It couldn't have been a more timely adaptation. The scale of domestic projects is constantly expanding, and integrated townships, Special Economic Zones, high-end residential complexes, malls and mega retail outlets now rule the urban landscape. Hence, the pressure on developers to incorporate new and modern design elements is greater than ever.

So, as India keeps abreast of international standards, DMS has considerable potential in the current domestic market. This market is growing by 30% annually and is estimated to be worth $90 billion by 2015. Design Management Services are, in fact, the answer for developers determined to meet the design challenges of the 21st century.

DMS focuses on five key areas: design coordination; project management and tracking; design localisation; design documentation; and Building Information Modeling or BIM.

Design Coordination

Through DMS, Excelize seamlessly integrates the roles of the professionals, consultants and facility providers involved in any project. Typically, this includes the architect, structural engineer, service consultants (MEPF), contractor, sub-contractor, master planners and even landscape consultants.

We have structured the model to manage the pre-construction design process whereby we become the single point of contact for various professionals across disciplines and across every stage of a project's life cycle.

Excelize makes sure the designs and plans prepared by each professional in their various disciplines mesh coherently. Hence, DMS coordinates designs, schedules, information, document management and approvals.

Excelize thus offers a comprehensive solution to the nightmarish logistics confronting the developer by playing the role of lynchpin in the entire process. With our cutting-edge technology platforms and unique suite of software tools, Excelize allows developers to focus on the big picture while we take care of the nitty-gritty.

In practical terms, DMS translates into faster turnaround time and better margins as design has a 70% impact on construction costs.

Design Management and Tracking

As projects grow larger and are driven by impossible delivery schedules, they also tend to become unmanageable. Excelize treats the design phase as separate project.

To systematically coordinate and track the work of various agencies, we create customised project plans, schedules, tasklists, resource matrices, delay matrices and other project management and tracking documents to keep the developer clued into the process.

But even the best-laid plans are bound to change, especially during the design phase. Excelize creates a change-management system that can predict the impact of change on project schedules as well as costs.

We execute every last detail with precision.

Design Localisation

Traditional boundaries and barriers have long since broken down, and global tie-ups are critical to survival and success. Indian companies are therefore increasingly partnering with the biggest and the best in the Architectural Engineering Construction (AEC) industry, thereby constantly expanding the creative talent pool.

But while employing the expertise of global architectural firms, there is also a need to adapt to local geographies, environments, cultures and other requirements. This involves manage all local approvals, adjustments and corrections for codes, materials, cost issues, construction techniques, skill sets and sustainability.

While doing so, Excelize makes sure the integrity of the original architectural design is maintained.

Design Documentation

Managing the complexities of a mega project can be a delicate juggling act that requires each design element to speak the same language. Excelize is the only firm that specialises in systematizing the chaos with a foolproof system called the "4 Cs of Design Documentation©" - a set of Coherent, Complete, Coordinated and Construction-Ready documents.

This means that the drawings prepared by the architectural and engineering professionals, various consultants and facility providers concerned with a single project are standardised to introduce uniformity in nomenclature, units of measure, annotations, detailing and data presentation. This also establishes CAD production guidelines and parameters for the entire team of project consultants.

In addition, all drawings and plans must adhere to the highest international standards, especially in a day and age where work-share is the norm. Excelize's extensive experience with international clients as work-share partners enables us to execute this flawlessly.

BIM As An Enabler

Driven by the need to improve the quality of buildings, and to reduce the costs of designing and maintaining them, building owners, design teams, contractors, and facility mangers are seeking ways to share information more effectively.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is therefore the natural corollary to Design Management Services. It brings together the vast array of data from every discipline concerned with the project, crunches and analyses the data and creates a model that keeps evolving through the project's life cycle.

After the data is pooled and integrated, Excelize builds a 3D virtual model of the project to simulate and analyze potential impacts. BIM is used for design decision making, production of high-quality construction documents, predicting performance, cost estimation, clash detection, construction planning and simulation, and, eventually, to manage and operate the facility.

As the project design evolves, the model is further refined so that the structure, mechanical systems and other components are incorporated. In this way, all the building elements are completely coordinated and constructability issues are resolved well in time.

Throughout the entire process, accurate and detailed information is readily available, communication is clear and timely, and decisions can be made before their cost implications become as significant problem.

To see why BIM is so important:

• 80% reduction in time to generate estimates
• 10% saving on construction cost through clash detection
• 20% saving through construction process simulation
• 7% saving in construction time
• 40% elimination of unbudgeted changes
• 60% reduction in Request for Information
• It eliminates on-site rework, saves time and keeps budgets in check

Way to the future

Design Management Services complements the role of the architect.  Tighter delivery schedules and greater expectations make DMS a necessary evil - or, from the point of view of developers, the way to the future.