CHOP 5.1 - MANAGING THE DESIGN PROJECT

Question 1

Predictive and Adaptive Project Management

Answer 1

The traditional approach to managing the design project is based on predictive project management.
The scope of the project is defined, the costs are estimated with a degree of certainty, and the completion dates are established. Milestones are put in place and the work proceeds in sequence, following the traditional five-phase project life cycle.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to design project management. Each firm must build a methodology combining traditional and innovative processes and tools that are adaptable to the increasing variety of construction procurement approaches.

Question 2

Management of the Design Project: Differentiating the Design/Construction Program from the Design Project

Answer 2

The term “project” can describe multiple endeavours undertaken by a variety of stakeholders in the course of achieving the desired outcomes. Design, construction and operation of a facility is multi-faceted and usually involves the following activities by the various project team members:

• studying the feasibility of the project;
• securing financing;
• developing the concept;
• developing and documenting the design;
• obtaining regulatory approval;
• obtaining agreements for construction;
• building the project;
• commissioning the project;
• managing issues arising during the warranty period;
• operating and maintaining the asset after
• construction completion;
• regenerating the existing facility for new uses or demolishing and recycling the asset.

to a building owner,
the “project” may include the land acquisition, functional programming, design, construction, and commissioning of a new facility.

To the architect and engineers,
the project is the design work needed as part of the delivery of professional services.

To the construction contractor,
the project is the construction of the building, and so on.

Question 3

Developing a Firm’s Project Management Methodology

Answer 3

Each architecture firm must develop a methodology for managing the work involved in delivering the variety of its design services. At the simplest level, that methodology includes systems for:

• planning the work to be done – a work plan;
  assigning the most appropriate resources to the work, including ongoing professional development and training;
• managing schedule and resources through tracking what is being done, what is pending, and what is completed;
• managing design project costs;
• identifying that quality and scope requirements are being met;
• transferring the deliverables in an orderly manner to the next stakeholder in the design-construction chain.

Question 4

Management of the Design Project

Answer 4

Effective management of a design project includes:

• identifying the project’s stakeholders, their interest in the project and their ability to influence
• defining both the product scope (drawings, models, and specifications) and the project scope (stakeholder engagement management, design activities, coordination, etc.)
• developing a plan of work that can be achieved within a realistic time frame
• selecting, recruiting and managing people, including in-house staff and outside consultants
• developing and executing a communications plan that responds to the information and decision-making needs of all project stakeholders
• delegating tasks appropriately
• monitoring and controlling project activities
• controlling and managing the design process with attention to changes in scope of both the design product and the design services

Question 5

Role of the Project Architect/Project Manager

Answer 5

The role of the project architect is challenging and complex, as it requires the knowledge and skills related to architectural design as well as project management.

The project architect or project manager is a leader generally responsible for:

• organizing the management of the project endeavour, including the work, schedule, budget, human resources and risk;
• providing the client representative and contractor with the point of contact for the design team;
• ensuring that the project proceeds through successive stages, from program approval to project implementation;
• keeping the project on time and within budget;
• managing the progress of the project by:
  directing an internal team;
• directing and coordinating the contribution of engineers and other consultants;
• achieving the firm’s financial objectives;
• providing proper project closeout.

Question 6

Role of the Project Architect/Project Manager:

Coordinating Engineers and Other Consultants

Answer 6

The project architect is responsible for:

• ensuring the scopes of work for team members are complementary and comprehensive;
• providing engineers and consultants with all information promptly and clearly in order to optimize their participation;
• ensuring that their designs and specifications are properly coordinated;
• maintaining morale as well as ensuring the respect and recognition of all consultants.

Question 7

The Project Organization

Answer 7

The design project organization is comprised of representatives of the client and all the firms involved in the design endeavour. Typically, the project architect is responsible for managing and coordinating the work and communications for the entire project organization.

Question 8

Virtual Teams

Answer 8

The advantages of virtual teams are that any one firm can manage work assignments efficiently and staff can work on multiple projects concurrently. As well, an office that is discipline-specific can sustain a high degree of expertise in their area of specialty, be it architectural design or engineering.

A disadvantage of virtual teams is that staff of an office separate from that of the project architect may be required to re-prioritize the work of multiple projects on a constant basis, and any given project may suffer from the inefficiencies associated with multi-tasking. As well, differing firm cultures may obstruct effective communication and a shared understanding of project objectives and stakeholder satisfaction

Question 9

Co-located Teams

Answer 9

All members of the design team are brought together from different firms to a single location to optimize planning, design integration, production and collaboration. The co-located team may be situated in a project-specific office created just for the project or in a space provided by the client.

