First Planner System®️ – 22 – Building the Design Team & Setting Targets

Build the Design Team and Set the Right Parameters

In construction, the excitement of being awarded a project can quickly be overshadowed by the challenge of organizing the team and ensuring everyone moves in the same direction. One of the most critical steps at this stage is building your design and pre-construction team and setting clear parameters from the very beginning.

Without clear targets and alignment, even the most talented team can head in the wrong direction. The goal is to target the right production plan, set a realistic total project duration, and align the design with financial expectations. Failing to do so can result in designs that exceed the budget or timelines that are unrealistic, ultimately leading to frustration and costly changes later on.

Step 1: Build the Team

Start by getting the right people in the right roles, communicating well, and working toward shared goals. Use a framework to organize your approach:

• Board One: Organization clusters and communication map out the executive team, core team, scrum teams, and communication channels.
• Board Two: Conditions of satisfaction identify risks, define what success looks like, and review past project successes.
• Board Three: Meeting cycle draft, refine, and finalize a meeting schedule that works for the whole team.

These tools help create an integrated, well-communicating team with a clear meeting structure. Reference resources like Integrated Project Delivery to structure big rooms, form collaborative teams, and establish effective workflows.

Step 2: Set the Right Parameters

Your owner likely has a set budget and schedule expectations. The key is to design to these constraints using Target Value Design (TVD) principles:

• Gather a collaborative team early.
• Set a target budget and/or timeline.
• Design to cost, iterating frequently to stay aligned.
• Apply lean processes and value engineering along the way.

Part of setting parameters is understanding General Conditions (GC) and General Requirements (GR) early:

• General Conditions: Overall operational costs like staffing and insurance.
• General Requirements: Contractual and logistical tasks like temporary facilities, site security, permits, safety, and cleanup.

Underestimating these costs can lead to late-stage budget shocks, forcing “slash and burn” value engineering that frustrates both owners and designers. Instead, develop a macro-level Takt plan from the outset, map logistics, and keep assumptions transparent.

Step 3: Avoid Late Surprises

Accurate early planning prevents budget blowouts and schedule slips. A well-structured kickoff meeting acts as a “pre-flight check” for your project: ensuring everyone is organized, communicating well, and aligned on goals before work begins. This reduces conflict, minimizes waste, and keeps the design intact without last-minute cuts.

Key Takeaway:

A successful construction project begins with building the right design team and achieving early alignment on goals, budgets, and schedules. Establishing clear communication and locking in cost and timeline parameters from the start protects design integrity, reduces waste, and builds trust keeping the project on track to deliver on time and within budget.