Learning the process – design-build
We believe that collaboration, trust, and open communication are the foundation of a successful project. In the design-build project model, where partners and stakeholders are integrated into a project at the optimal time, sharing knowledge and ideas is fundamental. This model also builds a stronger sense of trust by shifting risk from the owner to the design-builder.
In our combined years of experience in project management, we’ve come to identify one factor that can reliably predict a project’s success more than any other: communication. A completed branch or workplace project represents the contributions and expertise from many people, and there is an ideal time to integrate each of them: where their input can have the greatest impact.
The challenge with the typical construction process, design-bid-build, is that planning, design, and construction happen in three discrete phases where partners in the design and build phases aren’t brought on board until the previous phase is complete. This raises a barrier between the design team, construction team, and the people who will actually be using the building, and this barrier creates missed opportunities where a participant could have made more impactful contributions had they weighed in on the project earlier.
This concept is best illustrated by the McCleamy Curve, seen in the chart below. At the beginning of a project it is easy and low-cost to make changes, but as the project progresses it becomes more difficult and costly to make design changes.
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