Best Practices for Design in Fast-Track Projects

With design, procurement, and construction being executed closely, conflicts arise with the inherently iterative design process because design is now driven by the demands to keep construction flowing smoothly. The designers have to design with incomplete data and are not allowed to go through the loop which involves designing on the basis of assumptions, checking the assumptions later, and revising the design. This results in lack of availability of time to do adequate front end planning, and project execution has to start with a relatively inadequate scope definition (as compared to traditional projects). This often leads to changes in the later stages of the project. The significant overlap between design and construction also requires the design and construction personnel to cooperate early and more closely in the project. The feedback from various stakeholders has to be received in a shorter amount of time in a compressed schedule.

(RR222-11, p. 2)

The 6 most commonly faced challenges in managing design in fast track projects were identified as:

1. Lack of adequate front end planning
2. Inadequate alignment within and across organizations working together in projects
3. Scope creep resulting in changes
4. Getting timely and accurate information from suppliers
5. Coordination and teamwork within the design team and between organizations
6. Limited availability of skilled and experienced design work force

The schedule and cost performance of the design phase as well as overall project performance are all impacted by external factors. These external factors include project complexity, regulatory requirements, project team turnover, project team performance, offshore engineering, funding/finance, and others as well.

Solutions used to mitigate these challenges are detailed in the research. (RS222-1, p. v)

Project team experience and turnover have a significant impact on schedule, quality, and accuracy of the design effort. The loss of key engineering personnel adversely affects the design cost and schedule. The table below shows the impact of project team experience and turnover in the fast track projects.

This study revealed that adequate skills were not available within the organizations surveyed that execute design in fast track projects. Solutions to improve project team experience and turnover are provided in the research findings. For example, one solution is to develop a network of trusted design subcontractors and make use of the skill sets available with them.

Improvement in design schedule performance in fast track projects is related to the extent of implementation of CII Best Practices of front end planning, change management, constructability, and alignment. This research indicates that adequate front end planning (FEP) is one of the most critical best practices for the success of design in fast track projects and that more time being allocated for FEP is beneficial. (RS222-1, p. 10)

This research references the following implementation tools from other CII related research:

• IR163-2, Onsite Design Tool for Project Planning
• IR113-2, PDRI: Project Definition Rating Index – Industrial Projects
• IR155-2, PDRI: Project Definition Rating Index – Building Projects
• IR268-2, PDRI: Project Definition Rating Index – Infrastructure Projects
• SP34-1, Constructability Implementation Guide
• IR113-3, Alignment During Pre-Project Planning: A Key to Project Success
• SP43-1, Project Change Management