The technological advances of the last 50 years have allowed us to be able to model scenarios from millisecond by millisecond to decade by decade.

This decision is rightly theirs – based as it may be on future flexibility, their assessment of market direction or, not unusually, on commercial considerations that they may not want to share with us.But it is important that we can demonstrate that the analysis leading to this point is robust and that we have properly considered every angle.

This is also a benefit when there are any late entrants to the discussion, to assure them that the analysis and enquiry have been thorough and rigorous.. Case study: an extensive pharmaceutical manufacturing site.In one recent project, we worked on the quality assurance (QA) elements of our client’s operation.QA covered four distinct areas of manufacturing, both primary and secondary, and small and large module, split across two campuses and 13 separate testing laboratories, each conducting variety of tests and other QA processes It is not hard to imagine the complexity that engendered.

And while many people had an understanding of parts of the process, no-one had a complete understanding of the whole picture.. We gathered, consolidated and agreed enormous amounts of site and process data with the client and then assessed, in a variety of ways, each of their laboratories.We gave each laboratory a consolidated, weighted score based on their effectiveness and considering any known issues (always using visualisations and the agreed common language).. We produced visual analytics of the entire web of processes on site in a way that was clear and, as a result, very powerful: it gave the client the tools to be able not just to see and understand their complex processes in their relative context, but also to discuss them with each other (regardless of specialism and teams) and senior management.. We could then map this analysis against a range of desired objectives and value drivers, to describe dependencies, adjacencies and requirements, and how to be able to measure outputs.

We presented a wide range of variables, for example: density of operations in laboratories by m2; activity in terms of people per m2; test time by laboratory and category of test; laboratory capacity by time taken per test, and by number of tests carried out per year; and so on..

This gave the client a clear way to see the most pressing requirements, and an initial indication of how to prioritise and plan the way ahead.. We carried out further analysis of the full scope of what is covered by ‘Quality Assurance’ – from the routine to the exceptional – and what impact this activity has on value in the client’s manufacturing process (cost, speed, quality and flexibility, for example)..So, standardisation doesn’t necessarily help us on its own, but it does have a shot of helping us if someone informs it in the right way.. She also points out that, although we could easily fight forever about industrialised construction terminology, the important thing is that the core concepts remain true.

In particular, she reminds us that the term DfMA does not refer to the end product.(traditional and alternative structures).

, but rather the choices we make upfront relating to the design, manufacture and assembly process..There isn’t a hierarchy with any of this, she says, mentioning the term ‘modular’ construction.