The greatest value can be created or lost at the earliest stages of any project; initial decisions or assumptions chart the course for what follows, so it is vitally important to get these right. This is central to our Design to Value approach.

Early decisions are often made using the least complete information, however. There is no way of testing assumptions or understanding the impact of choices before the design process has started, for instance. And all organisations have multiple stakeholders who have different, and often contradictory, requirements from any built asset.

Making the strategic accessible

In response to this universal challenge we have developed ways of working that allow us to engage with clients at the most strategic level, to understand their business requirements and value drivers and help them make evidence-based, informed decisions.

We combine wide experience and knowledge with a refusal to accept assumptions or take short-cuts. We use digital design tools and the principles of Design to Value as we deploy a range of capabilities including:

  • Data capture, modelling analysis and visualisation
  • Process modelling
  • Discrete event simulation
  • Algorithmic and computational design.

We are able to engage with complex stakeholder networks, to aggregate their knowledge in a common visual language that everyone can understand and engage with - from client-specific operational data, to functions on complex projects. They can choose the scale that matters to them, from the global through countries and regions right down to a factory, production line or component.

Data-driven and evidence-based

We develop data-rich models that allow us to test a huge range of possible scenarios. A larger search area yields more options and optimal solutions. We consider new and existing assets within the widest business context; how do they relate to current requirements? How do they relate to potential requirements in five or 10 years’ time? Where are the investment sweet spots that create the greatest value?

The result is an evidence-based strategic plan, rooted in the principles of Design to Value,  that:

  • Arises from a shared understanding of value drivers
  • Considers current state and a range of potential future scenarios
  • Balances a multitude of stakeholder requirements
  • Optimises investment in terms of CAPEX, OPEX, staff costs, net present value etc.

One highly valuable outcome is often that we find we can unlock latent capacity in existing facilities, rather than build new assets. This has huge benefits in terms of capital cost, operational cost and business continuity.

Some clients engage us purely for this initial strategic thinking. However, for many this is the start of their Design to Value journey. Where the analysis demonstrates the need for a new built asset, we are then uniquely placed to transition into the design phase. This strategic brief informs our integrated design team, allowing them to create assets which are functionally optimised and ready to be delivered quickly and efficiently using Modern Methods of Construction, such as Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA).

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