Capital projects require thousands of decisions before the owner takes occupancy and begins meaningful operations. Every decision affects compliance with the owner's objectives - program, performance, and cost. How can project teams record and manage decisions to build the project's basis‑of‑fact to inform each new decision? How can the process be transparent to encourage open collaboration?

A Helpful Tool

Conspectus developed Conspectus Cloud, an award-winning, web-based tool that accomplishes this effectively and efficiently. Invite the entire team to participate - owner, designer, estimator, contractor, and supplier. Expose the project record and process, making the decisions transparent to everyone. Leverage the collective knowledge and experience of the entire team through collaborative contribution to the single‑source project record.

What advantages does Conspectus Cloud bring to capital projects?

1. A rational, repeatable project approach minimizing value engineering
2. A standard data structure allowing comparative analysis among projects
3. A methodology enabling continuous estimating to inform decision making

Start at the Beginning

Begin with a checklist. Make easy, Level 1 decisions about what the project requires.

Continue drilling down in the checklist hierarchy to make additional Level 2 and Level 3 decisions about what to include. Working through Level 3 decisions is intuitive and an easy task.

Build Detail

Build the Level 4 detail starting at the beginning. Identify and record basic project constraints such as the project program, zoning criteria, and building code criteria in the Introduction. Identify the regulatory requirement and the project response to each. Say what you know when you know it. Record the results as the team makes each decision.

Define the allowable building geometry and optional configurations within the bounds of the program, zoning ordinance, and building code. Powerful help is available to explore the geometric options. See https://testfit.io/. Leverage algorithmic computation to solve for multiple site and development configurations, quickly.

Explore Level 4 building systems for consideration. Identify viable options for pricing and comparative analysis - concrete, precast, and steel structural frames. Describe the systems in a sentence that estimators can price. Expand the system description with performance requirements, design requirements, and system components when known. Refine the descriptions. Test options against project requirements. Repeat to find the optimal solution.

Optimize and Proceed with Confidence

Follow the checklists and the structured process to prompt discussions and decisions about every project aspect. Make decisions in an appropriate order by simply following the checklist.

Most system exploration is possible without detailed drawings. Estimators know what the systems are. Words, sketches, and diagrams will suffice for pricing. Perform the comparative analysis considering cost, performance, life cycle, and aesthetics to select the optimum value for the project.

Begin detailed drawings after the team selects the most appropriate solution. Then draw once, with the confidence the decision will stick.

Learn More

Conspectus is here to help improve project delivery for everyone on the project team. Call 609.628.2390 or email beyondspecs@conspectusinc.com to request a personal demonstration of Conspectus Cloud - a new tool for a transparent, collaborative project approach.