Managing the Details!

It doesn’t seem to be the details themselves that bothers us; it’s how they are managed in a given situation.  When you place your design project in the hands of your design team, you buy into that team’s overall ”style,” and that of each of your project specialists.
 
Let’s face it.   Some styles can be annoying – particularly when they require accountability that may not line up with our own personal patterns.   Keeping all the balls in the air is very important.  There are many ways to manage the myriad details in projects of all sizes.  Flexibility and an open mind concerning perceived differences in how to handle the details is a benefit – not a handicap.

The simple, clean lines of a finished project do not reveal the hundreds of details that brought it all together.
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​Sometimes, repetitive reminders for follow-up and documentation feel like nagging!  Your designer has developed a thick skin for those times when their client is resistant to pressure concerning details, details and more details.  It is the responsibility of your design team to bring the project to completion – without the risk of poor accountability to the “glue” that helps pull it all together.
 
If you do not understand or agree with the way in which certain details are being managed, talk with your designer.  Ask questions and find out just why something that may feel trivial and annoying to you, is, indeed, important.
 
When the detail management concerns appropriate process, there can be confusion and misunderstanding.  It is possible that your designer may be demanding disciplines in near time that relate to stability further down the line in your project.
 
Your professional team must approach each project with regard to the totality.  First things do come first; however, each aspect of your project must both build on what just came before, and anticipate what must come next.  It’s the details and disciplines around each step that insure the integrity of the finished work.
 
Honest (and serious) differences do arise where a clash of methods, perceptions of importance and differences about what is and is not important threaten the relationship, and possibly the project.  Again, communication is the key to solutions and clarification.
 
Typical examples of differences concerning the need for some forms of detail management are those of documenting changes, clarifying choices and keeping accurate phone logs.  The bad news is that some individuals consider some of such record keeping unnecessary and a waste of time – until there is a dispute.
 
Your professional team may require that you sign disclaimers or hold-harmless statements if it is discovered that there is serious resistance around keeping on top of details.
 
In a complex design project there is a wide variety of details to manage – from the technical to the aesthetic.   Dropping the ball by one number or element designation when submitting specifications to a manufacturer or vendor can make the difference between an efficient process or a series of stressful backtracking and corrections.
 
Keep in mind that the time and money it takes for damage control, is hardly worth neglecting simple, sensible details management!