Assessment of the propensity for revisions in design projects through the dichotomous characterization of designer effort

This paper defines the concept of the propensity of a design project to encounter rework and discusses its significance within the context of the planning and estimation functions. A formalism for the representation of the concept of rework propensity that could be used in planning and estimation is developed. The representation is facilitated by embodying the notions of magnitude of designer effort and the corresponding probability of occurrence of a sequence of events in a design project that entails the use of a specific level of designer effort. The paper then discusses the mathematical theory that underpins the practical and simplified procedure proposed by this research for the estimation of the propensity of a project to encounter rework. A detailed procedure for the estimation of rework propensity involving the use of an approximated k-Rk (AKR) curve is presented. A sample application that demonstrates the use of the simplified procedure is also presented.