The relationship between the management of design projects and improved performance in the building services sector of the construction industry

In today's increasingly competitive market within the construction industry, there is intense pressure to deliver client satisfaction. Never before has client loyalty been so hard to maintain and professional expertise so intensely scrutinized. The principles underlying the management of design provide a vehicle on which a model has been developed which can be applied to projects at all stages of their development; from assembling the clients priorities in the early stages of design, right through to analysing the results post project completion. The data for the model has been derived from two active case study projects. The literature review and survey research provides an analytical framework on which the model is based. A close correlation has been found to exist between effective management and project performance. It is hoped that this research will help manifest an efficient, successful and profitable working environment where Engineers are better able to bridge the gap between management theory and practice so as to achieve improved performance, and ultimately achieve competitive advantage.