When Tishman hired me to do a New York project in 1963, it was because I had managed to convince John Tishman and several of his key people that I had a new way of building that combined design and construction in a more fruitful relationship. They hired me to test this theory out on a project they wanted completed in a very brief period of time. The drawings were already completed, but because this was a Federally funded project with an elaborate and time-consuming approval process, they thought that employing me and my methods to expedite this process would be a good proof-of-concept test. That it was. | Out of this experience I refined a method that I have employed and continued to develop ever since. | Over the years, “Fast Tracking” has become a popular term and there are many who claim that they “do it;” however, I have found that this is rarely the case. At best, what is “done” is a very watered down version of what I had in mind and have been able to accomplish in several projects. What seems to be meant by the now popular term fast tracking is an accelerated build process with a somewhat better coupling between the design and construction work. This is a refinement, at best, of the way that developers have worked for years. While this is an improvement it is not significant nor adequate. | The following is a detailed explanation of what I mean by FasTracking and a description of the protocols and rules-of-engagement necessary for doing it. A second piece [link], FasTracking Methods, contains a more detailed how-to description of the tools and techniques necessary for success. | FasTracking can be used in relative isolation from the family of Taylor Methods. This does not mean, however, that it is just a technique and conceptually unrelated to the science, philosophy and means that we have created. FasTracking is, at the root of it, an exercise in massive parallel processing. | | FasTracking is first and foremost about the relationship - and rules-of-engagement (which should be stated as formal protocols) - between the ValueWeb [link] members who are executing a project. It changes the default rules and relationships that now exist (a a social norm) that governs projects of all kinds and puts in place a new Operating System (OS) - a new way of working - that integrates the Design/Build(manufacture)/Use process. FasTracking requires information transparency (The Ten Step Process [link]) and systemic management of the PROCESS and support system of a project. FasTracking (or extreme FasTracking to distinguish it from the prevalent model) is the systematic process of removing hidden wasted time and money from a project while augmenting the integration of high-value-added design contribution throughout the entire life cycle of the project and its resulting builot artifact. | | |
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