You're facing clashes between the design and construction teams. How can you align on cost-saving changes?
When design and construction teams clash, finding common ground on cost-saving changes is essential. Here’s how to foster collaboration and efficiency:
What strategies have worked for you in aligning teams on cost-saving initiatives?
You're facing clashes between the design and construction teams. How can you align on cost-saving changes?
When design and construction teams clash, finding common ground on cost-saving changes is essential. Here’s how to foster collaboration and efficiency:
What strategies have worked for you in aligning teams on cost-saving initiatives?
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The three major aspects of construction are cost, time and quality. Affecting one can affect the others. To have a full understanding of cost saving, the design and construction teams have different perspectives. The design team aims to reduce cost by reducing materials. This is objectively measurable and therefore allows the design team to demonstrate cost savings. The construction team aims to reduce cost by reducing time and effort. This is subjectively measurable and can result in much greater overall cost savings, but is difficult to demonstrate and comes with risks. The best way to align these two points of view is to workshop between the designer and the contractor. This is a basic design and build project concept.
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This topic is very complex, but in summary, it is as follows: Shifting from the traditional bidding model to a collaborative process with early involvement of designers and expert subcontractors. The goal is to change the traditional model of budgeting a design to designing a budget. These may sound like similar concepts, but they are fundamentally different. The main advantage of these models is not to save costs but rather to control and monitor them throughout the design process, enabling better and more cost-effective decisions at earlier stages. Many articles talk about cost-saving models, as mentioned in the question, but few focus on monitoring and controlling costs, which is even more fundamental.
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Bringing design and construction teams together early for a ‘cost challenge workshop’ has worked well for me. We review the budget together, brainstorm alternatives, and agree on priorities. This open approach encourages collaboration, builds trust, and helps find savings without compromising the project’s goals.
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The design and project teams are pillers of project.Hence hand in hand work culture will lead to achieve common goal.For better results close coordination is effective way.if project team finds any lever for value engineering then they should share their thought process with design team for vetting design aspects and design team should extend their support for evaluation of value engineering option which will help to conclude goal smoothly .If both teams extend their confidence on each other major coordination issue will get resolve.
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To resolve clashes between design and construction teams and align on cost-saving changes, use these strategies: 1. Building Information Modeling (BIM): Identify and address clashes early, promoting collaboration and reducing delays. 2. Regular Coordination Meetings: Ensure clear communication and early issue detection. 3. Defined Roles and Responsibilities: Prevent task overlap and improve team alignment. 4. Integrated Project Delivery (e.g., Design-Build): Streamline processes, reduce disputes, and enhance efficiency. 5. Team Training: Develop communication and collaboration skills to minimize conflicts. These steps help teams work cohesively, save costs, and maintain project integrity.
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I want to quote a example in this regard. In-house Design team sent proposal of the remedial measures to site for repair of a failed slope. However, site team pursued the design team for acceptance of a much costlier proposal of a design consultant engaged by site and this proposal also included dismantling of already constructed structure. It was a bottleneck between design team and site team. Ultimately, design team left to the site team for deciding which remedial measures proposal to be adopted at site. At last site took the decision to adopt proposal furnished by their design team. Proposal furnished by the design team not only resulted in cost saving but also avoided major change in project layout.
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In my opinion, it is important to have several strategies for coordination between the design and construction teams. These strategies will help reduce costs to a great extent. Having continuous meetings between all project elements to follow up on goals, obstacles, etc. Managing project risk and identifying all risks and carrying out a process of controlling and updating them both in the construction process and in the design process Optimal design and using materials that reduce costs to a great extent. Preparing a management plan at initiating phase and be loyal to it from initiating phase to closing and update it continuously.
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Como Engenheiro civil você precisa entender que reduzir custos não significa cortar qualidade, mas otimizar recursos de forma inteligente. A chave está em uma comunicação constante entre as equipes de design e construção. Muitas vezes, o problema está na falta de diálogo, por isso é essencial ouvir o que cada lado tem a oferecer desde o início do projeto. Além disso, buscar alternativas que agreguem valor, sem comprometer segurança e desempenho, é fundamental. Reduzir custos não é fazer mais com menos, mas usar de forma eficiente o que já temos, sempre respeitando as perspectivas de cada equipe. Isso exige paciência, diálogo e, principalmente, respeito pelas diferentes visões de cada equipe.
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To align design and construction teams on cost-saving initiatives, I emphasize open and continuous communication through regular meetings. This ensures both teams understand each other’s challenges and limitations. I also implement value engineering, which involves identifying cost-effective alternatives that maintain the project’s quality and performance standards. Encouraging collaborative brainstorming sessions allows both teams to propose viable solutions. Additionally, establishing a shared goal of project success fosters mutual respect and cooperation. By focusing on collective objectives, I ensure that cost-saving decisions are made with both technical and financial considerations in mind, benefiting the overall project.
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Facilitate a collaborative meeting where both sides can discuss project goals, constraints,and proposed changes.Use value engineering to evaluate alternatives that maintain quality and functionality while reducing costs.Emphasize open communication,mutual respect,and shared accountability to resolve conflicts and prioritize project success.
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