Organizing integral tunnel design

Designers from several disciplines coordinate their work to design a tunnel. This post describes a scientific case study of how to produce an integral design more efficiently.

Sector: Private

Industry: Construction

Domain: Tunnels

Current situation

Context. A tunnel engineering project is a tender project. In the preparation phase, the information needed for design is limited. During execution, time and money are limited.

Way of working. The design and construction of a tunnel involves a team of designers from seven different disciplines. In a tunnel engineering project, they produce seven partial designs of a tunnel, one for each discipline, together forming an integral design. When they find alignment conflicts in the integral design, they resolve them by modifying their partial designs.

Position. The more alignment conflicts in an integral design, the more effort it takes to resolve them.

Ambition

Challenge. Better alignment of partial designs.
Objective. Minimize effort to align partial designs.
Indicator. Delivery lead time.

Capability

Function. Draft a design | Create a design strategy.
Content. Divide and conquer to design a tunnel:

REPEAT
1. Develop a discipline-specific partial design.
2. Combine all discipline-specific partial designs into an integral tunnel design.
3. Check if the design task is done, that is, the integral tunnel design fulfills all objectives set in the design brief and does not produce conflicts.
UNTIL The design task is done.

Influence. Minimize effort to align partial designs: negative.
Kind. Strategy.
Nature. Knowledge.
Market position. Equal advantage.
Contribution. Stakeholder needs.
Priority. Now.
Action. Eliminate.

Capability

Function. Draft a design | Create a design strategy.
Content. Coordinate activities to design a tunnel:

REPEAT
1. Access the shared design space reserved for the design task.
2. Select a discipline-specific viewpoint on the design space.
3. Develop a discipline-specific part of an integral tunnel design.
4. Check if the design task is done, that is, the integral tunnel design fulfills all objectives set in the design brief and does not produce conflicts.
UNTIL The design task is done.

Influence. Minimize effort to align partial designs: positive.
Kind. Strategy.
Nature. Knowledge.
Market position. Temporary advantage.
Contribution. Stakeholder needs.
Priority. Now.
Action. Capture and share with design team members.