The Moving Parts of a Project

Starting a building project can be a daunting task if you are managing it yourself.  There is a lot to consider and keep control of.  So here is a simplified summary of an approach to hopefully help control the process.

Think of your project in four parts which are intrinsically linked.  Then highlight the important items within each.  This will include large items such as the overall budget cost and size of the project, and relatively small items such as the type of floor finish or type of windows.  There will be implications of each item in terms of scope, cost, quality and time and understanding the dynamics of these will be helpful as your project develops.  

It’s easy for a project to run away with itself, with costs and timescales increasing putting pressure on the nice things you want.  Careful planning is required to prevent this. 

The key antagonistic relationships are cost and time, against scope and quality.  Changes in scope and quality during a build usually have a greater impact on cost and time than they would during the pre-build design stage.

Imagine all four parts in a diagram where the relationships are triangulated and each part connects with all the others.  This helps to track the impact of one against another.  

These diagrams are really the same model seen with a different central focus: The parts arranged as a tetrahedron enable us to analyse the project prioritising each area.  

We hope this is be a useful tool to help visualise the mechanics of a project to assist with its control.  It is highly recommended that you fully cost and set the scope for your project early in the project and regularly track them as the project develops.  If in doubt, seek professional assistance from a qualified cost consultant.  Here at DesignBox we can offer architecture and project management services, so please contact us if you would like to discuss your project.