Question 10

In-house Teams

Answer 10

For small projects, project managers may carry out several of the tasks themselves. For large and complex projects, several people participate in the same task. The project manager must identify the manpower and skills required and must also constantly direct and motivate the in-house team. The composition of the team is the key factor in achieving both architectural and financial objectives.

Question 11

Client-Architect Agreements

Answer 11

It is preferable to use a standardized agreement such as the Canadian Standard for of Contract for Architectural Services because:

• standard agreements are widely recognized and accepted;
• the architect’s and the client’s responsibilities are clearly defined;
• the scope of work is clearly distinguished, between basic services and additional services.

Question 12

Planning the Project:

Design Project Scope Planning

Answer 12

Project scope includes all the work that must be done to realize a successful outcome. This includes both the scope of the design product, i.e., drawings, models and specifications, and project scope, the activities of the services being delivered.

Question 13

The Business Case

Answer 13

The document makes the connection between a client organization’s strategic interests and objectives, and the desired future condition. The document should present the problem at hand, including analysis, constraints and assumptions. It may or may not include a specific scope or even a defined solution to the problem. It should include the resources, financial and otherwise, that the organization is prepared to invest in the endeavour to solve the problem, although not an estimate of the cost of the yet unknown solution.

The client’s business case links the client organization’s strategic need with a desired program or project outcome.

The architect’s business case for pursuing the design commission of the new school would include the benefits to the firm of pursuing the project over other possible opportunities, as well as the impact that the project would have on firm resources.

Question 14

Requirements Gathering

Answer 14

Product requirements include the functional program for spaces, building systems, operational parameters, and constraints and limitations. Project requirements include the services to be provided.

Three significant risks to any architectural project at this early stage are lack of clarity and understanding of the stated client requirement, unstated client requirements, and both stated and unstated stakeholder requirements. Time invested in requirements gathering is never wasted.

Question 15

Scope Definition

Answer 15

Scope definition includes the steps required to develop the project and ensure that it includes all and only the required work. Project scope definition is primarily concerned with defining what is and is not included in both product and project. Controlling project scope requires that clear definitions are established at the outset so that variations from the agreed-upon scope can be identified, documented and addressed appropriately.

Question 16

Product scope may include the following example topics:

Answer 16

1) spatial and physical relationships

• functional spaces, facility physical size and special relationships;
• operational requirements;
• geographic boundaries;
• pedestrian, public transport, and vehicular site access;
• parking;
• security;
• special purpose functions and spaces;
• swing space.

2) design considerations and building systems

• environmental compliance and sustainable development;
• heritage considerations;
• structural capacity;
• operating and maintenance;
• building environmental systems;
• high performance envelope and systems design;
• emergency power.

Question 17

The project scope statement may include any or all of the following items:

Answer 17

client processes and operations,

• client strategies, applicable policies, industry regulations (different from building codes) and possible standards violations arising, and their effects;
• source of funds for the project;
• project-specific health and safety standards;
• client preferred or required design-construction delivery methods – procurement management;
• scheduling, timing and phasing;
• security;
• value generation and design analysis.

Question 18

Assumptions and Constraints

Answer 18

Assumptions should be explicitly stated and represent unknowns that need to be tested and validated in the course of the project.

Constraints are typically external to the control of the design team, such as a client’s funding deadline, a construction start as soon as the ground thaws, or a client’s desire to use a design-construction project delivery model.

All assumptions and constraints should feed into the project risk management plan.

Question 19

Work Breakdown Structure Development (WBS)

Answer 19

The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a hierarchical, graphic representation of the work of the project. It is the hub of all other project planning and management processes and activities. It decomposes the project’s deliverables into assignable and manageable pieces. The WBS can be developed based on project phases, activities or physical deliverables and services.

The WBS becomes the scope baseline, meaning it illustrates the approved work to be done, all of the work to be done, and only the work to be done.

Question 20

Design Project Schedule Planning

Answer 20

Architects work in a deadline-driven environment. Although scope, quality and cost are all pivotal to stakeholder satisfaction, when push comes to shove, schedule often becomes the driving force in project decision-making. A well-developed project schedule may assist the architect in maintaining control over expected work when time becomes short.

Question 21

the basic scheduling tools commonly used in managing design projects.

