiple functions. Time management is crucial, as the
project manager may find themselves waiting for information
or addressing pressing needs of multiple projects
simultaneously.
 MANAGING SMALL PROJECTS
TABLE 10-1
ATTRIBUTES OF SMALL PROJECTS TEAM PERSONNEL
Have a "can do" attitude
Prefer a hands-on approach to work
Dislike bureaucracy
Are decision makers
Need little or no supervision
Have a value system to make the customer satisfied
Are good communicators
Prefer to talk out problems
Know when to stop an activity when things are going wrong
Has the personality and people skills to coerce people to be responsive to his or her needs
Has the ability to navigate through the various departments of his or her company to get
things done paragraph text
PROJECT TEAM
MEETINGS
 PROJECT TEAM MEETINGS
Design is a creative process involving diverse expertise and
numerous decisions that impact a project. Interfacing related
work is crucial for project compatibility, and this can only be
achieved through effective communication at weekly team
meetings. These meetings should be held weekly throughout
the project to maintain team unity and ensure continuous
information exchange. Conflicts can be resolved through open
discussions and compromise, and the project manager should
not dominate discussions. Team members may be assigned to
lead discussions based on their expertise.
 PROJECT TEAM MEETINGS

An agenda should be prepared to direct meetings, including a

list of items discussed, including work completed, in progress,
scheduled, and special problems. Attendees should
participate in meetings, and the project manager should
prepare and distribute minutes. Meetings should be
productive, but they can be a source of irritation and wasted
time if not properly planned and conducted. Table 10-2
provides guidelines for conducting team meetings.
 PROJECT TEAM MEETINGS
TABLE 10-2
GUIDELINES FOR PRODUCTIVE MEETINGS
Develop and publish an agenda in advance to permit better participation
by attendees.
List unfinished items from previous meetings on the agenda, including
the names of individuals who are responsible for reporting on status.
Restrict attendance only to individuals who need to attend.
Don't waste time by discussing events that do not pertain to the purpose
of the meeting.
Pick a meeting leader who is a leader and facilitator, not a dictator, to
ensure the meeting is conducted In an informative environment.
Maintain strict agenda control; follow the items in order with set time
limits for discussions.
Avoid interruptions, such as phone calls, as much as possible.
WEEKLY/MONTLY
REPORTS
 WEEKLY/MONTHLY REPORTS
Project management involves preparing regular reports that
are beneficial to the receiver. A project manager should
prepare two routine reports: a weekly highlight report and a
monthly report for each project. The weekly report should
include work completed, work in progress, work scheduled,
and special problems. The monthly report should include
milestones, cost comparisons, and time schedules. Trend
reports should show the anticipated project completion date
and total cost forecast.
 WEEKLY/MONTHLY REPORTS

The monthly report is used by upper management and the

owner's representative as a permanent record for the project
file. A consistent format for both reports is essential for
comparisons, evaluation of progress, and individual
accountability. Reports serve as a means of recognition of
good performance and serve as a means of communication.
 DRAWING AND
EQUIPMENT INDEX
DRAWING AND EQUIPMENT INDEX
The final product of design work is a set of contract
documents, including drawings and specifications, that guide
the physical construction of the project. A project manager
must develop a work plan, which includes work packages
prepared by each designer. Each package includes a list of
anticipated drawings and expected completion dates. A
drawing index, created by assembling the list of drawings
from all team members, is valuable for design coordination
and scheduling construction.
DRAWING AND EQUIPMENT INDEX

The drawing index is constantly changing as design

progresses, with the number of drawings varying depending
on the final design configuration. Each designer must revise
the list as needed and keep the project manager informed.
DRAWING AND EQUIPMENT INDEX
An equipment index is a valuable tool for project managers,
listing major equipment to be installed in a project. It serves as
a reference document for tracking equipment purchases and
deliveries, scheduling field installation during construction.
The index includes drawing numbers, vendors, purchase
orders, and expected delivery dates. It helps the project
manager contact vendors in advance to ensure timely
delivery, reducing delays caused by late equipment and
material delivery.
DISTRIBUTION OF
DOCUMENTS
 DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS
The design process necessitates timely document distribution
and information exchange among team members. Inefficient
distribution increases work load, productivity, and
frustration. A project manager can create a distribution of
documents key sheet to show document routing among team
members and other participants. This communication tool
verifies recipients, eliminating the need to contact unavailable
individuals.
 DISTRIBUTION OF DOCUMENTS

