Client requirements processing for concurrent life-cycle design and construction

The potential of concurrent engineering in the integration of the construction industry is now widely acknowledged. This paper describes research on the development of a model for processing client requirements so as to facilitate the implementation of an integrated framework far concurrent life-cycle design and construction. Client requirements processing involves the definition, analysis and translation of client requirements Into solution-neutral design specifications. The development of a model for accomplishing this involved the use of both primary and secondary sources of information, and techniques such as Quality Function Deployment, to define the need, context, framework, and procedure far client requirements processing in concurrent life-cycle design and construction. The functional and informational/data perspectives of the model, which were represented using the IDEF-0 and EXPRESS-G modelling methods, respectively, provided the basis for developing a prototype software (ClientPro) within Microsoft Access. This prototype was evaluated by practitioners from the construction industry following a demonstration using the requirements for a building project. It is concluded that the client requirements processing model represents a unique and innovative approach in which Quality Function Deployment and other tools were successfully combined and adapted to facilitate the systematic definition, analysis. and mapping of client requirements to design specifications in construction. it not only contributes to the implementation of concurrent engineering in construction, but it represents an improved alternative to the existing process of briefing.