Learning From Delays in Daily Design Work – Comparison of Root Cause Analysis and Functional Resonance Analysis

Procurement and construction work depend on error-free and on-time designs. However, the design process may be erroneous and behind schedule, which often causes cascading delays and problems in the construction process. Hence, when a major delay occurs, practitioners often query the design process, and much time and many resources may be required to find the root cause. However, minor delays and mistakes that occur in everyday work are not usually investigated, even though they can contain information necessary to avoid significant adverse events. This study aimed to determine how three deviations that occurred in a normal, well-progressing project can be investigated using two different methods, as well as the significance of small errors and events in preventing larger errors and events in the future. Root cause analysis and functional resonance analysis were the research methods. The findings of this study showed that slight variability in trivial design and design management tasks generated a considerable number of unnecessary tasks and delays. Therefore, examining variability in the outputs of tasks could benefit designers and design management.