Assembling A Collaborative Team - Other - Page 79
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What are Information Exchanges and why are
they important?
As a design progresses, the amount of information produced by each design
team member, and its level of detail, increases. This is reflected in the
information that is exchanged during each stage. This information is used to:
• allow the client to review, comment and sign off the design as it progresses
• permit planning applications, or other statutory approvals, to be submitted
• communicate developing designs to design team members
•enable utilities suppliers, and other third parties, to provide advice or
information or to comment on design proposals
• comply with the QA (quality assurance) procedures of a particular party
• assist in the production of cost estimates, and
• enable contractors, and their subcontractors, to tender for the work.
Defining the information to be exchanged is a crucial project requirement
because it ensures that:
• each designer produces the right information at the right time
•the information produced is prepared to the correct level of detail for its
intended purpose
•the lead designer has the relevant information to coordinate the design work
of the design team and integrate the design work of the specialist subcontractors
•the client has the appropriate information to enable the plain language
questions to be answered at each stage, and
•the cost consultant and contractor have the appropriate information to cost
the emerging design and its corresponding risks.
Information Exchanges can be categorised as follows:
•informal ‘work-in-progress’ information issued between design team members
to allow each designer to progress their own design work, to facilitate collaborative
working and to allow the lead designer to coordinate the developing design.
This work is typically issued in accordance with a Design Programme
•ad hoc information released to progress a particular topic with third parties
(those not included in the project team); for example, seeking comments on
a road junction from the local authority or obtaining a ruling from a utilities
company on whether the electricity grid is able to accommodate a specific
power load
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