Advanced Delivery 2018
MY ROLE: Multi-dimensional and highly strategic approach, fusing building science, computing, innovative teamwork, and several new in-house tools to totally transform the traditional delivery process, adding speed, quality and predictability.
Science, Digital Tools, and Teamwork
Advanced Delivery meant weaving multiple threads of activity into a single fabric, fusing :
Construction methods and expertise,
Digital technologies for BIM and issue tracking,
Progressive thinking on lean processes and methods,
and human factors like teamwork and collaboration.
In the final analysis however, the crux of delivery boiled down to optimizing one major factor - communication!
Optimized communication is the crucial work of the delivery process, and all the technologies and behaviors are about clarifying the transfer of knowledge from one team member to another. Traditionally the communication process has been slow and siloed. But newer thinking like IPD and Lean have started to break down barriers to smooth communication, while digital technologies have made it easier to represent and to share ideas and input. I have spent much of my career pushing simultaneously on each of these major issues: using BIM, adopting new methods such as as Lean Documentation. and using Newforma for issue tracking.
Advances in Building Technology
As industries evolve, so too do the tools and methods by which they build their buildings. Recent examples of advances in building technologies include Off-site Construction (such as modular units, and HVAC duct trees) which allow labor to be performed in more controlled conditions, and frequently to higher standards.
Knowing the means of construction is an essential part of the design process, and off-site construction is especially suited to multi-resident building types, such as dormitories, apartments and the like.
New Tools for 3D and information
Delivery is continuously impacted by the advent of new software which allows for better communication of ideas, and better tracking of information. There are two major classes of digital tools use in delivery: BIM software, such as Revit, Navisworks, Fuzor, Tekla, BIM 360, and a host of 3D model based software; and PIM software, (Project Information Management) such as Newforma, BIM 360 Docs, etc. Each of these toolsets has changed the way teams communicate and track information. BIM software creates models where information is embedded in 3D objects for all to access. But similarly, PIM software tracks emails, submittals and project document versions throughout a project and across a distributed team.
New Processes for teams
Leveraging the full power of the new tools above requires new ways of working, and new processes. There are two separate arenas of innovation in processes - new, industry-wide movements, such as Lean Construction and IPD, but at the same time creating internal processes that focused on the design process itself. Three of the internal processes are described below.
Day One Thinking
One of the most critical behaviors in advanced delivery is the concept of Day One Thinking. Because a lot of a project's activities are set in motion early in the process, this is a commitment to look at downstream implications on Day One, and to ask deeper than normal questions at project outset. Topics for Day One included code analysis, scope tracking, engineering strategy and energy measures. Each one of these aspects could trigger rework in future phases if the team did not pin them down at the outset. The goal of Day One is to do things once, and avoid rework. In practice, Day One impacted a host of project aspects, code considerations, engineering coordination, and tracking of project deliverables.
Lean Documentation
This initiative brought the same waste-avoidance thinking behind Lean Construction to the production of design documents. We asked where we saw most waste in the process, and realized that the traditional process was rife with age-old practices that resulted in repetition and waste, and actually created more opportunities for error.
With the new power of BIM, where models are created using families, we realized we could control information by creating assembly 'types', and then using the power of Revit to tag them throughout. This eliminated countless repetition of components that was part of the traditional process.
Engineering strategy
Clash detection is a largely passive strategy for coordination on a project. Instead of waiting for teams to model their elements and then running clashes, we initiated an active coordination process. The centerpiece was the 'airspace agreement' where teams would meet at project kickoff to hash out where each would run ducts, conduits or piping in an integrated session. By modeling along agreed pathways rather than coordinating afterwards, we avoided many initial clashes and rework. We developed the layering of the airspace with our in-house engineering expertise to address the need for routine maintenance access.
summary
Delivery is a critical and multi-faceted aspect of creating modern buildings. There have been many great advances in tools in the past decade - and it's not over yet! With the maturing of BIM tools, the growth of cloud services, and new tools to aggregate large amounts of data, delivery is still a fresh arena for innovation and continuous development.