Requirements Management and Traceability: Systems Design from Concept, Implementation and Stakeholder Turnover to Building Life Cycle Transition

The evolution of the construction of building projects operates on a continuum, a cycle if you must. 

From the feasibility, concept, design, and implementation stages, through life cycle oversight and use, to its demolition, repurpose or rebirth; as a project practitioner and MEP professional, an exciting stage of this evolution is Bringing Buildings to Life!®.

Project construction efforts, reflective and inclusive of requirements and traceability, can be summarily addressed by assessment of the following concepts:

• Intention

• Purpose

• Requirements of scope, cost, and quality

• Design

• Installation 

• Implementation

• Life Cycle Operations Management

With its various disciplines, integrative complexities between systems, demographic, and technical compliance requirements; requirements and traceability management are a practice that must be undertaken by project stakeholders and end users to successfully validate the result.

How and why, we build the project is as important as how we maintain and manage its development, growth, and functionality up to the period of reassessment, repurpose or rebirth. The intent and requirements of the structure are of utmost importance. From a design and functionality perspective, what must be adhered to, all components being equal, is quality.

As a practitioner, the concept of designing and building quality into our projects is an inherent requirement that must be met for successful project completion.

From an MEP perspective, the importance of Developing a Requirements Management and Traceability Plan, can preclude the documentable CxA commissioning systems protocol, and evolve for life cycle operation and oversight from the pre-functional, functional, and testing protocols For Building Systems Design operations, management, warranty, and service plans for owners that are handed over upon completion And Turnover for Lifecycle Transition.

As with various applications of systems project management, many of us may not be involved in the post project turnover and operational components of the building, however, emphasis must be placed on these efforts as to its continued defined operational success.

For MEP systems, there are various ways we can approach requirements management and traceability for the lifecycle of the building. A few areas to consider might include:

• A thorough understanding of the design intent and overseeing the installation and implementation of the project requirements.

• Ensuring functionality compliance through pre-functional, functional testing and commissioning by ensuring all systems are installed and operating within the designed intent and only that intent.

• Monitoring and documenting throughout the project and turnover, MEP, and ancillary systems related scopes, in conjunction with the installation of the building envelope and documenting changes that occur.

• Being conscious and knowledgeable about not only the systems application to the needs of the client, but also the vision for growth and being able to assist in addressing that evolution, if requested.

If we as practitioners are committed, develop plans as teams and individual contributors and stay focused towards the project goals, our roles will inevitably deliver our best efforts and serve to optimize all stages of the building project lifecycle. While building our best projects, we can offer the best development for our project teams. NFB

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