Manipulating the flow of design information to improve the programming of building design

The increasing complexity of modern buildings and the use of fast-track methods of procurement systems has meant the expeditious and successful completion of the design phase of a project has become ever more important. This paper describes a research methodology that can help plan the building design process. Design models, based on data flow diagrams, have been developed to map information flows during the design of a modern building. These models are analysed using Steward's design structure matrix, which allows ordering of the tasks to produce schedules or design plans based solely on information flowing between design tasks. Traditional ordering is based on experience but modern complex projects require a more rigorous approach. Design is an inherently iterative activity and design structure matrix analysis reveals how to order most efficiently interdependent tasks and use estimates of design information further to improve the scheduling of design tasks.