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Property development Step plan

Construction preparation: from preliminary design to working drawings

Preparing the construction phase runs from the preliminary design through the permit application to the working drawings, the studies and the EPB documents. Each building project or block has its own set of documents. In Lean, each document is attached to the step where it is needed, and for each block you see what is already in and what is still missing.

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Why preparing the construction phase takes so much information

Building a block of flats or a row of houses starts on paper. The architect draws a preliminary design, which becomes a permit application, and after the permit come the working drawings, the foundation and superstructure studies, the bill of quantities and the EPB documents. Each drawing often exists in two forms: a PDF to read and a DWG to keep drawing on.

That is many versions of many drawings, from different parties. If the site crew works with an old working drawing, or the shell construction starts without the EPB start declaration, it costs time and money later on. Some drawings also depend on the buyer: the bathroom and the kitchen are only final once the buyer has chosen.

With IRP in Lean ERP you record the preparation as a sequence of steps, with per step the information that belongs to it. Below is an example of such a step plan. You can model your own processes within IRP.

Step plan: preparing the construction phase

An example of the groups and the information that belongs to them. Most documents belong to the building project or block, some to the subdivision or to the home of one buyer.

  1. Preliminary design drawingsThe preliminary design is the first elaboration of the building, the basis for the permit application. This group holds the preliminary design in PDF, the preliminary design drawings in DWG and the drawings for the permit application.
  2. Permit applicationWith the permit application you apply for the environmental permit for the building. The date of the permit determines when the works can start. This group holds the drawings for the permit application and the date of the environmental permit.
  3. Working drawingsThe working drawings are the drawings the crews work with. This group holds the working drawings in PDF and DWG, the sewerage plan per construction phase or zone, the sill details, the single-line electrical diagram, the technical kitchen plan and the documents for the telephone network extension.
  4. Preparing the worksThe studies and calculations that must be ready before the works start. This group holds the foundation study, the superstructure study and its date, the bill of quantities, the EPB preliminary study, the EPB start declaration, the bathroom plan or technical drawing, the bathroom working drawing and the plan with street names and house numbers.
  5. Reports and contractsThe agreements and reports that accompany the works. This group holds the architect's site reports, the EPB assessor's site reports, the sewerage permit, the date of the environmental permit, the subcontractor contracts, and the material cost, infrastructure costs and financing costs.
  6. PhotosPhotos of the site and of the existing situation have their own place in the step plan, with the building project they belong to.

The administration of each construction phase in one place

A large project is often built in phases or blocks. Each construction phase has its own administration: contracts, drawings, permits and reports. If they are kept together per phase, nobody has to search for the folder that holds the permit for block B.

In Lean, a document is recorded once, but it can be visible in several places: the plan with street names and house numbers belongs to the subdivision and is also needed for each block. Who may view or add to which document is set up with you at the start. An engineering firm or architect can provide their part this way, while the rest of the file stays internal.

Drawings that wait for the buyer's choice

The technical kitchen plan and the technical bathroom drawing are only final once the buyer has made his choice. For each plot you see which documents have come in and which buyer choice is still missing.

A missing kitchen choice stands out during the preparation, not only when the kitchen fitter wants to fix his schedule.

**Real screen from the demo environment**, with fictitious data. For each plot, which documents have come in and which buyer choice is still missing. Click to enlarge.
Real screen from the demo environment, with fictitious data. For each plot, which documents have come in and which buyer choice is still missing. Click to enlarge.

A decision with an extra cost on the right component

If a buyer chooses a different bathroom or an extra socket, not only the drawing changes but also the price. In Lean, such a decision is recorded with its extra cost on the component it concerns.

Whoever later opens that component sees which decision was made and what it costs. Read more about following up orders and costs under Purchasing and Job costing.

**Real screen from the demo environment**, with fictitious data. A decision with an extra cost, recorded on the component. Click to enlarge.
Real screen from the demo environment, with fictitious data. A decision with an extra cost, recorded on the component. Click to enlarge.

Frequently asked questions about preparing the construction phase

Which documents belong to the preparation of the construction phase?

In this example: the preliminary design, the drawings for the permit application, the environmental permit, the working drawings in PDF and DWG, the foundation and superstructure studies, the bill of quantities, the EPB preliminary study and start declaration, and the site reports.

Can one document belong to several blocks?

Yes. A document is recorded once at its level, for example the subdivision, and is visible in the blocks and plots where it is needed.

How do you see which buyer choice is still missing?

For each plot you see which documents have come in and which buyer choice is still missing, for example the kitchen.

The complete step plan for property development

After the preparation, the construction works start, from earthworks and shell construction to the kitchen.

Property development step plan ›Subdivision works ›Construction works ›Software for property development ›
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