Optimising the scope

Unclear or poorly – defined project requirements in the early phase of a project are also significant contributors to project overruns, creating delays as clients are forced to reassess their requirements as clashes or uncertainty over specifications emerge during later stages. Ideally, the fewer design changes, the better it is for the project. But where there are changes made, the earlier they can be introduced, the simpler it is to incorporate them into the existing programme and mitigate their impact on potential costs and time overruns.

It is more effective to conduct value management exercises during the early design stages of a project when different design solutions exist than it is to carry out on-site value engineering actions, where options are more limited and likely to be more disruptive and costly.