Change, option and value analysis, consultant coordination, issue tracking, and decision support are the dynamic processes that manage project decisions. As Level 4 controls, they comprise the project's “brain, nervous and immune system” that keeps occupants safe, healthy, and out of the weather. As the framework's “enclosure,” this level is a protective shield to guard against external forces, anticipate change, and bring closure. In a Maslow-ian sense it's the self-actualized management level. Once set, the Level 1, 2, and 3 controls inevitably change and evolve. It's the team's job to manage that change strategically, using Level 4 controls (Figure 21.1), as described in the following sections.

Change

Change is the inevitable dynamic that will occur on your project and must be managed, including:

• Unplanned revisions, market conditions, errors, human nature and constant, well-intentioned miscommunications to project controls
• The resulting impacts and effects of one element's change on other project controls
• The management actions and reactions that must be made in response to these changes to keep or restore the project to balance.

Those surprised by project change reveal their limited experience. As a design manager, start by setting up change management systems (i.e. databases, cost, and list tracking). Manage them. Look ahead and prioritize issues. Use data to balance amid change. It's coming. Be ready.

Use owner decisions, design pending items, opportunities and exposures, and design criteria logs to track and manage change. You won't be able to do it in your head. You'll need databases and management systems. Use the core structural Project Design Controls in Level 2 as a baseline, with modifications. A change to any one Project Design Control will always have a related impact on one or more others. Another analogy: corks floating in water – push down on one and another must rise, or a cause a ripple effect.

Options and Value Analysis

Since projects are designed and built in dynamic conditions, owners want options open until the last minute. This can be problematic for designers looking for direction and contractors looking for documents to build by. Teams can help themselves with options analysis. Set up templates to analyze alternatives, complete with option names, short descriptions, supporting imagery, cost data, pro/con analysis, and schedule impacts. Teams that do stay ahead of the game. They create information in “decision-ready” form. They recognize and control it as part of their job. Those who lament they “can't get decisions” get left behind.

Value analysis (VA) is an essential design control. To achieve best value, owner-focused teams develop and manage value analysis ideas. To control design, embrace VA. Keep lists, develop creative interdisciplinary ideas, and classify them for acceptability and timing. Track their incorporation into the documents. When you hear phrases like “I'm waiting on x” or “I can't start because y,” reframe the problem and clear the path to make each item actionable.

Decision Support: Issue Tracking and Completion

Decision support is a sister activity to options and value analysis. Beyond analyzing a single option, it's the ongoing management of pending decisions and priorities. When a teammate is overwhelmed or lacks information to make decisions, design managers help them get what they need. Prioritize, track, and manage these outstanding decisions; don't ignore them.

Consultant Coordination

In complex projects, the number of consultants grows by the minute. With not enough time to check their work, designers are challenged to coordinate document sets. Contractors and owners can help by connecting designers and their consultants with trade experts, users, and FM staff. Consultants design a major percentage of project cost. Help your team coordinate and integrate their work. Those who hide behind the “that's not my job” excuse defer the pain they'll face from uncoordinated work.