The various design phase is intended to help develop and refine the project requirements. At the end of each phase, estimating and containing project costs is a key project management responsibility that begins at project scoping and continues throughout project development. One of the primary functions of project scoping is to develop an accurate preliminary cost estimate of project costs and compare it to the programmed cost. An effective way of containing
project costs is to control the project scope during the initial scoping and then throughout project development at design reviews discussed in this section. It is important that the scope of work developed during project scoping is achievable within the approved budget. The following costs should be considered and refined throughout the project development process:
• Agency Project Administration
• Surveys – Topographical and Boundary
• Real Property and ROW Acquisition
• Geotechnical Investigation
• Engineering for Design and Construction
Support
• Cost Estimation
• VE
• Peer Reviews
• Utility Services to Site
• Construction
• Construction Inspection/Management
• Owner Furnished Equipment.
Conceptual Design and Preliminary Engineering
At the beginning of the design phase , using the maintenance facility example, the project manager has to understand that the most important factor is the analysis of the existing bus fleet size and the potential for an expanded fleet size. Included in this thought process is the consideration of what future fleet mix may be, including articulated buses, alternatively fueled buses, and paratransit vehicles. This thought process and analysis establishes the basis for the design.
Conceptual Design
- Code Analysis
- Zoning Analysis
- Topographical
- Survey
- Boundary Survey
- Existing Utility
- Survey
- Geotechnical Survey
- Environmental
- Survey
- Space Programming
- Alternative Layouts
- Alternative Cost
- Analyses
- Community
- Outreach
- Traffic Impacts
- Noise Abatement
Final Design
- Final Plans, Elevations, Sections, Schedules
- Detail Development
- Final Technical Specifications
- Discipline Coordination
- Summary of Work Preparation
- Temporary Facilities and Controls Defined
- Federal, State, and Local Legal Requirements –
- Bid Forms, Bonds, Prevailing Wages, Etc.
- Final Design Calculations
- Final Construction Schedule
- Final Construction Staging Plans
- Construction Cost Estimate Update
- Environmental Permits
Design Criteria in Design phase
The design team will develop the design criteria for the project based on the scope of work provided. Engineering analysis will establish a range of acceptable criteria or standards for the project. The project manager will review the service characteristics and site constraints provided by the design team to make sure that they satisfy the needs of the Project Requirements Definition (PRD). The project manager will need to seek input from all stakeholders and based on their comments approve the design criteria in a timely manner. Once determined the design criteria must not change unless otherwise approved by both the project manager and the design team. A change of design criteria during either preliminary or final design may have significant implications on the design budget and schedule, as well as the construction budget and schedule.