To read Design Process Part One: Approval First click here
Last month we discussed the importance of getting client approval on concepts at the beginning of the design process before documentation of the project is underway. But what happens if the client requests changes AFTER documentation has begun, or even been completed?
On occasion, even if you’ve been firm enough to say “no” when needed, and even when you’ve made sure you have an approved direction before working ahead, a wrench may be thrown into everything you’ve worked towards when suddenly, a client asks you to make changes to an already-approved design. This could happen for many reasons:
- a response to a client directive given to another trade that overlaps with your scope
- a chance to score an extra LEED, WELL, or Fitwel point
- a sudden reduction in the budget due to loss of funding
- a client has changed their opinion on a design feature
Despite being the most frustrating, this situation can be the most flexible, as most of the time, when a design change occurs after approval, clients are generally more inclined to work with designers to make up for the extra hours required to backtrack and re-design. If a client does not offer to compensate someone after requesting that they change a design that was approved, this should raise some red flags. Should that happen, it would be a good idea to discuss this further with your client. Actions like these put the project and your’s and the client’s respective reputations at risk.
Another critical element for a streamlined process is being clear who the decision-makers are from the client group. This should be determined from the onset of the project but comes into particular importance when post-documentation changes are requested. Say there is a project manager, construction liaison, and VP of development from the client group who all have a say in the project. When one of them requests a design change after the fact from the client that will incur additional time (read: costs) to implement – do all three have to agree on the change? Or does only one person have the final say? Having all parties agreed on who the ultimate decision-maker from the client group will help eliminate any uncertainty and, potentially, surprises.
No matter what design phase your project is in, and no matter what the deliverable, regardless of whether the client has made any unexpected requests, the message here is one that parents have been telling us for decades: Measure twice, cut once. Look before you leap. Whatever cliché the message comes in, always be sure you’re re-evaluating the situation you’re in before carrying on. Protect your company, and yourself, by making sure you don’t exhaust client fees working on designs that haven’t been approved. Again, it seems like a no-brainer, but many of us need a gentle reminder sometimes!
About the Author:
Brendan Horman is a Certified Interior Designer + Documentation Manager at SR/A. He resides in Maryland with his girlfriend Alex and is a bit obsessed with craft beers.
