ModelCentric Design Danny L Kahler P E Session

Model-Centric Design Danny L. Kahler, P. E. Session T 31 4: 00 p. m. – 5: 00 p. m. August 29 th, 2006 ASQ Annual Conference Energy & Environmental Division Design & Construction Division Tucson, Arizona 1 9/19/2021

Speaker Introduction Danny L. Kahler, P. E. l Civil Engineer l Bridgefarmer & Associates, Dallas, TX l 20+ years of engineering experience l ASQ Senior Member l ASQ CQA, CQM, CQE and CSQE l 2 9/19/2021

Vocabulary l Model - A simplified representation of a system at some particular point in time or space intended to promote understanding of the real system l System – A system exists and operates in time and space l(Definitions obtained from Society for Modeling and Simulation International) 3 9/19/2021

Vocabulary (Continued) l Model Centric Design – All significant design processes extract information from and update changes to a digital model that represents the real system 4 9/19/2021

Traditional Design Technology l The “model” is represented by lines and numbers on rectangular sheets – Each sheet only shows small section of the design – Visualizing the proposed design requires significant practical experience – Changes to the design are difficult – Large labor forces are required for drafting 5 9/19/2021

Enabling Technology l Computer software that allows a design to be drawn using real world units in the same coordinate system that will be used for construction l Computer networks that allow multiple users to to see the latest version of any design component in it’s actual location 6 9/19/2021

IT’S NOT ABOUT SOFTWARE! l Software packages are just tools that help us work with the data l We use software to retrieve the data, analyze it, manipulate it, put it back in, and present it l Model-centric design is about improving the way we use the data to make design decisions 7 9/19/2021

Software Won’t Improve Anything l Design firms continue to invest in the latest software with little improvement in real productivity l Managers eventually turn deaf ears to production staff requests for each new “killer” application l Senior designers still rely on plan sheets to make design changes 8 9/19/2021

We Need Model-Centric Thinking l Firms can separate pure design from construction document drafting l Managers can make choices about hardware and software investments based on actual productivity needs l Senior designers can base their decisions on the actual design, not limited sheet views of it 9 9/19/2021

Evolution of Model-Thinking l Plans Only l “What’s a model? ” l Plans Visualization l The plans build the model Plans and model coexist The model builds the plans – Plans l Roundtrip Engineering – Plans l Model Only l Model-Centric – Plans l Model l Pure design (no more plan sheets) 10 9/19/2021

Do We Still Need Plans? l Agencies will continue to require traditional plans for many years to come l With the Model-Centric approach, the sheets just become views of the model l Each printing of the sheets reflects the most current version of the design model 11 9/19/2021

Why Change the Current System? Design Among Multiple Agencies l Tighter Project Schedules l Design/Build Project Teams l Increased Cost of Errors l Increased Cost of Disputes l Increased Cost of Personnel l Fewer “Seasoned” Engineers l 12 9/19/2021

What Motivates Us to Change? l l l Better use of technical staff Less impact from design changes Improved visualization of the project Improved communication with clients and contractors New methods of discovering and eliminating design & construction conflicts New design practices to match improvements in construction & survey technology 13 9/19/2021

What are the Benefits? l l l l l Allows shorter design schedules More production with less staff Designers doing design not drafting Portability of design to other platforms Clients have more influence during design Faster response to client changes Reduced potential for errors Reduces drudgery of plans production Better communication with construction 14 9/19/2021

What do Design Firms Need? l People trained to communicate in the “language” of design models and real-time design changes l Development of guidelines to help predict revised production rates and labor costs l Establishment of new skills in how to control and assure the quality of the model l We need Model-Centric Quality Assurance 15 9/19/2021

Model-Centric Quality Assurance l Model-Centric Quality Assurance occurs when the evaluation of adequacy of a design is based on the integrated review of the actual design model rather than a fragmented inspection of individual views (plans) 16 9/19/2021

Traditional Design QA l Document Based l Multiple Iterations of Construction Plans l Heavy Focus on Appearance l Frustrating Amount of “Drafting” Comments l Reviewer Reward based on Volume of Comments Generated 17 9/19/2021

Implementing Model-Centric QA l Requires standards for model definition - these standards may already be hidden in agency CADD standards l Needs standardized or compatible software that faithfully represents the proposed design model to the reviewer 18 9/19/2021

Example of Model-Centric QA Problems with storm sewer profiles found early in the design process 19 9/19/2021

Model-Centric QA can be more than review l If the reviewer and designer are on the same software platform, an experienced reviewer can often provide feedback of what process error or errors probably caused the design flaw l QA can evolve from basic third-party product inspection to a team member that provides a value-added analysis of needed design process improvements 20 9/19/2021

Taxonomy of Model-Centric QA l Fit – The static 3 -D Integration of the Project l Flow – Things the project must transport: storm drainage, sewage, vehicles, etc. l Function – Ability of subsystems to do their jobs: signals, gates, message boards, roadway signs, etc. 21 9/19/2021

Can we improve Model-Centric QA? l By borrowing Software Quality Concepts: – Validation – Verification – Accreditation *Terms obtained from DOD sources 22 9/19/2021

VALIDATION l Validation: The process of determining the degree to which a model is an accurate representation of the real-world from the perspective of the intended use of the model l Does the model show us how the components of a proposed design will actually fit together? 23 9/19/2021

VERIFICATON l Verification: The process of determining that a model implementation accurately represents the developer’s conceptual description and specifications l Does the model represent a design that will meet the performance requirements if constructed? 24 9/19/2021

ACCREDITATION l Accreditation: This is the official certification that a model is acceptable for use within the context of a specific objective l Is the model sufficiently detailed to produce accurate construction documents ready for bid? 25 9/19/2021

Can Contractors Take Advantage of a Design Model? l Some contractors already request source design files, and often report the files have fewer errors than the signed and sealed paper plan sheets l Agencies can establish design contract requirements for designer-validated models adequate for bidding purposes 26 9/19/2021

Model-Centric Construction l Machine control from the model l Inspection without stakeout l Real-time status of construction progress l True “As-Built” 27 9/19/2021

How can Model-Centric thinking reduce project costs? l Fewer review documents l Faster turnaround l More efficient use of manhours l Decreased communication errors l Decreased project risk l Early resolution of disputes 28 9/19/2021

Future of Model-Centric Design l l Contractors will begin to expect reliable models from owner agencies in order to prepare more competitive bids Owners will respond to contractor demands by expecting designers to deliver validated design models Stress of system change may force some people out of design and encourage others to progress faster Clients will have the option to conduct realtime reviews of the design model instead of waiting for a submittal 29 9/19/2021

Where to Get More Information Danny Kahler, P. E. , Texas l ASQ Design and Construction Division l Software Vendor, i. e Bentley, Autodesk, Trimble, etc l Land. XML Committee l State Departments of Transportation l 30 9/19/2021

Questions? 31 9/19/2021

Thank you for your attendance Now we can all go hit happy hour 32 9/19/2021