In part two of this series, we discussed the importance of collaborative communication and building the right team for a remodel project’s needs. In this final installment, we’ll discuss equally important pieces of the remodel puzzle: managing multiple sites in various jurisdictions while keeping on track and on budget.
Managing multiple sites in the A+E industry presents unique challenges that require flexibility, careful planning, and strong partnerships. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work for varied layouts and regional requirements, makes engaging an experienced A+E firm crucial. This article delves into strategies for effective multi-site management, including risk assessments, standardized processes, and open communication. By leveraging the expertise of a seasoned A+E team and emphasizing clear, constant communication, clients can ensure successful project outcomes that meet design, budget, and schedule expectations.
“Building the right team is understanding the size. Knowing your clients and understanding their expectations will dictate what size team we need to form to best support them. Another important aspect? What timeframe are we looking at? How quickly can we ramp up and bring on the right staff to meet those expectations,” asked Steven Baker (AIA, NCARB), Hospitality Lead at HFA.
Managing Multiple Sites
Just like you can’t fit a square peg in a round hole, you shouldn’t force a one-size-fits-all prototype on multiple sites, especially if they are distinctly different layouts. This is where having an experienced A+E firm comes in, one that can work to factor in design flexibility into the prototypes, or even partner with you to develop tiers of prototypes for different market sectors dependent on size, regionality, etc.
By engaging an experienced A+E firm with years of experience working in multiple locations with simultaneous projects, the client can count on the design team to leverage their expertise for successful projects. Managing multiple projects requires careful planning, effective communication, and strong project management skills.
Here are some key strategies to consider when working on several projects across a region or the entire country:
I. Risk Management
Conduct thorough risk assessments for each project, considering factors such as regulatory requirements, weather and seismic conditions, and permitting challenges specific to each location. Develop contingency plans to mitigate risks and minimize their impact on project schedules and budgets.
II. Standardized Processes and Quality Control
Create and follow standardized processes and quality control across all projects to ensure consistency in design, construction standards, and deliverables to ensure the projects meet agreed upon expectations regardless of location. (Note: it’s not enough to nominate a single team member to lead these QC processes. Aligning on and creating a collaborative QC document that includes checks and balances that multiple team members can align on is key for nothing, not even the most minor aspects, to fall through the cracks.)
For instance, one of our remodel teams has a collaborative document for each project that allows at least three team members that touch the project to run through the checklist, making sure nothing is missed, which is vitally important on multi-site projects where we find it can be easy to overlook something because of apathy.
III. Open Communication
It’s vital for you and your A+E team to know and discuss regional requirements that could impact the design and agree to changes early on to avoid delays and maintain your vision.
Navigating Budgets and Timing the Right Way
A successful project delivers on your design, budget, and schedule expectations. Partnering with an A+E firm emphasizing clear and constant communication can avoid issues before, during, and after a project. Here are three takeaways for effectively managing budgets and timelines:
Understand Priorities and Goals:
The A+E firm should understand your priorities, goals, and expectations from the beginning of a project. This includes some of the most important details: timing and budget constraints. Discussing these upfront with the entire team helps align cost expectations from the outset and avoids uncomfortable conversations.
Set Clear Milestones and Deliverables:
A trusted A+E partner should be able to establish clear milestones for deliverables early. They will help define key phases— conceptual design, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction phases—and then let you know when approvals are needed for each stage.
Manage Expectations:
Unforeseen things happen on nearly every project. Your A+E team can help manage expectations and keep the project on track successfully if you discuss contingencies and potential risks that could impact schedules or budgets early on. This way, they can make more informed decisions on your behalf when working with other project stakeholders. It’s important that you and your A+E team be honest about uncertainties and how they will be managed. Perhaps most importantly, the entire team should strive to maintain open communication throughout the project, no matter how difficult those conversations might be.
Remodeling for Future Success
Remodeling projects for large, national brands or local retailers both require careful planning and execution to ensure success. Best practices for ensuring success on one-off or multi-site projects begin with partnering with a robust A+E team skilled at customizing strategies to fit specific needs, conducting thorough site analyses, and leveraging advanced scanning technologies to anticipate challenges and reduce costly changes. Advocating for and utilizing effective change management systems and transparent communication structures is essential to maintaining project alignment and meeting your expectations for business success. Ultimately, successful projects are characterized by clear goals, consistent communication, and a strong partnership with an experienced A+E firm that cares about pushing your program to the finish line as seamlessly and successfully as possible.
For more information about our experience with remodel programming, please reach out to Bo Ebbrecht, Vice President, at bo.ebbrecht@hfa-ae.com or visit our website.
Thank you to Bo Ebbrecht (AIA, NCARB, RIBA), Brent Tweedy, Steven Baker (AIA, NCARB), Courtney Ayres (NCIDQ, RID), Shaun Black, and Kelly King for their contributions to this article.
