One of the most popular and highly successful project delivery methods used in projects within the construction industry is design-build.
Ensuring that health and safety risks in the working environment are controlled is one of the key components of this process and overall risk management in construction projects.
Using project management software for pipeline projects continues to represent a streamlined, cost-effective part of risk management and quality control.
As more companies embrace this software, their ability to maintain quality control is strengthened, as is their technical and on-site risk management capability.
Given the hazardous nature of physical activity on any construction site, workplace safety is of paramount importance to construction firms, with software comprising part of the frontline of that safety.
Risk management assessments are safeguards are not optional, and those who fail to adhere to the highest standards, observing the increasingly stringent health and safety regulations, are faced with financial and other penalties.
Under a design-build contract, coupled with project management software, there is a single entity that is responsible for a project’s delivery, which incorporates risk management and quality control.
Design-build relies on effective construction project management and close collaboration, particularly between the design and delivery/construction teams.
In this article, GlobalData examines the crucial role of design reviews, the review of design, and the specification documentation required for construction by the project team.
Within this, the necessity and benefits of project management software will become axiomatic.
Effective quality management in design projects
A critical process for any project, design-build design reviews involve additional complexity, so it is important to get them right from the start.
Two of the foundations on which any project is built, and successfully completed, are risk management and quality control.
Alongside risk assessment, quality management, or quality control in construction projects is a critical element of any design-build initiative, of which intuitive project management software is a critical part.
Defining the standards that quality must achieve is the starting point for success, ensuring the delivery of effective quality management in design projects.
As construction leaders across the industry attest, design-build-focused organisations and projects are increasing apace.
With this rapid growth, the need for effective quality management in construction projects becomes increasingly important for both time and cost reasons, two major considerations for any company.
Design-build is projected to account for 44% of construction spending by 2021, according to the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA).
As a result, competition is ramping up for contractors to win owners’ trust and preference for project selection, and project management software is no small consideration for such a choice.
Securing this work is dependent, at least in part, on how companies can guarantee a thorough process of risk management in construction projects, with quality assurance included.
Owners are seeking more reliable ways to evaluate competing contractors’ credentials and make the best decisions based on time and cost considerations.
Ultimately, they must have the confidence that their contractors have the tools and experience to help them successfully deliver on a design-build project.
How data analytics can help combat risks in construction projects
Combating risks in construction projects takes many forms, from
health and safety measures to how the workforce operates on-site. Essentially, risk management in construction projects is a major consideration, and data analytics can play an important part in combatting risks in construction projects.
Data analytics can also help reduce costs, improve productivity, enhance overall results, and even give companies a competitive edge.
The use of data analytics is explained simply: the use of software and data to systematically evaluate patterns and generate meaningful insights for project teams.
Most construction companies routinely employ data analysis experts to streamline their operations, and ultimately, improve the results that are achieved.
To do this, they require both accessible, high-quality data and people who can gain insights from that data.
The Oracle Aconex data ownership model addresses the challenges of design-build projects.
With it, every project organisation has their own private and secure workspace, owning and controlling their data and access to that data.
Combined with an unalterable audit trail, this builds trust in the platform, driving adoption, collaboration, and data sharing, capturing a complete project record on one platform.
Construction has, of course, evolved since the days you stored data in physical files, which required an army to find anything.
Today, most data is stored digitally but it can still take an army to interpret and distill it into something meaningful to steer decision-making.
Once again, this highlights not just the need for, but the value of high-performing project management software.
That could be why only 29% of stakeholders in the TechValidate survey feel they have access to accurate and timely information.
But who owns the data and the right to analyse it?
That is a central question for contractors, as your multiple stakeholders such as architects, subcontractors and, of course, owners will all stake a claim.
They will hold their own data on the same project, and these independent versions of truth translate into added costs impacting the supply chain.
It is difficult to quantify the extra hours spent creating and maintaining separate records, which includes the time spent searching for information or the effort spent resolving communication errors.
This lost time impacts the bottom line for every project participant, increasing the cost of performing the work and reducing or degrading performance.
Data control in construction projects
It is critical that all information on any construction project is captured on a single platform. Equally important is that stakeholders have control over their data, and no stakeholder has an advantage over another.
Project information must be housed in a secure environment and protected from threats through rigorous security protocols to ensure that all stakeholders know their data is safeguarded.
For example, designers typically do not want to share changes with builders until they know the design is final, ensuring complete quality control over the information being shared.
The same is true for the request for information (RFI) process – stakeholders must feel confident that only specific contractors have access to the data directly involved in the project.
As with data analysis, data control is a pivotal element of quality control and risk management in construction projects.
Managing quality assurance and quality control in construction projects
When it comes to quality control in construction management, it is all about the avoidance of mistakes, meeting agreed-on industry standards, and abiding by rules and procedures that lead to successful project delivery.
Pre-project preparation is critical, as is the decision-making which requires baked-in quality assurance, something that project management software can help your company deliver.
Equipment used, materials selected, workforce qualifications and project management, each of these represent key elements for quality control for all construction projects.
Users can easily manage millions of documents and models without limits on data or participants, including any size, type, or number of files.
The Oracle Aconex platform is project management software that allows for strict version control to avoid errors, ensuring everyone is working off the latest documents.
Additionally, it utilises custom workflows that automate review and approval cycles, reduces complexity, improve data capture, and increase control.
Workflow tracking and reporting provide real-time analysis to identify and solve bottlenecks before they cause delays, and work packaging makes it simpler to track and control processes, from design and construction to sign-off and completion.
Construction project risk management software
Using the best construction project risk management software is increasingly viewed as indispensable across the industry.
Oracle Aconex platform and its capabilities provide significant value and benefits when used to manage design-build design reviews.
Facilitating a fully collaborative design review process is what Oracle Aconex delivers to construction teams.
All stakeholders have visibility and are included in the process from conception to completion.
Design and delivery teams can collaborate during the entire project, across design, and into the construction of the project.
Teams can quickly align to resolve design changes as the need arises, which minimises delays.
With design and construction teams fully aligned and working coordinated, this alignment and collaboration helps ensure that only reviewed and approved designs are used for construction.
Ultimately, this allows the combined team to deliver on the design-build promise of driving project efficiency and shortening the project schedule.
Applying an integrated team approach to the design-build design review process provides a gateway to the successful completion of any construction project.
The unique Oracle Aconex data ownership model provides a secure, collaborative platform to easily manage processes, documents, and models, providing the control and visibility for successful project delivery.
Enquire about the Oracle Aconex industrial project management planning, design and construction and civil engineering design review software.
