Important Qualities of Design Teams in Managing Client's Brief and their Impact on Delivering Quality Buildings

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 35 ( 2012 ) 728 – 738

1877-0428 © 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies(cE-Bs), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysiadoi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.02.143

AicE-Bs 2011 Famagusta

Asia Pacific International Conference on Environment-Behaviour Studies, Salamis Bay Conti Resort Hotel, Famagusta, North Cyprus, 7-9 December 2011

Important Qualities of Design Teams in Managing Client’s Brief and their Impact on Delivering Quality Buildings

Norizan Ahmad*, Aini Jaapar, Hamimah Adnan, Nor Azmi Ahmad Bari& Rahasnan Abd Rashid

Department of Quantity Surveying, Univerisiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 40450 Shah Alam, Malaysia

Abstract

Construction projects may complete on time and at stipulated costs but may fail to produce quality buildings to support technical and business operations. Clients, the key providers of information, often lack knowledge and experience in the briefing process thus, forming barriers for accurate development of briefs. Much research has been carried out to improve briefing practices, yet, none have specifically identified the design team qualities that can improve client’s participation. In responding to calls for research in these areas, this paper suggests architects play important roles, be experienced, good leaders and equipped with specialist skills in various types of buildings.

© 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under the responsibility of Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies (cE-Bs), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

Keywords: Briefing; client; design team; quality building.

1. Introduction

A quality building is one that fulfils a client’s requirements and supports both the business development and operations of the client’s organization. Such buildings provide conducive and healthy workplaces for employees whilst affording benefits to employers through the production of better, innovative products by motivated employees (CIC, 2004). Researchers agree on the two types of project success measured in project delivery: i.e. project management success and product success. A quality building is associated with product success. While project management success is measured based on time, cost and quality, the criteria for product success is the project

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +6019-389 0260; fax: +6 03-55444353. E-mail address: [email protected] .

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

© 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies(cE-Bs), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

729 Norizan Ahmad et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 35 ( 2012 ) 728 – 738

purpose. This refers to fulfilment of the functionality for operations which means meeting the real needs of the user to achieve the client’s strategic business objectives. Hence, the product must match ‘fitness for use’ which is the capacity to function according to the performance required by the user (Baccarini, 1999). This criterion concurs with Juran and Godfrey’s (1994) study which describes quality as ‘fitness for use’.

How successful the project output is in achieving the project purpose and goal depends on how well the strategic brief has been formulated. The construction of quality buildings is therefore, associated with the development of an adequate strategic brief. Clients need to provide this information, yet, their lack of knowledge and experience in the briefing process is a barrier to accurate brief development. Therefore, design teams play pivotal roles in empowering clients during briefing (Barret and Stanley, 1999). The client-design team relationship is essential in helping the designer better understand and motivate clients to participate actively in the briefing process. This involves assessing clients’ knowledge and experience and their requirements for the proposed project. The findings will enable design teams to use an appropriate approach for briefing. The client-design team relationship will also focus on what remains central, i.e. the gathering of required information via improved communication and providing support to clients in appreciating the proposal presented (Baiden and Price, 2011).

2. Client attributes during briefing process and quality building

To fulfill clients’ business requirements, a building must support their work operations and also be adaptable to the changing needs of its users. Evolvement of new technologies creates new work cultures that demand new work settings at the workplace. Appropriate layout of spaces and varieties of work settings that enhance employee satisfaction is increasingly recognised. Quality buildings contribute to a conducive working environment that will impact employee performance and organisation productivity (Heynes, 2009). Becker, (1990) finds five benefits of conducive working environments produced by quality buildings; enhances employee commitment; effective communication; enables change; projects a positive and professional image and improves productivity. These criteria need to be achieved through accurate design solutions that integrate various technical requirements such as physical function; technological environment; spatial provision and personal microenvironment of the employees. These complexities can only be solved by careful understanding of client organisations. The design team needs to know the client’s organisation vision and mission, their working culture and how they are likely to change with time. The client is the best person to deliver this information but, very often the client is unable to express his explicit needs due to lack of commitment and experience (Barret and Stanley, 1999).

