These include the lack of productisation in construction, as well as the lack of knowledge about DfMA principles and practices.. We have drawings moving back and forth across industry silos from architects and engineers to fabricators and beyond in a way that means “we build things, prefabricated or not, that aren't what was originally upfront in the process,” Marks says.. She believes this is where we will see the most change and brings up Gleicher’s Formula for Change (revised by Dannemiller), where dissatisfaction, vision, and steps toward the vision must be greater than resistance.. “I actually think we’ve hit dissatisfaction at this point,” she says, pointing out the various issues across the industry: construction companies unhappy with the money they’re making, designers unhappy with the roles they’re playing, owners dissatisfied with the inconsistency.. And the question that needs answering now is: “what does the future look like?”.
This idea does not match reality and undermines the ability to both hold on to and even augment the delivered value.As described by Henry Mintzberg about business strategy, engineering design will always include a combination of deliberate and emergent components.. Pretending a high level of fixation at best is counterproductive and at worst destructive to the project’s ability to deliver value.
This is not the dreaded “change” or “scope creep”, it is about how the proposed project scope will naturally mould and how it can be integrated with how it will be delivered both in its physical, digital, and operational forms.This integration itself will not leave the scope unchanged, the scope and concept will require adaption..The question is how we use this emergence to the advantage of the project and the recipients of its value.
The selected approach to Basic/Scheme Design and Detailed Design will impact the project’s ability to deliver the project intent and optimise value.This includes the way the work is planned and the way organisations are contracted and integrated..
In my next post, I will discuss Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and how value can be delivered and efficiencies derived from its application.
In this blog, I reflect on how you approach planning for design with emergence..The mention of a possible future mandate in TIP 2021 reflects positively on the work that has been done so far, and the commitment from the government on the issue.
Although some might challenge this, there is a vast amount of evidence supporting the idea that the adoption of manufacturing approaches and processes, as well as certain elements of standardization in how we build our buildings, will deliver significant change and great benefits.A mandate would force people to keep pursuing this new, MMC approach going forward, helping us to keep this push towards modern methods of construction and a better way of working from fading away.. A mandate would also encourage collaboration, because we’ll have to do this together in order to reap the benefits.
Additionally, it would also provide a timeframe to prove what we’re doing, collect the data to demonstrate the opportunity, and work together to shape the next steps of the journey.Ultimately, a mandate would create leverage, commitment and confidence as the industry moves towards change, with the government then able to look to build this into future frameworks, or to pursue new mechanisms for procuring our buildings.. Shaping the future of construction.