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Navigating Design & Construction Methodologies Design/Build Business Magazine By Joseph Dellanno July 28, 2006 Technology has improved our lives tremendously in the past few decades. The proliferation of cell phones and laptops has offered versatility in our work and personal lives. However, this same technology may in fact, hinder our ability to do what they purport to help us with…communicate. On a recent car ride to a vaguely familiar location, I punched in the address of my destination to my vehicle's GPS (Global Positioning System). I proceeded following the instructions of the computer. When I neared the address the system directed me to make a left turn. I was about to follow when I remembered that there was road construction and a detour in that direction. Honestly, I was on auto pilot and probably would have just followed along blindly if I hadn't recognized a landmark near the traffic bottleneck. If you have GPS in your vehicle, you know how that anxiety level can go up when you go off the highlighted route and get warning flashes and bings from your system. But I was confident that I could navigate the final mile or so without relying entirely on my uninformed guide. That's just one instance where technology can get in the way of our decision making. But what really made me rethink our reliance on technology was a colleague's near misstep with a much needed client. George was giving a price to a client for a thirty seven square foot entry/addition. He entered the specifications into the industry standard estimating software which he has always used. The software cranked out a number of $44,000. He was about to present the proposal to the client when reality struck him. That price worked out to $1,189 per square foot! Upon closer inspection he found that the software had over engineered the project requirements. He went back and adjusted the numbers based upon material choices and structural needs so that ultimately he was able to get the price down to $19,000. Like me and my GPS, George was relying too heavily on automated calculations based upon static data input. The many variables of life were not taken into consideration in either scenario. Successful design/build requires dialogue that goes beyond pre-fabricated formulas. Part of that dialogue should take into account the homeowners' design needs and their financial goals. In this case, the homeowner was allowed to provide necessary information and input to their project. If she were presented with the first proposal for $44,0000 she would have been outraged at the cost and shown the builder the door. She has since turned into a satisfied customer who has contracted with the builder for another project on her home as well as given two excellent referrals. There is no doubt that computer aided design, estimating software and graphics packages have made our jobs easier and more visually appealing and understandable for the average person. However, relying on them too heavily at the expense of our better judgment or industry expertise is a dangerous pitfall of the 21st century. I'm reminded of the final scene in the first Star Wars movie when Luke has the target in his sights and is relying on his star-fighter grid to save the day. As the music swells and our hero is zooming in to destroy the Death Star, we hear Obi Wan's sage advice "Use the Force, Luke". For those five of you who have never seen the movie, Luke turns off the computer and relies on his instincts to blow the bad guys to smithereens. May the Force be with you. |
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By Joseph Dellanno July 28, 2006 Design/Build Business Magazine |
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