Project Management Actions to Improve Design Phase Cost Performance

Abstract

Over 270 engineering design projects are analyzed to assess the impact of the use of project management processes on design phase cost performance. Frequency of design team meetings and frequency of reporting of design phase progress were found to reduce design phase costs. Project manager training and the use of a project management based organizational structure were found not to create statistically significant lower design costs. Calculation of regression lines for the meeting and reporting frequency variables against design costs is shown to be a method to quantify the potential savings to be obtained by application of each process.