Speedy designs – saving time or cutting corners?
The Insight
Time and cost overruns are key performance indicators for construction projects. It is the Project Managers’ role to keep time and cost to a minimum, however not every time-saving initiative is a good one.
Poor management practices are often the cause of these performance indicators being missed. One key example is that of reducing design timeframes to speed up the program. Doing so can ultimately end up adding time and cost in the long run.
But how can we identify the difference between saving time and cutting corners?
The Impact
By attempting to reduce the project cost and timeframes, project sponsors regularly try to rush designs. Cutting time during design often adds time to the project in construction, and it can seriously impact the overall cost and quality of the project.
Rushing designs and the quality review process leads to errors, often producing designs that are not constructable. Even when designs are presented that are constructable, they are often over-engineered because the designers have not had enough time to refine the designs. When engineers are running on instinct, they design what they know will conservatively work, not what is considered ‘value engineering’.
An error in design can end up costing you 10 times the amount to solve during construction. When architects, engineers and designers are given adequate time to complete design documents, they create robust designs and adhere to quality practices. If designs are thorough, there will be less errors that end up adding to the time and cost of the project.
The difference between saving time and cutting corners is understanding what professionals need to do their job.