- Know what the client wants.
- Find out why the client wants it.
- How can we provide what the client wants?
- What options/alternates can we offer?
- Read and understand the scope. If the scope is not clear, clarify it!
- Why do we make drawings? To enable the contractor to build what the client wants.
- Think through and understand the entire demolition, construction, inspection and move in process.
- Consider all trades and specialties involved, not just yours. They are all impacted by what you do.
- Remember: what is not on the drawings, does not get into the contractor’s estimate and does not get built. Is this what the client wanted?
- Remember: what is not on the drawings and should have been there, causes problems, discussions, for which nobody gets paid, wastes time (not just yours), and may cause change orders by the contractor and unplanned cost increases for our client. Prevent this from happening by all means.
- Remember: what is on the drawings and is not clear or is in error, causes problems, discussions, for which nobody gets paid, wastes time (not just yours), and may cause change orders by the contractor and unplanned cost increases for our client. Prevent this from happening by all means.
- Always meet the code and clients’ specifications.
- The drawings must show what to build and how to build it (good and clear and complete details and specifications and notes), but not method of construction.
- The design must be:
- Safe
- Efficient
- Economical
- Productive: do it right the first time
- Meet clients’ needs
- Permittable
- Constructible
- Serviceable
- Complete
- Clear, not ambiguous, and not subject to interpretation
- On schedule
- Know the difference between what is important and what is not important. Focus on what is important!
- Engineering and design have a time value. When delivered on schedule, value is at its peak, but value degrades for every day of late delivery.
- Always do the right thing.
- Communicate in writing: email rules.
- It is human to hesitate before finishing something. Don’t.
- Unless there is a clear and powerful reason, don’t renumber anything.
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