In this study, client attributes refer to clients’ characteristic qualities during their participation in the briefing process. Clients are represented by executive and technical representatives during this process. They play important roles in imparting required information to the design team about their proposed project (Norizan, 2008). There are three key issues related to client attributes during the briefing process, the qualities of the client in respect of project implementation; their efforts in managing briefs and commitment of the client organisation in providing resources for the project. Design teams comprise professionals who form a temporary multi-disciplinary team to design and manage the implementation of the project. Generally, the main tasks that need to be performed during briefing include gathering and capturing the client’s requirements as well as translating them into concepts for project solution. Worthington, (2000) suggests that in performing these duties, two main issues that need to be addressed by the design team are the ability to understand the clients and to foster teamwork within the design team and with clients. In order to address these issues, design teams require a certain level of experience, competency, commitment, and to some extent a degree of specialization. These criteria are interrelated as experienced team members are more competent, committed and would have achieved some degree of specialization. Prasad, (2004) concurred that, specialization refers to expert knowledge in designing specific types of buildings that require special features for operations. Specialization may also require knowledge gained from training in the special features of specific building types. On the other hand, specialization may also be expertise gained through repeated experiences in designing similar and specific building types such as mosques, shopping malls, theme parks, heavy industrial buildings etc. Experienced design teams may employ different approaches to better understand the client’s requirements (Barret and Stanley, 1999). 3. The research

While prior research has typically focused on how to improve the briefing process, yet, no particular research has

identified the match between the important qualities of the design team and the attributes of clients that directly impacts the delivery of quality buildings. This research undertakes to identify these factors as prerequisites for


improving the attributes of clients during briefing. A questionnaire survey was generated to obtain data from both the client and consultant architect of projects. Five variables of design team qualities were tested against three main categories of client’s attributes including qualities of clients, brief management efforts and organisation commitment (refer Appendix A). Meanwhile, the three variables of quality criteria reflecting ‘fitness for use’ that were measured are functionality, comfort and impact. A total of 104 respondents, a response rate of 26% was established as the sample of the study.

4. Qualities of design teams in managing client’s brief

A design team is a group of professionals that form a temporary multi-disciplinary team to design and manage the implementation of projects. The architect, leader of the design team, plays important roles and is most involved during project briefings. The architect will manage and coordinate the design contributions of other professional consultants. While the architect’s responsibilities extend to the effective performance of the whole building after its completion, Barret and Stanley (1999) also emphasize the quantity surveyors’ and engineers’ roles as supporting consultants. The quantity surveyor, as cost advisor, manages the cost planning exercise to ensure the design meets the client’s budget. Similarly, the engineer provides structural design in accommodating the structural requirements and engineering systems of the proposed building. A review of the literature reveals the five most important variables related to qualities of design teams during the briefing process as experience, commitment, competency, teamwork and understanding of clients. These variables were tested against client attributes to determine the most important qualities of design teams during the process. Table 1.0 (refer Appendix A) listed the details of sub-variables on the qualities of design teams and Appendix B presents the association test between client attributes and the quality of design teams.

4.1. The influence of qualities of the design team on client attributes

4.1.1. Experience of design teams Experience was identified as the significant quality of the design team as 15 variables were found significantly

correlated with the client attributes (refer Appendix A). The results suggest that experienced design teams are able to guide the clients, help them understand their project objectives and foster teamwork for better information gathering. In doing so, they also build the clients’ trust and commitment. Fundamentally, experienced design teams employ appropriate approaches in supporting the client to develop the brief and appreciate the proposal (Barret and Stanley, 1999; Baiden et al., 2011). All six related attributes of commitment of the client organization were found to be significantly correlated with the experience of the design team.

4.1.2. Commitment The commitment of the design team refers to their level of attention and responsiveness to the project during the

briefing process (Norizan, 2008). The three sub-variables tested were commitment of the three key professional teams. Results confirm the function of the architect as the leading professional during briefing, where 16 (refer Appendix A) client attributes were found significantly correlated. Additionally, the commitment of the engineer’s and the quantity surveyor’s teams was important to support the design’s team in gaining trust from clients. Involvement of the engineer’s team in the design was also crucial for the client’s understanding of the structural functions of the project. This enabled the clients to undertake responsibility in delivering the required information. The quantity surveyors team’s commitment in the advising of costs enabled the clients to appreciate cost implications and realistically manage their briefing process. However, only two brief management efforts related attributes were found to be significantly correlated with the commitment of the design team. These are “organizing the client’s project team” and “coordinating user group for briefing development”. The results suggest that the commitment of the design team does not influence client efforts in managing the brief. Findings from the interviews reveal that clients believe that briefing is the duty of the design team. They place little attention on the process and it is the design team that usually develops and compile the brief and seek the client’s approval while the clients are anxious to proceed on site

4.1.3. . Competency of Design Teams Competency of the design team is the ability of key professionals to play effective roles during the briefing process

(Norizan, 2008). Four sub-variables were tested, of which three sub-variables measured the competency of each key professional team. The fourth variable measured the degree of specialization of the whole team. Only a few client


attributes were found significant with the competency of the team. This stems from the attitude of the client and general practice in Malaysia that brief development is the responsibility of the design team. The diligence of the design team enhanced the client’s trust and their understanding of project objectives. However, the variable “degree of specialization” was found to be significantly correlated with 26 out of 31 related attributes tested. Degree of specialization refers to specialist skills required for complex jobs such as hospitals, airports or factory buildings (Norizan, 2008). Clients normally have limited knowledge of the building’s technical aspects; therefore, the design team plays a leading role in guiding the clients by providing the necessary information.

