An empirical study of design management practices in collaborative design and construction projects: The roles, activities and conceptions of design management across project stages and within the building, civil and process sectors of a construction company

Abstract The construction industry is at a critical point in time where the construction and design of the majority of projects is now done simultaneously. If historical trends persist, then there will be an increase in the number of construction projects done concurrently with design. This empirical study describes the management of design in collaborative design and construction projects in a construction company that is dealing with an increasing number of collaboration type projects. The different roles of managers of design, the activities they undertook and conceptions that could describe the practice were researched. A major outcome of the research was the identification of seven major activities that were undertaken by the design managers. These were: 1. Coordinating Stakeholder Input 2. Coordinating Design Work with Other Work 3. Managing Design 4. Project Development Management 5. Managing Design Work 6. Selecting and Managing the Design Team 7. Managing Design Management It was found that design management went through three distinct stages in the collaborative projects: 1. An early stage comprising of mostly design development and planning activities 2. A mid stage consisting of collaborative design and construction activities 3. A latter stage, which comprised of completing the construction work Design managers also undertook activities outside of the project stages, which were considered as company based activities. In the early stages activities were orientated towards developing the project, dealing with different design solutions and setting up the project. In the mid stages activities were orientated towards obtaining design for construction, producing one design solution and keeping up with the schedule. In the latter stages activities were orientated towards dealing with design issues and maintaining design intent. Activities outside of any project were orientated towards developing personnel and company systems. The goals of each stage and the activities required to reach those goals changed the nature of design management in each stage and ultimately resulted in a change in the person required to manage the design. Design managers with the ability to establish client relationships and develop the design were required in the early stages and design managers with the ability to manage the production of design documents and deal with construction issues were required in the mid stages. Different design managers were utilised for the early and mid project stages. During the latter stages of a project, when design was practically completed, design managers had a part time or consultant type role in the projects. In order to examine design management, seven conceptions that could describe the practice of design management were explored. The conceptions consisted of, 'brand management', 'design and construction integration', 'a division of project management', 'meta-design', 'master builder', 'task, flow and value management' and 'management of the design process'. No one single conception was observed to adequately describe everything that the design managers did. Rather each conception provided a useful perspective that adequately described design management in particular situations. For example 'a division of project management' more readily described situations where design managers undertook planning, cost and design production related activities. Similarly 'meta-design' more readily described situations where design managers were involved in design discussions. The trends of the conceptions across project stages revealed where the conceptions more readily applied. For example, 'brand management', 'task, flow and value management' and 'master builder' applied more in the early stages of the projects, when the design managers had to promote the company and design, determine the flow of information and had more control over the direction of the project. In the mid stages the conceptions 'design and construction integration' and 'management of the design process' more readily applied, as design pro ess activity was increased and as construction activities required coordination with design. 'Design and construction integration', 'brand management' and 'master builder' conceptions applied in the later stages where construction activities were checked against the design, the construction required promotion and where the design manager dealt with quality and economic issues with the design. This research explores design management in the Civil and Process sectors of the construction company, in addition to the Building sector. Differences were found between the Building, Civil and Process sectors. In the Building sector, design managers took more ownership of a project; in the Civil sector, design managers carefully took into account stakeholder issues; and in the Process sector, design managers were more technically orientated. These insights into the management of design in integrated design and construction projects can be incorporated into management structures, personnel selection and training programs. For example, the results of this research can be used for the training and selection of design managers for the early, mid and latter stages of design and construction projects. The research can also be used as a basis for making improvements to design management. For example, current practices can be compared to the results of this research to determine which activities might need greater prioritisation. This research provides practitioners and academics with renewed ways of thinking about the management of design, based on the actual practices of design managers.