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OPINION
Build a resilient design firm with quality work, attentive service, and a strong team for long-term success and adaptability. The foundation of a successful firm
I f you are looking to build a long-lasting design firm, able to survive an unpredictable economy, build a firm built on the foundation of quality and service.
Quality work is essential to building long-term client relationships and opens the door to future opportunities and markets. For small to medium-sized firms, quality allows you to compete with larger firms and attract talented employees. Quality work is based on three key elements: 1. Assigning the right people to the job and keeping them on it. This is critical. Reflecting back on projects you know did not go well, odds are you will find a personnel issue to be a significant part of the problem. Every manager has good intentions of assigning the right people to a project, but as other projects come along demanding the limited time of key people, personnel changes tend to occur. Learning- curves typically result in added construction costs from a less efficient design or lower-quality plans and specifications. 2. Reviewing and challenging project assumptions
and base information, both before commencing work and throughout the design process. This is the “thinking” step. Do not merely grind through a project to create an end product. Do not accept project assumptions on blind faith or use base information without evaluating reasonableness and appropriateness. Understand the needs of the client and their primary objective. Getting so bogged down in the details that you miss the big picture is not quality service. The ability to understand the context of your scope is critical. As part of this step, identify scope that will impact the budget or schedule of a project. Many times, the client will request additional features, or a regulatory agency will require more costly elements than anticipated. These, and any other issues that impact the cost, are communicated to the client immediately. With this open communication, we can discuss the issue and
Daniel Houf, P.E.
See DANIEL HOUF, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 4, 2023, ISSUE 1515
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