4.1.4. Teamwork within the Design Teams Teamwork is defined as a group with complementary skills and commitment to a common goal for which they

hold themselves mutually accountable (Baiden et. al., 2011). Results reveal that 17 out of 31 client related attributes were significantly correlated to the sub-variable of teamwork and thus teamwork impacts the client significantly. Good teamwork enables the design team to understand their client organization’s mission and the work process. This enables them to foster the client’s understanding of the project objectives and constraints.

4.1.5. Understanding the Client Understanding clients during briefing involve assessing their knowledge, experience and requirements in the project

(Norizan, 2008). These reflect the types of clients and the complexity of the proposed building (Blyth and Worthington, 2001; Meng. X., 2011). Results reveal that 19 out of 31 related attributes tested were significantly correlated with the sub-variable of ability to understand the client, indicating that the design team’s ability to understand the client was an important sub-variable influencing the attributes of client representatives during briefing. The findings support prior studies which emphasized understanding the clients as one of the fundamentals to be addressed by the design team (Barret and Stanley, 1999, Blyth and Worthington, 2001).

5. Quality buildings

The quality of a building is measured in terms of ‘fitness for purpose’ which is measurable upon completion of the project and once occupied by the users (CIC, 2004). The criteria measured in this research are functionality, comfort and impact. Functionality refers to the quantity, arrangement and inter-relationship of spaces and how the building is designed to be useful (CIC, 2004). The quality criterion was divided into three sub-variables i.e. functionality in terms of use, space and access. Measurement of comfort includes the structure, fabric, finishes and fittings, engineering systems, safety systems and their coordination and integration as well as how well they provide comfort in the building. The factors were divided into two main sub-variables; i.e. the internal environment and performance of engineering services. Impact as defined by CIC (2004) is the ability of the building to delight and create a sense of place to users, uplift the local community and environment. It also includes the design contribution to the art and science of architecture. Therefore, the measurement includes character, innovation and the selection of form and materials used. Appendix B displays the results of the correlation test against client attributes and the quality criteria of the surveyed projects.

5.1 Client attributes during the briefing process

The association test was aimed at identifying important attributes of clients during briefing. Almost all variables tested were found significant. However, the results shown in Appendix B highlight the five most important attributes based on the higher r-value and the number of quality building variables found significant.


5.1.1. 5.1.1 Qualities of client Three variables: knowledge of organization’s mission; ability to lead and manage and ability to coordinate and

foster teamwork are found to be the most significant for all quality criteria tested. Leadership or project champion and understanding of the organization’s business are qualities required of client representatives involved in briefing. Functionality and comfort are two basic criteria of quality that need to be provided. The criteria relate to the process and operations of an organization. The client must be able to communicate this information and at the right time. Besides, understanding of project objectives is required for functionality achievement while experience in the construction process will enable clients to choose the right material and equipment options that contribute to comfort and impact quality. 5.1.2 Brief Management Efforts

Brief management is the process of planning, organizing, coordinating, documenting, communicating and monitoring client requirements. Seven (7) client related attributes are found to be significantly correlated to quality criteria:

(i) allocating adequate time for briefing process (ii) coordinating user groups for brief development (iii) communication within client organizations (iv) ensuring changes are evaluated and taken into account (v) reviewing of brief and sign-off complete brief and specifications. (vi) communication with project teams (vii) coordinating and monitoring brief The results suggest that initiatives associated with comprehensive brief development are important to ensure it is

accurately translated into the design. Baccarini (1999) concurs that a clear project definition is essential for achieving product success. 5.1.3. Commitment of client organizations Commitment of the client’s organization refers to the seriousness of the client and their readiness to provide the necessary resources and support for the successful completion of the project. Six commitment variables (refer Appendix A) were identified. Results reveal that the four most important attributes are:

(i) maintain active participation in the project (ii) support from top management (iii) prompt decision making (iv) effective communication The certainty of the project parameters set out in the policies can only be achieved through top management’s

commitment to providing effective communication, active participation and prompt decisions. The findings are consistent with the literature that these are the key factors that provide certainty to the project (Blyth and Worthington, 2001; Barret & Stanley 1999). Project certainty is vital during the briefing process as it will ensure accurate formulation of the project objectives, for providing direction for project implementation (Lim & Ling, 2001). Commitment to provide finance was less significant since the process is about formulating solutions, thus confirming the information is more important at this stage.