It differs from traditional company routing slips by having the

project title and team member names at the top, making it
easier to identify which project the document is directed to
and who is receiving it. A unique distribution of documents
key sheet is essential for each project, easily prepared,
duplicated, and bound in a tablet form.
AUTHORITY/RESPONSIBILITY
CHECK LIST
 AUTHORITY/RESPONSIBILITY
CHECK LIST
A project manager dealing with multiple projects often faces
the challenge of managing all projects simultaneously. To
manage this, they can create an authority/responsibility
check list for each project, which is updated to show the
status of completed, active, and pending work. This helps in
organizing team meetings, organizing work, and preparing
reports for upper management and the owner's
representative.
 AUTHORITY/RESPONSIBILITY
CHECK LIST
The list can be prepared as a computer word processing file
for each project, allowing easy addition, deletion, or
modification. A more effective method is using a computer
electronic spreadsheet, which allows the project manager to
perform any desired sort and is a valuable tool for managing
any single or multiple projects. The spreadsheet also provides
a thorough documentation of the project's history, useful for
future reference and retracing events.
CHECKLIST OF DUTIES FOR
DESIGN
 CHECKLIST OF DUTIES FOR
DESIGN
Table 10-3 lists duties for the design phase of a construction
management (CM) contract project. For non-CM contracts,
duties are distributed between owner and designer,
depending on the contract arrangement. The architect is the
principal design professional for building projects and the
engineer for heavy industrial projects.
TEAM MANAGEMENT
 TEAM MANAGEMENT

Effective teamwork is crucial for successful project

management. A project manager has three responsibilities:
within the team, between the team and the client, and
between the team and other management. They must
coordinate the team to minimize disruptions, identify
problems immediately, and act quickly to resolve them. Table
10-4 lists typical problems related to team management.
 TEAM MANAGEMENT
A team is a group of individuals responsible for performing
work on multiple projects, and as the number of projects
increases, the risk of losing priorities increases. The project
manager must set priorities at the start of the project and
ensure that project objectives are clear and understood by
team members. Poor communication is a common issue, and
meetings should be held regularly to keep team members
informed and to resolve problems.
 TEAM MANAGEMENT

Scope changes by the owner can negatively affect the project

budget and schedule, so team members should be cautious of
expanding the scope without a written agreement. The project
manager is responsible for overall coordination of the entire
team, as well as individual coordination between team
members. They must instill an environment of cooperation
and management support from their organization, keeping
management informed of the team's status and needs.
EVALUATION OF DESGIN
EFFECTIVENESS
 EVALUATION OF DESIGN EFFECTIVENESS

Design is a complex process that involves applying technical

knowledge to creative ideas to produce specific construction
instructions. It significantly impacts cost and schedule,
making it essential to have the most effective design possible.
The Construction Industry Institute (CII) has sponsored
research and published papers on project management,
including the Evaluation of Design Effectiveness.
 EVALUATION OF DESIGN EFFECTIVENESS
This method is not intended to evaluate a designer or the
design process but rather measure design effectiveness and
outputs. Measurement of design productivity is more difficult
than in the construction phase due to variations in drawing
size and content. To improve the total design process,
researchers suggest using an objectives matrix for
productivity evaluation. The matrix consists of criteria,
weights, performance scale, and performance index. The
performance index is calculated to indicate and track
performance. The seven criteria of design effectiveness are
represented by an "X" in the appropriate box.
 EVALUATION OF DESIGN EFFECTIVENESS

The performance index is a matrix that represents the sum of

all values for a criterion. Scores can be obtained in three ways:
judgmental, based on a single quantitative measurement, or a
combination of several subcriteria represented by a matrix.
Judgmental scoring can be used for some or all criteria, while
quantitative measures can be used for some criteria.
Benchmark values are entered into boxes representing
appropriate scores for each criterion, with a score of 3 being
considered normal or average.
 EVALUATION OF DESIGN EFFECTIVENESS

The performance value attained is entered at the top of each

column, and a lower score is used if a performance level falls
between two scores. A submatrix can combine subcriteria
into a single criterion score. This method can be used to
develop a common understanding between the owner,
designer, and contractor about design effectiveness, compare
similar projects, and identify opportunities for improvement.
CONSTRUCTABILITY
 CONSTRUCTABILITY

The integration of engineering and construction in

construction projects has increased due to new technologies
like 3DCAD, robotics, and automation. These innovations
enable designs to be configured for efficient construction,
promoting the exchange of ideas between construction and
design before and during design. The Constructability
Institute (CII) has sponsored research and published reports
on constructability concepts, including a Constructability
Concepts File.
 CONSTRUCTABILITY

Five factors should be considered in constructability

decisions: simplicity, flexibility, sequencing, substitution, and
labor skill/availability. Simplicity is crucial for constructable
designs, as it avoids unnecessary complexity and increases
the probability of unsatisfactory results. Flexibility allows
field construction personnel to select alternative methods or
innovative approaches. Sequencing of installation is essential,
and design should consider layout and spacing of facilities.
Substitutions and alternatives should be considered during
the design phase to minimize costs. Labor skill/availability
should be fully explored early in the project life cycle.
POST DESIGN REVIEW
 POST DESIGN REVIEW

Evaluation is crucial for improving project management. The

project manager must identify necessary modifications and
improvements at the start of each project. After design
completion, the manager and team conduct a candid
evaluation, including team members and key participants. A
checklist should be prepared to assess scope growth, quality
match, owner expectations, conflicts, schedule changes, and
budget comparison. A summary report with
recommendations for future improvements should be
prepared.
THANK YOU!