Different COMOS Design Assistance options
There are different ways to get engineering design projects executed in COMOS for your projects. Both these ways would allow EPCMs to deliver all projects to their clients on time, within budget, and adhering to clients/end users’ standards and specifications. The EPCM in question would need to adopt one of the three options currently available in the South African Market, that is Offsite, Onsite, and/or Hybrid COMOS design assistance for their engineering design projects However, there exists pros and cons to each model and therefore left to the EPCM decision makers to decide on the type of model that works best for them, considering the workload and/or internal culture of the company.
Offsite/remote COMOS Design Assistance
Getting offsite COMOS Design Assistance may just be the quickest and simplest way to get your design project underway. It entails acquiring a team that works remotely (from different premises to that of the EPCM) to design all your deliverables in COMOS. This model is made possible by COMOS being a cloud-based Engineering design package, meaning that anyone who has been granted access to the project database can design and make changes onto drawings at any time via remote access to the server. The assisting company would then work on the design project while liaising with the EPCM’s engineering and design team in the process.
Advantages
- As the assisting company works remotely, there are no costs to getting the COMOS capacity and capability for designs done inhouse.
- The COMOS design process is not managed inhouse, thus helping the EPCM allocate time and resources to other projects.
- The EPCM gets to focus on the Engineering, while the assisting company focuses on the COMOS design aspect of the project.
- Collaborative work can greatly improve the outcome and quality of deliverables produced as team creativity can be enhanced by different work experiences from both teams.
Disadvantages
- Synergy can be difficult to achieve as communication and correspondence might be lacking due to the assisting company’s team working remotely.
- The EPCM has less control over the design process and will have rely more on trusting the assisting company to deliver the expected quality of work.
- There is a risk of delay should there be inefficient communication and correspondence between the EPCM and the assisting company.
Onsite COMOS Design Assistance (Body shopping)
The last option for getting projects designed in COMOS is Onsite COMOS Design Assistance refers to design assistants physically interacting with the EPCM team and working within the EPCM’s premises alongside the inhouse design team to design and complete the COMOS deliverables as a collaborative effort. This usually happens when the EPCM already has COMOS design capabilities and need extra resources one or multiple projects to complement their existing team. It may be challenging as you might need to manage a bigger team of designers on a single project, which might take more time before preparations can be made to accommodate the assisting team.
Advantages
- Easier to achieve synergy as the team interacts physically, thus reducing project delays.
- The EPCM has more control over the design process, thus accountability is shared equally.
- Both teams collaborate and learn from each other in real time, thus enhancing creativity.
Disadvantages
- Housing and managing bigger teams can be costly and more challenging.
- Clashes, rivalry, and alienation of the assisting design team can be a risk to progress.
- It takes longer to prepare for and accommodate a bigger team. thus, delaying project progress.
Hybrid model for COMOS Design Assistance
With a hybrid model for getting COMOS design assistance, the EPCM can enjoy the best of both worlds. It provides flexibility to have some assistants inhouse and have some working on the same or different projects remotely. This is especially helpful when projects are behind on schedule and some of the work to be done can be handed over to the remote team to be able to complete the required deliverables on time. The advantages and disadvantages intersect with that of both offsite and onsite COMOS design assistance. However, the plus to adopting both is that it can be effective in saving time and commencing with the project remotely while preparing to accommodate the assisting design team. Moreover, the EPCM has access to a bigger team at any given moment when extra resources are needed for a project.