5.2 Relationship between important qualities of design teams, client attributes and quality buildings

Figure 2.0 displays the summary of association between related qualities of design teams that directly influence client attributes, important for delivering quality in proposed buildings. The association reveals the five most important qualities of design teams in descending order are:

(i) ability to understand the client (ii) teamwork within designer’s team (iii) degree of specialization in specific building types (iv) experience in managing briefs with client (v) experience in managing briefs of similar buildings\ Therefore, design teams must first understand the client’s organisation, work as a team and possess specialist skill

and sufficient experience, quantity surveyors and engineers play vital supporting roles.


6. Conclusion

The quality building and services that clients receive is partly dependent upon the client’s own involvement in the project. This will require positive attributes from the clients to ensure that the required quality is delivered. Clients need to be empowered to contribute objectively as they are the experts in their organisations’ business and operations. A project champion who can lead the client’s team, clearly develop and communicate the brief will ensure that the briefing process produces the desired results. Crucially, clients must realize that commitment in delivering prompt information is vital as the process primarily involves capturing the client’s requirements and translating them into the project solution. Similarly, a strong design team that plays effective roles can better ensure clients’ active participation. Besides team-working during the briefing process, it is important that the team makes concerted efforts to understand the client organisation and their stake holders’ requirements. Finally, design teams also need to be well experienced and possess specialist skills in specific building types.

References

Baccarini, D. (1999). The logical framework method for defining project success. Project Management Journal, 30(4), 25-33. Baiden, B.K. and Price, A.D.F. (2011). The effective of intergration on project delivery team effectiveness. International Journal of Project

Management, 29, 129-136. Baiden, B.K. , price A.D.F., Dainty, A.R.J. (2006). The extent of team intergration within construction projects. Barret, P., & Stanley, C. (1999). Better Construction Briefing (First ed.). London: Blackwell Science. Barry P. Haynes, (2008). The Impact of office layout on productivity. Journal of facilities Management, Vol. 6 No.3, 189-201 Blyth, A., & Worthington, J. (2001). Managing the brief for better design (First ed.). London: Spoon Press. CIC. (2004). Design Quality Indicator Online, Construction Industry Council. Retrieved 1May 2004, from http://www.dqi.org.uk/ Franklin Becker, (1990). The Total Workplace: Facilities Management and the Elastic Organisation.New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Juran. J.M., A.B. Godfrey (1999), Quality Handbook (5th eds.). New York, Mc Graw-Hill Lim, E.H., & Ling, F.Y.Y. (2002). A Model for predicting client's contribution to project success. Engineering, Construction and Architectural

Management, 7(5/6), 388-395. Meng, X. (2011) The effect of relationship management on project performance in construction. International Journal of Project Management. Norizan Ahmad (2008). The influence of client attributes on project success: A focus at briefing stage. Unpublished PhD Thesis, Universiti

Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam

Appendix A.

Table 1. List of Sub-Variables for Qualities of Design Teams

Code Qualities of Design Teams Q1 Experience in managing brief with the client Q2 Experience in managing brief of similar type of buildings Q3 Competency of the Architect's team Q4 Competency of the Engineer's team Q5 Competency of the Q.S.'s team Q6 Commitment of the Architect's team Q7 Commitment of the Engineer's team Q8 Commitment of the Q.S.'s team Q9 Degree of specialization in the specific type of building Q10 Teamwork within designer's team Q11 Ability to understand the client


Appendix B. The Association between Qualities of Design Teams and Client Attributes during Briefing Process

Client Attributes Experience Commitment Competency Team Work

Understand the client

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 Q11 Quality of Client’s Representatives. Understanding of project objectives .25** .27** .28** .25** .16 .25** .27** .00 .38** .27** .31**

Knowledge of organization’s mission .10 .07 .20* .09 .13 .15 .18 .05 .30** .21* .26**

Ability to coord. and foster teamwork .28** .21* .29** .10 .23 .28** .21* .10 .37** .33 .28**

Ability to comm. & manage information flow .04 .11 .20* .09 .16 .09 .13 .08 .19 .19 .17

Ability to lead and manage projects .14 -.03 .27** .07 .24* .13 .02 .08 .23* .23* .18

Understand their roles and responsibilities .08 .03 .25** .22* .22* .18 .11 .10 .19* .15 .18

Commitment .12 .07 .21* .04 .18 .12 .14 .07 .34** .29** .24* Awareness of Project constraints .09 .12 .26** .09 .18 .12 .13 .09 .19* .19* .26**

