Most architecture projects do not necessarily proceed along an entirely linear sequence. The idea might go through a few iterations of design phases, there might be surprises when responding to clients’ comments and changes, and construction involves cooperation with many other professionals such as architects, engineers, builders, advisors, and others. The larger and more complicated the project gets, the more important it is to control all the elements of its implementation.
Project management provides architecture projects with a clear structure for linking creative processes with actual project implementation. From the initial project brief through to handover, teams require insight into what needs to happen, who is accountable, what tasks rely on others, and where the decision may influence the whole project.
Map the Work from Project Initiation to Handover
Project structure definition should precede detailed design activities. In the project initiation phase, it is recommended that project teams define the scope, goals, key stakeholders, budget, major milestones, and deliverables. This will provide all stakeholders with a shared understanding of the goals of the project.
Project management process can now be divided into distinct phases, including project briefing, feasibility, concept design, schematic design, design development, documentation, approvals, construction, and handing over. It should be noted that each phase must have its own completion criteria and not merely the date. For instance, the design development phase would not be completed unless the architectural design is properly coordinated with structural and building services and all stakeholders’ approval is gained.
This will also help in managing phase transition effectively. If roles and responsibilities of stakeholders are identified in advance, the project manager can determine whether the team is ready to move to the next phase or there are issues that were not sorted out in the previous phase.
Coordinate Timelines, Dependencies, Responsibilities, and Resources
With increased complexity, a schedule will have to provide information beyond the start and finish of specific tasks. It becomes important for architecture teams to understand how different activities are related. Structural engineering will be contingent upon an architectural plan that has been signed off, technical drawings will depend on design decisions that have been finalized, and procurement will depend on the final specifications.
Such information enables project managers to identify how delays can potentially affect other activities. For instance, if façade packages are scheduled to be completed prior to procurement activities, any delay in the approval process of façade designs can influence other activities down the line.
For architecture firms coordinating multiple disciplines and project phases, enterprise project management software such as ONES.com can help teams make timelines, dependencies, resource allocation, and progress visible from planning through delivery.
It is just as vital to perform resource planning. Specialists such as architects, BIM experts, engineers, consultants, and others may be involved in several projects at one time. Checking their loads against future milestones will allow for identifying problems with capacities and distributing responsibilities ahead of time.
Keep Design Changes and Stakeholder Decisions Visible
Change is integral to the architectural design process. A client may demand an alternate spatial configuration, an engineer may find out there is a certain technical limitation to consider, or something encountered in the construction process might necessitate changes.
Rather than attempt to eliminate change, the trick is in making its impact visible. Every time a major decision is taken, the project documentation should spell out what has been altered, why the change was necessary, who approved the change and what else it will affect.
It is especially important to be aware of any such impacts when a certain decision taken at one stage influences several other stages further down the road. For example, altering a floor layout can have ramifications in regard to structural coordination, HVAC system, documentation, quantities and finally construction.
Maintaining such a decision log prevents the team from working on obsolete information. It also gives a common point of reference to all project participants regarding why a certain design solution has been chosen.
The management of documentation and drawing revisions must be integrated into one procedure. Distinguishing between up-to-date and outdated documents minimizes the chances of consulting firms and contractors referring to outdated documents.
Monitor Progress Across Disciplines and Project Phases
Progress monitoring should be an ongoing activity as opposed to an activity carried out when the deadline is drawing near. Project managers can set periodic checkpoints at key milestones and use them to check the difference between planned progress and real progress.
For instance, in case the progress of the documentation package has not reached 80% even after reaching a certain milestone, the project team can find out why this happened before it is too late. There could be many reasons for the delay including a decision that is pending from the client, coordination problem, resource problem, among others.
Consistent definitions of status could be useful for making reviews of projects more informative. A project phase that is on track could be analyzed in a different way compared to a project phase that is facing risks of being late or is already delayed. In this case, managers could have an adequate basis to understand which phases need special attention.
It is necessary to consider progress in a multidisciplinary way rather than focusing only on individual groups. The architectural team might be on schedule, but structural coordination could be falling behind, causing potential risks for the whole project.
Preserve Project Knowledge During Close-Out
However, the end of the construction process does not always indicate the end of project management. The handover and close-out stage represents the chance to make sure that all information related to the project is collected and easily accessible for people who will be responsible for it later.
All final drawings, specifications, approvals, certificates, records, and other required documents should be checked before project closure. Moreover, outstanding problems should be monitored until their solution, rather than just passed to the next phase of project management with no owner.
Finally, close-out is the moment when lessons learned by a project team can be used to enhance further projects. One can reflect on what worked well in terms of coordination, on which decisions caused delays, and whether the initial assumptions about the project were accurate enough during its delivery. In this way, project knowledge is preserved.
Creating a More Connected Project Workflow
Managing a complicated architecture project cannot be reduced to creating a project plan. It has to encompass the alignment of design tasks, obligations, interdependencies, decision-making, resources, and project intelligence.
By defining project phases, deliverables, review and approval points, making interdependencies explicit, documenting design alterations, tracking progress in all relevant fields, and archiving information at project close out, architecture teams are able to create a much more predictable and integrated delivery process.
The goal here is not to burden a creative field with excessive structure. On the contrary, organizing the project workflow in such a way that the architect and his colleagues have enough information for proper decision-making is what matters. If design and execution processes are interconnected from the start, then moving a project from conception to construction and eventually handover becomes much easier.
