Why good planning
needs more than good planners
There is hardly an architectural office that has not experienced this: the design is ready, the idea is convincing – and then there is Scheduling, coordination with the specialist planners, documentation, cost planning and updating. Suddenly you’re more concerned with Excel than with architecture. In the standard HOAI service specifications, the planner is obliged to cover all of these topics. This is often underestimated, which is why there is often a lack of time and resources in many Projects. Added to this is the need to manage their own contracts in order to react to changes in planning requirements and ensure the cost-effectiveness of the project.
Planners want to design, not manage. But anyone who builds today has to manage contracts, document costs, coordinate deadlines, ensure quality and assess risks. Even experienced teams reach their organizational limits, especially in complex projects with many specialist planners and tight client specifications. There is often too little time for clean structures during the course of a project. Documentation becomes incomplete, Scheduling becomes too ambitious, own supplements are difficult to justify and cost deviations are often only noticed late. This is not due to a lack of diligence, but because the multitude of tasks can hardly be managed.
Support where it is needed
- Organization & administration
Planning needs structure, right from the start. This includes internal management, “planning the planning” and keeping track of tasks. Project planning also coordinates all specialist planners – a task that is easily underestimated. Proper organization creates transparency and commitment throughout the entire planning process. - Scheduling & monitoring
Scheduling not only includes construction times, but also the coordination of specialist disciplines and internal resource planning, intervenes in the BIM execution plan (BAP), planning and construction deadlines as well as construction supervision and the client’s cooperation activities. Workshops with clients, planning participants and construction trades help to develop realistic and sustainable schedules. - Cost planning & monitoring
In the target-setting phase, the aim is to link cost targets with quality and deadline requirements. This is followed by cost estimation and calculation in the preliminary design and draft planning phase – right through to the price-performance specification in preparation for the award of contract. If the capacity or experience for this is lacking, support with cost determination and monitoring can help to identify deviations early on and keep forecasts reliable. - Contract Management
Your own contract accompanies the project from the idea to acceptance. It must be actively managed, not just signed. This begins with the offer phase, includes the management of supplements during implementation and only ends with acceptance. This requires the necessary commercial and contract law expertise as well as the personnel capacity to accompany the project and, furthermore, the awareness that the company’s own contract management is decisive for the economic success of the project. - Receivables management
Receivables management is an essential part of contract management. Changes to the contractual target must be identified, supplements formulated and enforced against the client. Conversely, counterclaims by the client must be defended against. The basis here is clean documentation as well as reliable and constantly updated cost and Scheduling. Supplements must be asserted promptly and before services are rendered. There is a risk of non-payment for Services and, in commercial terms, the risk of a poor price. Competent, structured claims management equipped with the necessary capacities is less a legal obligation than an economic necessity. - Change management
Changes to planning, execution or the contract must be documented and evaluated in a comprehensible manner. Clear tracking of these adjustments is crucial in order to limit project risks in terms of costs, deadlines and liability and forms the basis for successful claims management. - Quality management
Whether explanatory reports match costs and plans, planning statuses are properly managed or documents are consistent and complete: Structured quality management reduces sources of error and creates security for everyone involved. - Documentation
Documentation begins with the organization of meetings, includes the recording of minutes, the coordination of specialist planners and ends with the systematic compilation of all work results at the end of a service phase. Complete project documentation ensures that knowledge is retained and remains traceable and is also essential for successful claims management. - Consultancy services
Planners have a far-reaching duty to advise the client, for example on risks, conflicting objectives, technical alternatives and fees. If, for example, deviations from recognized technical rules are to be made, the consequences must be professionally classified and documented. Knowing the consultation obligations, carrying them out at the appropriate time and documenting them is the basis for a flawless planning service and economical project implementation.
Between aspiration and everyday life
Planning is becoming more complex and responsibility greater. Those who work in a structured manner here protect the project and themselves. Professional support with organization, scheduling, cost or contract issues is therefore not an add-on, but a contribution to quality assurance and ultimately to profitability.
Today, good planning means being strong in technical terms, thinking economically and taking the pressure off in good time before things get tight.
Contact the author
Do you have any questions, suggestions or would you like to contact the author directly? Feel free to send us a message – we look forward to hearing from you!
Dr. Thomas Bahnert
Dr.-Ing. Architect
Head of Contract Management Centre of Competence
Fee expert