Experience in construction process .18 .06 .10 .09 .13 .12 .11 .08 .11 .17 .13

Understanding of project priorities .06 -.07 .23* .13 .16 .15 .03 .18 .24* .19 .26**

Degree of trust in designer’s team .20* .28** .25** .25** .22** .20* .28** .22* .32** .34** .35**

Authority in decision making .03 -.08 .18 .01 .14 -.01 .01 .02 .04 .14 .03

No. of attributes sig. 3 3 10 3 3 3 3 1 9 7 7 Brief Management Effort Ensuring changes evaluated & taking acct. .25** .06 .08 .10 .03 .08 .01 .05 .22* .13 .23*

Review brief and sign-off complete brief .25** 0.25** .07 .14 .11 .05 -.00 .01 .26** .13 .26**

Allocating adequate time for project .13 0.34* .07 .06 .08 .10 .07 .07 .38** .21* .26**

Comm. client organization .21* .36** .14 .02 .11 .06 .03 .05 .29** .11 .23*

Coordinating user group for brief development .19* 0.20* .20* .08 .24* .14 .10 .15 .32** .32** .18

Dev. doc. and comm clear brief .22* 0.24* .10 .12 .12 .08 01 .04 .33** .19* .21*

Coordinating and monitoring of brief .22* .18 .09 .13 .11 .05 -.01 .05 .34** .17 .24*

Planning for brief development .11 0.19* .12 .06 .14 .12 .11 .13 .30** .23* .16

Comm. project team .24* .21 .16 .16 .13 .15 .09 .03 .26** .14 .25** Organization of client’s project team .32** .46** .26** .17 .32** .28** .19* .18 .41** .31** .26**

Allocating adequate time for briefing process .15 .18 .12 .08 .14 .12 .13 .10 .36** .29** .17

Reducing level of bureaucracy .16 .05 .06 .01 .03 .04 .00 .03 .19 .14 .17

No. of attributes sig. 8 7 2 0 2 1 1 0 11 6 8 Commitment of Client’s Organization Maintain active participation .30** .26** .22* .24* .29** .15 .13 .12 .33** .23* .23*

Prompt decision making .21* .16 .18 .06 .16 .11 .09 .10 .28** .23* .23* Full time representative .251* .16 .15 .09 .17 .07 .12 .13 .22* .09 .09 Support of top management .32** .23* .25* .22* .28** .23* .18 .19 .39** .23* .23*

Effectiveness Communication .32** .31** .20* .18 .16 .14 .12 .06 .34** .25** .25**

Providing finance .29** .31** .23* .27** .25** .15 .20* .29** .20* .16 .16 No. of attributes sig. 6 4 4 3 3 1 1 1 6 4/9 4 Total no of attributes sig. 15/31 14/31 16/31 6/31 8/31 5/31 5/31 2/31 26/31 17/31 19/31

735 Norizan Ahmad et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 35 ( 2012 ) 728 – 738 Ta

ble

2. S

umm

ary

of c

orre

latio

n te

st b

etw

een

five

mos

t sig

nific

ant c

lient

attr

ibut

es a

nd fu

nctio

nalit

y qu

ality

Func

tiona

lity

Qua

lity

F1

r val

ue

F2

r val

ue

F3

r val

ue

F4

r val

ue

F5

r val

ue

F6

r val

ue

F7

r val

ue

F8

r val

ue

F9

r val

ue

F10

r val

ue

F11

r val

ue

F12

r val

ue

F13

r val

ue

F14

r val

ue

No

Item

si

g (N

=104

)

Qua

litie

s of c

lient

’s re

pres

enta

tive

Kno

wle

dge

of th

eir o

rgan

izat

ion

mis

sion

0.28

**

0.38

**

0.38

**

0.15

0.

16

0.33

**

0.40

**

0.41

**

0.41

**

0.34

**

0.39

**

0.30

**

0.19

* 0.

31**

12

Abi

lity

to le

ad a

nd m

anag

e 0.

16

0.37

**

0.40

**

0.19

0.

29**

0.

31**

0.

32**

0.

36**

0.

34**

0.

22**

0.

34**

0.

32**

0.

15

0.26

**

11

Abi

lity

to c

oord

inat

e an

d fo

ster

team

wor

k 0.

27**

0.

50**

0.

48**

0.

19

0.26

**

0.43

**

0.36

**

0.43

**

0.41

**

0.36

**

0.46

**

0.28

**

0.17

0.

28*

12

Abi

lity

to c

omm

unic

ate

and

man

age

flow

of

info

rmat

ion

0.21

*

0.48

**

0.45

**

0.19

0.

