Managing value and quality in design

This paper focuses on the role of stakeholders in defining project values, which in turn influence product quality expectations, and of designers in meeting these goals. Ultimately, these determine the functional, physical and symbolic product characteristics that are necessary to achieve customer satisfaction. The issues of value and quality are compared within the context of design management, including their theoretical and philosophical underpinnings as well as current management techniques. Value and quality can be misunderstood and confused; the authors suggest that it is vital for stakeholders to have a common understanding of terminology and meaning. This is particularly true of customers who need to be engaged in a straightforward manner. We describe our research into the management of value delivery in design and explore opportunities for incorporating design quality indicator (DQI) assessments. The paper discusses how the DQI can form part of a project management system that ensures the delivery of stakeholder value during the design stage. Opportunities for customisation of the DQI content and the context of application at this stage of a project (as opposed to assessments during and after construction) are explored and may be key to success in delivering value in addition to product quality.