1. Evaluating Onsite Design Project Team
When and How Much?
Evaluating Onsite Design Project Team
David Bowlin, Chair

2. Communication?
Design
Construction

3. Benefits of Onsite Design?
Improved communications
Timely and accurate information exchange
Influence on project performance

4. Evaluating Onsite Design Project Team
Al Aikman Anheuser-Busch
Edward Back Clemson University
David Bowlin Centex Engineering & Construction, Chair
Philip Carman Procter & Gamble
Kevin Cook Murphy Company
Jeff Derrickson DuPont
Alan Kerley Day & Zimmermann
Les Shepherd General Services Administration
Bob Tabet Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Past Members
John Gnecco Florida Power & Light
Douglas Haag Eichleay Engineers
Doug Saxon US Army Corps of Engineers

5. Improve interface between design and construction.
Problem Statement
Improve interface between design and construction.
Five questions:
Does onsite design yield measurable benefits?
Which performance measures are improved?
When should onsite design be employed?
How much onsite design is recommended?
How does the recommendation change by project phase?

6. Research Objectives
Determine the type and magnitude of benefits resulting from onsite design.
Assess these impacts against a variety project performance measures.
Provide a methodology to determine the appropriate level of onsite design support.

7. Research Database
Included 115 industry surveys representing approximately $9 billion in project value.
All industry sectors represented.
Even split between lump sum and cost-plus fee.
Projects ranged in complexity, scope, and cost.
Project performance ranged from poor to exceptional.

8. Project roles or services provided by firms
Data Collection
Project roles or services provided by firms
Construction
Management
Owner/Client
21%
19%
Construction
12%
Design
24%
Procurement
24%

9. Data Collection
Project database nearly evenly divided between projects that employed onsite design and those that did not.
All industry sectors represented in each group.

10. Data Collection General Building 4 11 Light Industrial 4 10
Onsite No Onsite Design (%) Design (%)
General Building
Light Industrial
Pharmaceutical
Power
Petroleum 28 10
Pulp/Paper
Chemical 10 17
High Tech and Electronics
Heavy Industrial 14 11
Manufacturing 16 15
Highway and Infrastructure
Other

11. Data Collection Projects with onsite design vs.
The database enabled statistical comparisons:
Projects with onsite design
vs.
Projects with no onsite design

12. Drivers for Onsite Design
Project type
Technical complexity
Level of risk
Schedule constraints
Constructability
Level of scope definition
Communications interface
Design approvals and RFIs
Alliances or partnering
Favorable past experience
Composition of design team
Technical complexity
Level of risk
Schedule constraints

13. Performance Measures Improved with Onsite Design
Productivity or earned value during the project
Participation in design by construction personnel
Customer feedback and improved partnering
Plant output vs. design intent
Constructability
Usability of design drawings
Accuracy of design documents
Accuracy of design documents
Effectiveness of communication
Time to process change orders
Safety standards incorporated into design
Operability, maintainability, and reliability
Plant output vs. design intent
Constructability
At 95% correlation levels

14. Other Performance Measures Improved with Onsite Design
Value engineered savings
Design as a percentage of total installed cost
Ease of start-up
Accuracy of as-built drawings
Reduction of Requests for Information (RFIs)
Timely issue of design documents and equipment lists
17 of 29!

15. Objectives of Onsite Design
Lower the wall

16. Objectives of Onsite Design
Lower the wall
Break through the wall

17. Objectives of Onsite Design
Lower the wall
Break through the wall
Move both parties to the same side of the wall

18. Top 10 Design Activities
The research identified key design activities that should be performed onsite to significantly improve selected project performance measures.

19. Top 10 Design Activities Develop/utilize work breakdown structure.
Prepare, monitor, or maintain scope.
Address safety issues.
Define major equipment and material specifications.
Conduct constructability evaluation.
Process and facility planning.
Specification of fabricated items.
Develop preliminary design including PFDs and P&IDs.
Develop instrumentation and control drawings.
Develop, monitor, or execute start-up plan.

20. Top 5 Design Activities by Project Phase
Front End Planning
Design
Preliminary
Detailed
Procurement
Construction
Start-Up
Conduct constructability evaluation.
Define major equipment and material specs.
Prepare, monitor, or maintain detailed cost estimate.
Specify fabricated items.
Address safety issues.

21. Introducing the Onsite Design Tool
As simple as
1, 2, 3….

22. of your project execution strategy.
Step 1
Define the WHY
of your project execution strategy.
Select the “Basis for Your Decision”
Choose from a list of 34 drivers
List includes such items as:
Response to crisis
Market timing
Technical complexity
Alliances or partnering……..

23. is critically important to achieve.
Step 2
Define WHAT
is critically important to achieve.
Select important project performance criteria.
Choose from a list of 29
List includes such items as :
Project Budget
Schedule Milestones
Safety
Percent of rework
Ease of start-up
Plant output vs. design intent
Usability of design documents

24. Find which specific design activities
Step 3
Find which specific design activities
to perform on site in order to improve your selected performance criteria.
Step 3 is performed by the OSD tool.

25. Introducing the Onsite Design Tool
The OSD tool reports findings by project phase. Different activities are appropriate for each project phase.
Step 1
Basis for Decision
Step 2
Performance Criteria
The OSD Tool
identifies
design activities
by project phase.
Step 3

26. We can answer the questions!!
What Is the Value?
We can answer the questions!!
Yes!
Does onsite design yield benefits?
Which performance measures are improved?
17 of 29
Every phase
When should onsite design be employed?
See
OSD Tool
How much onsite design is recommended?
How does the recommendation change by project phase?

27. At the Implementation Session
Meet a user panel that will answer questions about their experiences with onsite design.
Receive more detail on the value of onsite design.
See the OSD tool used to answer audience queries.

28. Moderator/Panelists Moderator: Panelists: Phil Carman Procter & Gamble
Alan Aikman Anheuser-Busch
Ed Back Clemson University
Kevin Cook Murphy Company
Alan Kerley Day & Zimmermann
Les Shepherd GSA