Civil Engineering Project Management: Design Phase and Organization

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing design phase management, organizational structures, payment structures, procurement strategies, and project controls.

Brooks Act

A federal law mandating that for public projects, engineering and architecture firms must be selected based upon their competency, qualifications, and experience rather than by price (does not apply to construction firms).

Phased Design Procurement Strategy

A procurement method—frequently utilized by entities such as departments of transportation (DOT)—where design work begins in-house before retaining an external design firm later in the project.

Scope Freezing

A project management technique that establishes a "no-later-than" date after which no major design changes are accepted unless they are critical, controlling design growth.

Schematic Design (SD) Stage

The initial design phase (~30% complete) focusing on the overall design concept, massing, and room functions, producing design documentation prepared primarily for the project owner.

Design Development (DD) Stage

The intermediate design phase (~60% complete) that develops the design to greater detail considering constructability and cost, with documentation created primarily for design team members.

Construction Document (CD) Stage

The final design phase (~90–100% complete) where design details are finalized to the "nut-and-bolt" level, producing drawings and specifications primarily for the construction team and bidding.

Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)

An agency, organization, or office responsible for enforcing building codes, design standards, and inspection requirements on a construction project.

Functionally Oriented Design Firm

An organizational structure arranged by project type (such as heavy civil, buildings, process, and transportation) that is efficient for single-function projects but disperses technical disciplines across departments.

Discipline Oriented Design Firm

An organizational structure grouped by technical specialty (e.g., architectural, civil, electrical, mechanical) that is efficient for small projects but prone to inter-departmental conflicts and lost project identity on complex jobs.

Matrix Organization

An organizational structure featuring two reporting lines for design staff—one to a technical/functional supervisor and one to a project manager—allowing flexible resource allocation across multiple projects.

Weak Matrix

A matrix organization where discipline or functional leads possess primary decision-making authority, prioritizing optimal technical design at the potential expense of project cost and schedule.

Strong Matrix

A matrix organization where project managers have ultimate decision-making authority over projects, ensuring that cost, schedule, and cross-functional tradeoffs remain central.

Direct Costs (Design Firm)

The direct expenses a design firm pays to complete a specific project job, excluding general corporate overhead.

Total Fee

The amount an owner pays a design firm on top of direct costs, mathematically defined as: $\text{Total Price} - \text{Direct Costs}$.

Overhead (Design Firm)

The operational expenses a design firm incurs to keep itself running (such as office rent and general payroll) that cannot be charged directly to a specific project.

Profit (Design Firm)

The net compensation retained by a design firm after subtracting all project and operational expenses, calculated as: $\text{Total Price} - \text{Direct Costs} - \text{Overhead}$.

Lump Sum Payment Structure

A fixed pricing arrangement suited for projects with a well-defined scope, no unusual features, and similarity to past projects, calculated via WBS labor-hour estimates plus overhead and contingency.

Salary Cost Times Multiplier

A payment structure where billing equals actual salary costs multiplied by an agreed factor (typically between 2 and 3) to cover overhead and profit; appropriate when project scope is difficult to define accurately at hiring.

Cost Plus Fixed Fee

A pricing arrangement where the owner reimburses direct salary costs plus a pre-agreed fixed fee for overhead and profit (typically 10% for large projects and 25% for smaller ones), suited when scope is defined only in general terms.

Percentage of Construction Payment Structure

An uncommon payment structure in which the designer is paid a set percentage (typically 5% to 12%) of the anticipated construction costs depending on the scope of services provided.

Kick-off Meeting

The formal project team meeting that must take place between initial WBS development/team assembly and the creation of detailed work packages.

Work Package

A discrete deliverable or task breakdown within a WBS that should be created by the discipline specialists executing the work rather than the project manager alone.

Units Completed Method

A work progress measurement method applied to repetitive tasks that produce identical, easily countable deliverables (e.g., writing specifications).

Incremental Milestone Method

A work progress measurement technique that credits progress upon reaching predefined, sequential sub-task milestones (e.g., installing major equipment).

Start/Finish Method

A work measurement approach used for short-duration tasks lacking intermediate stages, earning partial percent completion upon initiation and the remaining balance upon final completion (e.g., aligning a piece of equipment).

Ratio Method

A work progress measurement approach used for ongoing level-of-effort tasks that span project duration without producing measurable physical units (e.g., project management).

Owner's Representative

A third-party professional or consulting firm (e.g., Aegis Property Group) retained by an owner to represent their interests across project design, regulatory approvals, construction, and occupancy phases.

Construction Documents

The contract documents consisting of drawings and specifications that are sealed by licensed professional engineers, define the contractor's legal building obligations, and are submitted for building permits.