Answer 21

• Milestone Chart
• Activity Lists
• Determining the Critical Path
• Network Diagram
• Gantt Chart
• Refining the Schedule
• Crashing and Fast-tracking

Question 22

Milestone Chart

Answer 22

This simple tool relates the delivery of project deliverables with constraining calendar days.

It provides a high-level snapshot of expectations of the completion of major project phases. It typically links the completion of a specific deliverable with a calendar date.

Question 23

Activity Lists

Answer 23

For the schedule to be developed, the tasks of the work breakdown structure (WBS) should be further broken down into lists of activities. Ideally, each activity should include associated work instructions, forms and templates, so that team members have information to proceed with where more active mentoring is unavailable.

Question 24

Determining the Critical Path

Answer 24

The critical path is the longest pathway of sequential and parallel activities through a project’s schedule. It represents the shortest time in which a project can be completed. Determining the critical path requires estimating the duration of activities and sequencing activities.

Question 25

Network Diagram

Answer 25

The network or precedence diagram shows the relationships between activities.

Optimizing the duration of activities and carefully sequencing them by rearranging resources can result in the reduction of the length of the critical path and, therefore, the critical path.

Question 26

Gantt Chart

Answer 26

The Gantt chart, invented by mechanical engineer Henry Gantt, moves schedule development to the next step by taking the work breakdown structure (WBS), the scheduled activities with their accompanying durations, and sequencing it on a linear calendar. The work of the project can then be visualized with each activity interpreted as a bar on a linear calendar, its length in proportion to the activity’s duration.

Question 27

Refining the Schedule

Answer 27

The initial project schedule should be developed based on the assumption that all work is completed during normal working hours with no overtime, at a standard rate of pay, and applying resources at levels to optimize efficiency.

Question 28

Crashing and Fast-tracking

Answer 28

Crashing is a schedule compression technique in which additional resources are applied to activities on the critical path to shorten activity durations and therefore the length of the critical path.

Fast-tracking is the process of changing the relationships of activities by performing work in parallel that would normally be done in sequence.

Question 29

Design Project Cost Planning

Answer 29

Generally, at the beginning of a project, the client will prepare an overall budget for “their” project. The budget represents the financial resources that the client is prepared to invest. It includes the budget for the design project, the construction project, and any other facets of the overall capital asset program.

The project architect’s/project manager’s financial roles are to manage the financial resources of the design project, monitor construction costs, and certify payments for the construction project.

Question 30

Executing the Design Project and Controlling Scope, Quality, Cost, Schedule, and Risk

Answer 30

Controlling scope, quality, schedule, cost and risk of the design project involves the following:

• communicating the project plan to the project team
• ensuring appropriate resources are available and capable of execute the work needed to create the deliverables
• providing training, coaching and leadership
• managing project communications, information, and stakeholder communications
• removing obstacles that inhibit project team performance
• monitoring and controlling the design project
• constantly monitoring and managing stakeholder engagement

Question 31

Project Closeout

Answer 31

he design project is not complete until the final steps of the closeout are finished. These document that the project, including its construction, has been properly and fully completed.

Question 32

Project Evaluation

Answer 32

The firm should assess whether the project has achieved its financial and professional objectives. This might include an external evaluation with the client. The project manager should analyze the project and if the objectives were not met, determine why and suggest corrective action for future projects.

Question 33

Record Drawings

Answer 33

If engaged for this service, the project manager will oversee the preparation of CAD or other format record drawings for the client, based on the contractor’s “mark-ups” which show changes made to the construction documents.

Question 34

Archiving

Answer 34

Project documents, including electronic communications and record drawings, should be kept and filed so that they may be readily and quickly retrieved if they are needed for other projects or in the event of a claim.

Question 35

Firm Database

Answer 35

The project manager should extract information that could be used to develop a database for future work, such as:

• the construction cost estimates specific to a client, project type, project delivery type or geographical location;
• particular process requirements for a client, contractor, contract type, community, project type or complexity, or climatic area, including environmental management systems such as LEED;
• re-usable construction details or specifications.

Question 36

Promotional Documentation

Answer 36

Based on some of the project documents (such as sketches, perspectives, plans and photographs) and data, project managers should prepare or assist in the preparation of a “project record” or “project data sheet” that can be added to the firm’s portfolio for future use.

Question 37

Use of the “Checklist for the Management of the Architectural Project”

Answer 37

Although the design and management of architectural projects are not necessarily linear nor quantifiable, this checklist can assist the architect in scheduling and recording the status of principal tasks during the course of a project.