22*

0.38

**

0.26

**

0.36

**

0.39

**

0.27

**

0.38

**

0.28

**

0.14

0.

23*

12

Und

erst

andi

ng o

f pro

ject

obj

ectiv

es

0.22

* 0.

34**

0.

39**

0.

09

0.24

* 0.

37**

0.

33**

0.

33**

0.

39**

0.

30**

0.

37**

0.

30**

0.

28**

0.

31**

13

Brie

f man

agem

ent e

ffort

allo

catin

g ad

equa

te ti

me

for b

riefin

g pr

oces

s 0.

35**

0.

56**

0.

56**

0.

19*

0.24

* 0.

39**

0.

41**

0.

41**

0.

43**

0.

29**

0.

48**

0.

32**

0.

10

0.34

**

13

coor

dina

ting

user

gro

up fo

r brie

f dev

elop

men

t 0.

37**

0.

54**

0.

57**

0.

18

0.22

* 0.

42**

0.

40**

0.

51**

0.

43**

0.

27**

0.

40**

0.

37**

0.

15

0.37

**

12

devp

., do

c. a

nd c

omm

unic

atin

g cl

ear b

rief

0.49

**

0.63

**

0.68

**

0.15

0.

26**

0.

46**

0.

51**

0.

55**

0.

51**

0.

46**

0.

48**

0.

46**

0.

17

0.44

**

12

ensu

ring

chan

ges a

re e

valu

ated

and

take

n in

to

acco

unt

0.34

**

0.49

**

0.47

**

0.24

* 0.

33**

0.

39**

0.

29**

0.

45**

0.

44**

0.

39**

0.

30**

0.

35**

0.

29**

0.

36**

14

5. .

revi

ew b

rief a

nd si

gn-o

ff co

mpl

ete

brie

f and

sp

ec.

. 0.

37**

0.

51**

0.

55**

0.

20*

0.30

**

0.42

**

0.32

**

0.47

**

0.38

**

0.40

**

0.32

**

0.31

**

0.21

* 0.

35**

14

Com

mitm

ent o

f clie

nt’s

org

anis

atio

n

mai

ntai

n ac

tive

parti

cipa

tion

in th

e pr

ojec

t .2

09*

.281

**

.386

**

.282

**

.331

**

.297

**

.276

* .2

55**

.2

62**

.2

38*

.252

**

.163

.1

90

.108

11

prom

ptne

ss o

f dec

isio

n m

akin

g .2

90*

.430

**

.472

**

.280

* .2

29**

.3

41**

.2

10*

.305

**

.292

**

.289

**

.308

**

.151

.0

86

.127

11

effe

ctiv

enes

s of c

omm

unic

atio

n .2

80**

.4

07**

.5

17**

.2

06*

.267

**

.349

**

.225

**

.358

**

.322

**

.308

**

.325

**

.243

* .1

24

.155

12


ble

3. S

umm

ary

of c

orre

latio

n te

st b

etw

een

five

mos

t sig

nific

ant c

lient

attr

ibut

es a

nd c

omfo

rt qu

ality

Com

fort

Qua

lity

C1

r val

ue

C2

r val

ue

C3

r val

ue

C4

r val

ue

C5

r val

ue

C6

r val

ue

C7

r val

ue

C8

r val

ue

C9

r val

ue

C10

r val

ue

C11

r val

ue

C12

r val

ue

C13

r val

ue

C14

r val

ue

No

Item

si

g (N

=104

)

Qua

litie

s of c

lient

’s re

pres

enta

tive

Expe

rienc

es in

con

stru

ctio

n pr

oces

s 0.

17

0.27

**

0.30

**

0.31

**

0.28

**

0.32

* 0.

23*

0.26

**

0.18

0.

06

0.04

0.

25**

0.

19*

0.23

* 10

Kno

wle

dge

of th

eir o

rgan

izat

ion

mis

sion

0.13

0.

25**

0.

34**

0.

32**

0.

19*

0.24

**

0.30

**

0.25

**

0.28

**

0.15

0.

06

0.24

* 0.

25*

0.29

**

11

Abi

lity

to le

ad a

nd m

anag

e 0.

11

0.24

* 0.

33**

0.

22*

0.24

* 0.

31**

0.

34**

0.

34**

0.

29**

0.

21*

0.17

0.

25*

0.25

* 0.

15

11

Abi

lity

to c

oord

inat

e an

d fo

ster

team

wor

k 0.

19

0.26

**

0.35

**

0.33

**

0.27

**

0.39

**

0.44

**

0.36

**

0.39

**

0.25

* 0.

