ABSTRACT
A design organization may be likened to a factory. Raw material in the form of design briefs, standards and codes of practice are fed in at one end. These are then processed by designers and computers and an output is produced, consisting mainly of working drawings and specifications. This analogy is perhaps controversial and some may question its total validity. However, it is sufficiently near to the truth to illustrate that the principles of good quality management are as relevant to the design of building and civil engineering works as they are to their construction. Furthermore, the analogy serves to focus the mind on the chain of events which must be controlled if a design office is to meet the requirements of a purchaser. But, who is the purchaser?
