Course objectives

This session focuses on methods to avoid errors at design interfaces. The course provides participants with an appreciation for the scale of error in the construction industry and an understanding that design interfaces are a common root cause of error. The course develops participants’ ability to identify design interfaces, provides an understanding of good-practice in managing design interfaces, and then enables participants to develop an action plan to improve their management of design interfaces, in order to avoid error.

Intended audience

This course is aimed at personnel with particular responsibility for managing design. Typical participants who would particularly benefit from this course include:

Project Managers
Client's Design Managers
Architects
Designated Principal Designers
Design Consultant's Design Managers
Contractor's Design Managers
All designers with liaison responsibility beyond their own discipline

Relationship to project program

This course should be run for an individual project. The course should be run when all key designers are engaged, this is likely to coincide with the start of RIBA stage 2.

Learning outcomes

Participants to have an improved understanding of error, having the ability to:
Explain the cost of error to the construction industry, and the benefits of reducing error.
Recall the top “root causes of error” identified by GIRI research and relate these to their daily work.
Participants to have an improved understanding of design interfaces, having the ability to:
Identify various types of design interface.
Relate design interfaces to the common root causes of error.
Participants to have an improved awareness of good practice in managing design interfaces, having the ability to:
Apply the Get It Right Initiative “Design Guide”.
Explain the key elements of other Get It Right Initiative courses, and how these relate to the management of design interfaces.  
Participants to identify key measures to improve their management of design interfaces, having the ability to:
Identify their current processes for managing design interfaces.
Appraise their current process for managing design interfaces.
Produce an action plan, defining key measures they can take to avoid errors at design interfaces.

Pre-requisites

Attendees should have attended Avoiding construction errors at interfaces - Part One: Collaboration.

Delivery

It is recommended that delivery is by a GIRI accredited trainer/ facilitator.

The course uses presentations, an interactive Lego exercise, guided group discussion and small team workshops to explore the origins of error about practical tools to help eliminate errors at design interfaces.
The practical Lego exercises enables open discussion about the management of design interfaces. Workshopping in small teams allows the participants to explore the strengths and weaknesses of their current process for managing design interfaces. The key lessons from the session are then related to their findings, enabling all participants to develop a personal action plan, to improve their management of design interfaces and thereby avoid error.