07

0.29

**

0.36

**

0.25

**

12

Abi

lity

to c

omm

unic

ate

and

man

age

flow

of

info

. 0.

00

0.15

0.

26**

0.

25**

0.

22*

0.31

**

0.36

**

0.36

**

0.36

**

0.30

**

0.07

0.

27**

0.

33**

0.

17

10

Brie

f man

agem

ent e

ffort

allo

catin

g ad

equa

te ti

me

for b

riefin

g pr

oces

s .2

76**

.3

18**

.3

50**

.3

45**

.3

21**

.1

63

.347

**

.386

**

.318

**

.262

**

.090

.4

15**

.3

26**

.2

79**

12

coor

dina

ting

user

gro

up fo

r brie

f dev

elop

men

t .2

21*

.318

* .3

00**

.3

07**

.2

62**

.2

10*

.397

**

.418

**

.377

**

.220

* .1

15

.362

**

.324

**

.291

**

13

com

mun

icat

ion

with

in c

lient

org

aniz

atio

n .2

73**

.3

48**

.3

57**

.2

90**

.3

32**

.2

39**

.3

51**

.4

17**

.3

82**

.2

60**

.1

83

.377

**

.390

**

.332

**

13

ensu

ring

chan

ges a

re e

valu

ated

and

take

n in

to a

cct.

.093

.3

01**

.2

73**

.3

03**

.2

03**

.2

78**

.3

24**

.3

90**

.4

47**

.3

64**

.1

53

.196

* .4

29**

.2

88**

13

Com

mitm

ent o

f clie

nt’s

org

anis

atio

n

supp

ort f

rom

top

man

agem

ent

0.05

0.

17

0.20

* 0.

18

0.06

0.

32**

0.

22*

0.30

**

0.43

**

0.29

**

0.09

0.

14

0.26

**

0.08

7

prom

ptne

ss o

f dec

isio

n m

akin

g 0.

01

0.17

0.

20*

0.24

* 0.

14

0.33

**

0.27

**

0.36

**

0.47

**

0.30

**

0.08

0.

11

0.35

**

0.11

8

effe

ctiv

enes

s of c

omm

unic

atio

n

0.02

0.

25*

0.30

**

0.29

**

0.20

* 0.

45**

0.

35**

0.

42**

0.

53**

0.

34**

0.

14

0.19

0.

38**

0.

26**

11

** C

orre

latio

n is

sign

ifica

nt a

t the

0.0

1 le

vel (

2-ta

iled)

. *

Cor

rela

tion

is si

gnifi

cant

at t

he 0

.05

leve

l (2-

taile

d)


ble

4. S

umm

ary

of c

orre

latio

n te

st b

etw

een

five

mos

t sig

nific

ant c

lient

attr

ibut

es a

nd im

pact

qua

lity

Impa

ct Q

ualit

y M

1

r val

ue.

M2

r val

ue

M3

r val

ue

M4

r va

lue

M5

r va

lue

M6

r val

ue

M7

r val

ue

M8

r val

ue

M9

r va

lue

No

Item

sig.

(N

=104

)

Qua

litie

s of c

lient

’s re

pres

enta

tive

Expe

rienc

e in

con

stru

ctio

n pr

oces

s .2

2*

.16

.2*

.20*

23

* .3

0**

.27*

* .2

3*

.33*

* 8

Kno

wle

dge

of th

eir o

rgan

izat

ion

mis

sion

.33*

* .3

1**

.33*

* .3

3**

.23*

.2

3*

.29*

* .3

0**

.32*

* 9

Abi

lity

to le

ad a

nd m

anag

e .2

8**

.26*

* .3

3**

.29*

* .2

5*

.24*

.3

5**

.19*

.3

3**

9

Abi

lity

to c

oord

inat

e an

d fo

ster

team

wor

k .3

3**

.35*

* .3

8**

.33*

* .3

0**

.30*

* .3

9**

.21*

* .4

5**

9

Und

erst

and

thei

r rol

es a

nd re

spon

sibili

ties

.32*

* .3

0**

.32*

* ..3

3**

.21*

.2

3*

.27*

* .1

3 .3

5**

8

Brie

f man

agem

ent e

ffort

allo

catin

g ad

equa

te ti

me

for b

riefin

g pr

oces

s 0.

39**

0.

30**

0.

30**

0.

30**

0.

25**

0.

27**

0.

21*

0.30

**

0.41

**

9

coor

dina

ting

user

gro

up fo

r brie

f dev

elop

men

t 0.

37**

0.

28**

0.

26**

0.

29**

0.

