February 2014 DQI for Health Guidance 01 Contents Introduction to DQI ............................................................................................................................................................... 2 General Benefits ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 DQI Process .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5 DQI Outputs ........................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Engaging with DQI .............................................................................................................................................................. 12 DQI / DQI for Health Guidance February 2014 02 Introduction to DQI Why improve ‘design quality’? DQI has captured the views of thousands of individuals to talk about their new building. By encouraging Evidence shows that patients recover faster in better over time to deliver better facilities for clients. effective communication between suppliers and the designed hospitals, children score higher in quality eventual users of the building, the process helps designed schools and well designed neighbourhoods DQI for Health suppliers deliver excellent buildings attuned more to result in lower crime. In short, investing in high quality DQI for Health has been developed as a design quality users’ needs. buildings can improve the welfare of business and evaluation tool for all types of healthcare projects. society. The healthcare-specific focus of AEDET (Achieving What is the Design Quality Indicator? Excellence Design Evaluation Tool) has been migrated “Through the DQI Process the The Design Quality Indicator (DQI) is a process for to DQI for Health and important aspects such as evaluating and improving the design and construction sustainability and patient safety have been updated. collective views of the stakeholder of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing The DQI for Health update was commissioned by the buildings. Department of Health and has been piloted by NHS group were validated in a manner in London and more recently by NHS England. With the DQI focuses on actively involving a wider group of development of DQI for Health, AEDET has now been which we could all have confidence. stakeholders in the design of buildings than is usually phased out. the case. It involves not only the design and construction teams but all those who will use, finance Creating a common language and be affected by the building. The DQI process is an inclusive process that Our many views and many issues establishes a Briefing Record as a firm platform from DQI is designed to set and track design quality at all which stakeholders can agree common goals, were clarified and distilled until they key stages of a building’s development and interrogate designs, and demand excellence from incorporates post-occupancy feedback. It plays a suppliers. It is at its most effective when as wide a were focused on what was really fundamental role in contributing to the improved user group as possible becomes involved. design, long term functionality and sustainability of most important…this directly building projects. Representatives from both the supply and the demand side of a project take part and it is in this way that DQI informed the choices we made” ‘DQI has been used in over 1,400 can really help people work together to achieve the best building possible. projects in 10 years’ The Design Quality Indicator empowers the building’s stakeholder community by providing a structured way DQI / DQI for Health Guidance February 2014 03 General Benefits General Benefits: “...DQI raised my knowledge of Ensures future proofing and avoids costly bespoke Supports the business case and project gateway solutions process plans for the project and helped Assists integration of experience from previous Enhances risk mitigation projects across the healthcare sector Improves post project evaluation and benefits develop a sense of ownership and Facilitates participation in briefing discussions and realisation communication with the designers and other Enables a simple and objective assessment of commitment to the building – it was stakeholders design quality Clarifies the design process by providing a nice to be asked and I felt like I had “… the DQI session left the common language shared by all stakeholders architects with a good Empowers stakeholders to set and manage more of a stake in the project.” aspirations understanding of what we wanted… Ensures user briefing requirements are integrated in later stages we are the people who are left with Engenders sense of ownership of the building Client: the building in the end – we have the Simple to incorporate in all common forms of Helps develop a shared vision for the whole project procurement Clarifies the project brief most at stake in ensuring the Process outcomes are quickly available in visual Facilitates periodic testing of original aspirations building is fit for purpose.” form to facilitate discussion and agreement Provides a structured framework for a good value design Can reduce whole life cost of the building Reduces user complaints Designers: Supports BREEAM and energy efficiency Helps all stakeholders to communicate their needs Users / Occupiers: and aspirations to the designers Helps all stakeholders to communicate their needs Clarifies the project brief and why it is required and aspirations to the designers Minimises design errors Provides end-user engagement without reliance on Environmental issues are highlighted early expert criteria that people feel excluded from Estates / Facilities Managers: The briefing session provides a structure through Improves functional efficiency of working space Helps develop a more sustainable building which different parties communicate collectively Increases staff productivity Incorporates post-occupancy feedback Enhances the quality of space Helps avoid duplication, encourages standardisation and associated savings DQI / DQI for Health Guidance February 2014 04 Project Managers / Delivery partners: Manages stakeholder engagement in a structured and recorded way Clarifies the project brief Enables a comparative assessment of demand and supply side requirements Allows useful analysis and performance checks throughout the delivery process “The conversation which was structured around the questions was productive because all parties were talking about the same issues at the same time which opened up issues and ideas that we had not thought about before as a design team.” Representatives from both the supply and the demand side of a project take part in DQI which can really help people work together to achieve the best buildings possible. DQI / DQI for Health Guidance February 2014 05 DQI Process DQI puts the client, their stakeholders, the design Presentations should cover all design and construction into Urban and Social Integration, Internal and project team and constructor, in the same disciplines and be accessible to a lay audience. Environment, Form and Materials, and Character vehicle for the whole journey. and Innovation. The aim of these workshops is to enable participants to Introducing the DQI process to the construction of a compare their respective opinions of the design A breakdown of the three DQI Headings and an new building or the refurbishment of an existing proposals and to help them identify the strengths and example of the question set is on page 6. building will dramatically improve the quality of the final weaknesses of the scheme relative to the targets set in product. the Briefing Record. Timing The greatest benefits and results in achieving The DQI process consists of a series of workshops Design stage assessments should be followed in due outstanding design are when DQI is introduced early in linked to the industry phases of a building project – course by Ready for Occupation and In-use the project at the Briefing stage. However, DQI can Briefing, Concept Design, Detailed Design, Ready for assessments equally be introduced at any stage the project if you Occupation, and In-use. Representatives of all the have already commenced. demand and all the supply side stakeholders DQI Questionnaire participate in the workshops. The events are prepared At the heart of the process is the DQI questionnaire The DQI process follows a clear structure that is linked and facilitated by an independent DQI Facilitator who is that is used to structure workshop presentations, to the industry phases of a building project. At each accredited by the Construction Industry Council. discussions and reporting. The questionnaire is a stage there is a formal workshop and it is comprehensive, non-technical set of statements under recommended that a day is allocated to the workshop . Briefing (DQI Stage 1) three main headings, Functionality, Build Quality and These workshops enable DQI to record what At the Briefing workshop the stakeholders debate and Impact. Together they measure all the factors participants think about the building or design and agree their aspirations for the project. The DQI applicable to the design quality of most buildings. present this information in clear and consistent