In short
How better questions and transparent communication improve design delivery on time and on budget, by aligning priorities, cost, and “nice to haves.”
Guest
Georgia Jackson, described as a design strategy professional who also thinks like an estimator (she notices costs in everyday settings, e.g., restaurants and construction sites).
Key claims
Clients should be honest about budgets from the start so the team can build to the budget and deliver best value; design strategy must be blended with cost understanding to avoid “lovely tangents” of expensive finishes; priorities should be clarified (e.g., whether a 12-person meeting room matters, or whether open spaces, breakout areas, and flexible workstations are preferred), then add nice-to-haves last.
Notable examples
“cha-ching” reactions to finishes; everyday cost scanning while walking past construction sites.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOClient Collaboration for Successful Projects
0:00 to 0:33
Learn how client communication and transparency influence project outcomes.
“So what can clients do to help you deliver on time and on budget?”
The Intersection of Design and Cost
0:33 to 1:24
Explore the relationship between design aesthetics and budget considerations.
“It must look fantastic and that's great.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00So what can clients do to help you deliver on time and on budget?
0:04Georgia Jackson:I think honesty and open, transparent communication is very important from the get-go. If they have a certain budget, let us know. We can then build to that budget and ensure that you're getting best value for money. But also understanding their wants and needs from site. Is a 12-person meeting room important? Do you value more open spaces, breakout spaces, flexible workstations? understanding the priorities and focusing on those and then finishing off with nice to haves so is that generally thrashed out in strategy though with design strategy side i don't think you can have a design without understanding the cost and sometimes designers go on a lovely tangent of beautiful finishes beautiful end products without having an understanding of the cost to do so so it's that kind of blended yeah and often i don't understand as well the design in terms of the finishes.
0:55Georgia Jackson:It must look fantastic and that's great. And often it does look fantastic, but I often look at the design and hear, cha-ching, cha-ching. And it's true. And I do it every day of my life, whether I'm walking into a restaurant or whether I'm walking past a construction site, you start to see as an estimator, the world around you based on cost. And I think designers have that beautiful design mindset, which is fantastic. I'm so envious of that. Thank you.
From the publisher
“No one knows everything on site.”
Next week’s episode breaks down the real role of an estimator and why asking questions might be the most underrated skill in construction.
Stay tuned đź‘€
