Planning is the main key to a successful building project. Every project is a separate entity and should be always carried out individually. Knowing the main steps and the flow of the project delivery process is important.
There are three different ways to carry out a building project. The way of going thru the steps is determined by the size of the project. In smaller in-house design and construction projects investigative scope and budgeting are done first. After a letter of intent for design is being done and the best (usually always the cheapest) offer is chosen.
In a bigger scale projects (value >$500,000) more steps are needed, because of the size of the project. Very first a request for assessment is created and after an approval, the feasibility of the project needs to be calculated. After finishing these steps the approval from board of trustees is needed. Approval and letter of intent are the final steps in the initiation phase of the project.
Next phase is designing. It is clear that smaller projects don’t contain so much designing than the capital ones. Therefore design, scheduling and pricing are done simultaneously in smaller projects. Often there is no need to hire A&E firm or at least just using an architect should be enough. In capital projects A&E firm is engaged and contract documents are made. Also state approval is commonly needed.
After finishing these two important phases it is time for the real action. Construction phase is the hardest and the most time taking period in a construction project. Before the actual construction phase the bidding of the project is done. After that the winner is announced. There is normally no bidding needed in smaller projects. Anyways the letter of authorization for construction is written.
Finally the actual construction can begin. Typically some changes in design and plans are made during this period. There is always something unexpected appearing or happening