Design-Build: Minimizing Design Conflicts to Prevent Costly Damage

Design Review for Coordination

In design-build projects, timely coordination of design components is critical. While the design-build model often accelerates permitting and construction, neglecting coordination with other design team members can result in costly delays.

To avoid such pitfalls, every completed design element should undergo a general review meeting with all professional consultants and major subcontractors. At a minimum, these meetings should include engineers for MEP, structural, and civil work, the architect, and decision-makers from the general contractor. Representatives from major subcontractors—such as MEP, framing, and concrete—should also participate.

This process allows all parties to identify and resolve layout conflicts and system incompatibilities before construction begins. It’s much less expensive and disruptive to address these issues on paper than in the field.

The Cost of Design Conflicts

Field revisions due to unresolved design conflicts are costly, disruptive, and demoralizing. Rework often requires tearing out completed work, resulting in wasted materials, lost time, and strained jobsite morale.

Effective communication is especially challenging in today’s multilingual work environments. Even with bilingual team members, transmitting precise instructions to all workers can be difficult. Correcting conflicts in the field detracts from new production and profitability, compounding the problem.

When conflicts arise during construction, the issue should immediately be communicated to all affected parties, both in the field and at management levels. Identifying the cause—be it changed conditions, improper installation, inspection rejection, or unforeseen circumstances—is essential for assigning responsibility and expediting resolution.

Trade Coordination for Success

Early in my career, I learned that decisions should involve those responsible for implementation. While this may not always be true in practice, engaging workers in decision-making fosters collaboration and streamlines execution.

Clear and open communication between subcontractors is vital. Teams must coordinate on scheduling, manpower, material delivery, safety, and reporting. This bottom-up approach encourages realistic, actionable plans and promotes cooperation across trades, improving performance and reducing conflict.

Subcontractors are on the frontlines of construction and bear significant responsibility for preventing damage to in-progress work. Providing them with clear directives on addressing discrepancies and trade conflicts is essential for smooth project delivery.

Building a Cooperative Culture

When communication and coordination break down, the resulting conflicts can damage more than just the project timeline. Hostility, reduced morale, and even physical altercations can arise. Conversely, when teams know that design elements have been carefully reviewed and coordinated, they feel respected. This fosters an atmosphere of cooperation, where minor adjustments are manageable, and disruptions are minimized.

In design-build projects, respect for the workforce’s time and expertise begins with thoughtful design review and trade coordination. The effort spent on early communication pays dividends in reduced waste, improved morale, and successful project outcomes.