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Growing Your Home Design Team While Minimising Risks


Increasing Your Home Design Team with Minimal Risk Growing new home markets in Western cities present a need for an increase in large residential design and drafting teams with the required experience and expertise. Effort, planning and vision can increase the size of the team and profits earned, while minimizing the risk factor for these large-scale residential projects. In the current global milieu, larger, efficient, cohesive home design teams can exist between multiple locations. Ideally, part of these teams can be based at an offshore location to produce the same results. Some of the vital tasks a home design team performs are the creation of 2D drawings, 3D modeling, 3D rendering, building information modelling, construction documentation, CAD drawings, using Autodesk (AutoCAD, 3D Studio Max or Revit) or Graphisoft ArchiCAD. The end product involves a comprehensive set of residential design drawings in Revit or ArchiCAD, which are essential commodities for the completion of efficient residential design. An ideal home design team must utilise updated design/drafting tools. Advantages of a larger offshore team include the following: Productivity increases – As tools such as Revit facilitate the production of numerous integrated drawings within a small window of time, clients can direct their focus to other business activities. 3D modelling means fewer mistakes – The detail available in 3D modelling makes for a more accurate process and thus reduces errors. More collaborative process – As design concepts, drawings and models are digitally stored in locations which enable common access, members of the design process enjoy collaborative input from start to finish. Time saved – 3D modelling allows an in-depth view, so that revisions and changes can be carried out quickly and accurately. An experienced outsourced design team provides all of this, and as an added perk, it becomes unnecessary to invest in expensive CAD software, expensive infrastructure or expensive skilled personnel. It really can be a holistic remedy. Are there risks in outsourcing this part of the residential construction drawing process? In the past, there were times when some of the concerns listed below would have raised eyebrows. That is no longer the case. Here’s why: Loss of control over the process The ability to retain control during outsourcing can sometimes be a concern. Limitations in communication and delays in response may affect the product. Improved communication with the outsourcing team and ensuring the in-house team understands what outsourcing entails takes care of ‘control issues’. Collaborative working Due to the existence of tools such as Collaboration For Revit (C4R) and BIM360, the production of an offshore team can be viewed and commented upon in real time if needed. At worst, the central design team can view the work completed by the offshore partner, and at best, they can directly work on the same files that the offshore partner is working with. This advantage requires a user that is experienced in the use of collaborative working, of course, and therefore selection of a vendor with the requisite collaboration experience is necessary. Hidden costs Even though the process has been outsourced, some costs remain, such as the costs in the transition process. Knowing the potential hidden costs of a new venture will help paint a clear picture as to exact cost reductions. Inconvenient work hours As close interaction and collaboration between the in-house team and the outsourced design team is required, the time difference may present problems. Outsourced teams can accommodate different working hours or shift them to guarantee an overlap. Communication hurdles Many CIOs, or chief information officers, think their communication will be affected by the design team’s English-speaking ability. To avoid that, project leaders can carefully select the country and their outsourced partner. A country that has a proven track record of teaching English practically guarantees that language no longer becomes an impediment. Will the customer be put off by outsourcing? Outsourcing has been tossed around in a not-so-complimentary manner, probably due to bad experiences which have been the result of misplaced or incomplete due diligence processes for partner selection in the first place. The resultant bad experience may have had a knock-on effect elsewhere, in other Western countries. When a supplier is selected and managed properly in real terms, outsourcing presents companies the opportunity to be more competitive in international markets. Customers value that. Quality control Sometimes, a working product develops issues after it is delivered, and if the quality produced from outsourcing is poor, the company’s reputation could be in tatters. For instance, if the ventilation system design harbors any error, human health is put at risk. Or there could be examples of noncompliance with company standards. A design team that follows the latest quality standards, as well as the presence of a certified quality assurance specialist ensures industry-standard quality. Security Data security can be an issue, especially if dealing with highly sensitive information. The confidentiality of commercial secrets could be leaked. Selecting a reliable, certified team is important. Ensure that the team has worked with sensitive information before, with established security methods. Reliable Partners If the project becomes complicated, a reliable partner is a boon. Often, CIOs spend considerably on a transition process and introduce a new team to the project, just to discover that the technology specialist has been reassigned. Understand the design team’s outsourcing model and team structure. They should be flexible and act as a strong business partner. When a partner, such as a dedicated offshore CAD resource team in India, for example, confidently fulfils all architectural design processes, concerns and requirements, how does the company benefit? Some of the advantages of bigger numbers involved in the entire design process are as follows: Large, Experienced Production Department For large projects, the required resources can be availed to fast-track work, with the additional perk of a large dedicated team. By outsourcing work, more people can work on one task with the result of faster production. Plus, the outsourced team will be technically sound in terms of using CAD or BIM software. Dedicated Project Managers and Teams An assigned project manager will oversee the outsourced production. The manager sends regular updates by email and phones whenever clarifications are needed or requests occur. Saving Cost of Training In many Western nations, there is a high demand for technical experts. However due to economic prosperity, demographic ageing and lesser students opting for technical education, a lack of technical human resource is expected in the coming years. CAD and BIM software ensures top quality, but it is complex. Frequent training of employees is necessary. This cost is borne by the outsourcing company, and there is a wealth of trained personnel at its disposal. Accurate Work The work generated is guaranteed to be accurate and of top quality, as more people are working on it and processes are in place for quality control. Valuable Experience A company with several years of experience in varied disciplines ensures the delivery of a better product. Secure Data Advanced data protection systems and processes ensure that confidential information is always safe and secure. Extra Time for High-level Design and Engineering When CAD design services are outsourced, associates will have more time to handle more challenging design and engineering tasks. They can focus on their main strengths and be involved in core functions. Easier to Honor Tight Work Schedules Skilled and experienced CAD professionals are available whenever needed – at a much lower cost, so there is a faster turn-around time. Whether there is a requirement to quickly ramp up CAD production for a specific project or there is a need to regularly handle workload overflows, outsourcing CAD design services is ideal to deliver quality work during tight deadlines. Ultimately, employing an experienced vendor with a proven track record and by signing confidentiality agreements, outsourcing architectural design services presents a logical solution to alleviate workload and enjoy the benefits of a larger team. Added advantages are financial savings, faster production and reduction of labour. It is generally accepted that construction is becoming less of a local industry and that architectural outsourcing will become a common reality in the near future. The march of progress in the home design arena is going global, and a larger, multi-talented home design team is vital to success.

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