Quality, waste and cost considerations in architectural building design management

The reduction of design fees in the UK since the start of the 1990 recession has emphasised the need to reduce waste and improve efficiency of the design process. Quality management and its application to the building design process is still a relatively new technique as are the concepts of waste, quality and efficiency. Waste, quality and efficiency are concepts which are difficult to appreciate and quantify in building design. Factors contributing to waste in building design are examined and appear to be mainly management problems. The paper concludes with management recommendations to reduce wastage and improve quality and profitability in architectural design. The following topics are examined in detail: wastage in the design process; quality in the design process; cost of quality in the design process; recommendations to improve efficiency of the design process; overall conclusions.