Expectations and Perceptions – Daily Management Meetings in Design

Daily Management (DAM) has generated many benefits in construction, but it has been less used and studied in design management. This case study of a Finnish structural design firm provides insights into the expectations of designers regarding DAM and Daily Management Meetings (DMM), as well as their perceptions during a short experiment on implementing DAM and DMM in daily structural design work. The research data for the case study were collected through interviews, observation, and a survey conducted with the company’s larger structural design group. The main expectations of survey respondents and interviewees included improving the identification of design constraints, ensuring and enhancing the flow of information and increasing trust and team spirit. Interviewees who participated in the experiment highlighted the importance of being able to estimate their own workload and task duration, as well as gain improved knowledge of the concurrent work of other team members. Interestingly, in a larger group with many design managers, the benefit of improving the evaluation of each designer’s workload was not anticipated as a significant benefit. This study contributes to highlighting DAM’s implications for designers’ self-management of their work.