22*

0.29

**

0.30

**

0.27

**

0.43

**

9

coor

dina

ting

and

mon

itorin

g br

ief

0.53

**

0.44

**

0.41

**

0.48

**

0.39

**

0.37

**

0.36

**

0.31

**

0.49

**

9

com

mun

icat

ion

with

pro

ject

team

0.

34**

0.

29**

0.

31**

0.

33**

0.

31**

0.

19*

0.26

**

0.27

* 0.

35**

9

revi

ew b

rief a

nd si

gn-o

ff co

mpl

ete

brie

f and

spec

. 0.

41**

0.

40**

0.

34**

0.

42**

0.

37**

0.

22*

0.44

**

0.32

**

0.41

**

9

Com

mitm

ent o

f clie

nt’s

org

anis

atio

n

supp

ort f

rom

top

man

agem

ent

0.25

**

0.27

**

0.27

**

0.24

* 0.

23*

0.11

0.

27**

0.

10

0.23

* 7

pro

mpt

ness

of d

ecisi

on m

akin

g 0.

30**

0.

30**

0.

27**

0.

31**

0.

23*

0.20

* 0.

30**

0.

17

0.30

**

8

effe

ctiv

enes

s of c

omm

unic

atio

n 0.

35**

0.

33**

0.

33**

0.

36**

0.

33**

0.

27**

0.

32**

0.

19

0.33

**

8

** C

orre

latio

n is

sign

ifica

nt a

t the

0.0

1 le

vel (

2-ta

iled)

. *

Cor

rela

tion

is si

gnifi

cant

at t

he 0

.05

leve

l (2-

taile

d)


Des

ign

team

qua

litie

s C

lient

attr

ibut

es

Q: 3

, 9, 1

0, 1

1 1.

K

now

ledg

e of

thei

r org

aniz

atio

n m

issio

n Q

: 3,.5

, 9,.1

0 2.

A

bilit

y to

lead

and

man

age

Q: 1

, 2, 3

,.6,.7

,.9, 1

1 3.

A

bilit

y to

coo

rdin

ate

and

fost

er te

am w

ork

Q3.

4.

A

bilit

y to

com

mun

icat

e an

d m

anag

e flo

w o

f inf

orm

atio

n Q

: 1, 2

,.3,.4

,.7,.9

,.10

5.

Und

erst

andi

ng o

f pro

ject

obj

ectiv

es

B

rief

man

agem

ent e

ffor

t Q

: 2,.9

,.10

1.

plan

ning

for b

rief d

evel

opm

ent

Q: 9

,.10

2.

allo

catin

g ad

equa

te ti

me

for b

riefin

g pr

oces

s Q

: 1, 2

,.3,.5

,.9,.1

0 3.

co

ordi

natin

g us

er g

roup

for b

rief d

evel

opm

ent

Q: 1

,2,.9

,11

4.

devp

., do

c. a

nd c

omm

unic

atin

g cl

ear b

rief

Q: 1

, 9, 1

1 5.

co

ordi

natin

g an

d m

onito

ring

brie

f Q

: 1, 2

,.9,.1

1 6.

co

mm

unic

atio

n w

ithin

clie

nt o

rgan

izat

ion

Q: 1

, 9, 1

1 7.

co

mm

unic

atio

n w

ith p

roje

ct te

am

Q: 2

,.9, 1

0 8.

en

surin

g ch

ange

s are

eva

luat

ed a

nd ta

ken

into

acc

ount

Q

: 1, 2

, 9,.1

1 9.

re

view

brie

f and

sign

-off

com

plet

e br

ief a

nd sp

ec.

.

Com

mitm

ent o

f clie

nt’s

org

anisa

tion

Q: 1

, 2,.3

,.4, 5

,.9,.1

0, 1

1 1.

m

aint

ain

activ

e pa

rtici

patio

n in

the

proj

ect

Q: 1

,9,.1

0, 1

1 2.

pr

ompt

ness

of d

ecis

ion

mak

ing

Q: 1

, 2,.3

,.9,.1

0, 1

1 3.

ef

fect

iven

ess o

f com

mun

icat

ion

Q: 1

, 2, 3

, 4, 5

, 6, 9

, 10,

11

4.

Supp

ort o

f top

man

agem

ent

QU

AL

ITY

C

RIT

ER

IA

Func

tiona

lity

Com

fort

Impa

ct

Fig.

2. S

umm

ary

of a

ssoc

iatio

ns b

etw

een

impo

rtant

qua

litie

s of d

esig

n te

ams a

nd re

late

d cl

ient

attr

ibut

es th

at in

fluen

ce q

ualit

y of

bui

ldin

gs

Documents

Important Qualities of Design Teams in Managing Client's Brief and their Impact on Delivering Quality Buildings