An important component to effective delivery under Integrated Project Delivery (“IPD”) is management of the design process. This can be most efficiently accomplished through pull based design.
Pull based design advances the design only so far as has been anticipated and approved by the IPD Team. The designers only perform those services that are shown on the Project plan as being performed in a given week. Alternatively, the designers can perform work that is identified as “workable backlog.” These are design elements that need to be completed at some point, but which are not part of any critical path in the design process.
The underlying assumption of pull-based design is that it provides better value based on overall project needs. In this fashion, the designers avoid advancing the design beyond what is needed and anticipated by the IPD Team. It enhances the collaborative process in which key participants develop an understanding of the owner’s purpose and program. Further, it allows the IPD Team, including its designers, to develop a common understanding of the owner’s goals and values. It also allows for the analysis required to determine whether the facility can be constructed within the allotted budget and schedule.
Most importantly, pull based design establishes a work flow that allows key players to create innovation in the process. It allows the owner ample opportunity to adjust the scope and value of the Project to achieve schedule and budget goals. This is achieved while providing better quality through timely feedback from key project players.
Joseph Cleves is a Cincinnati attorney practicing at Dressman Benzinger LaVelle psc.