By: Lars Hofman and Marcel Kruithof

When a Basic Engineering package comes under pressure later in a project, people often look for the cause within the engineering itself. Routing needs to be adjusted, a structural provision no longer fits as intended, or supplier information leads to design changes after all. Yet the origin of many of these situations can usually be found much earlier in the project.

Not because the wrong decisions were made. And not because there was too little information available. In yacht and shipbuilding, it is more common than unusual for a project to start before everything has been fully defined.

The question is therefore not how much information is available. The real question is what the project is building upon at that moment. That is often where the difference becomes visible between a Basic Engineering package that remains stable throughout the project and one that repeatedly has to revisit earlier decisions.

It is not missing information, but invisible assumptions that often create the biggest impact

Almost every project starts with unknowns, missing information and assumptions. A supplier has not yet been selected. A design decision is still open. A technical specification is still being developed. That does not have to be a problem. In fact, many projects would never start on time if all information had to be available from day one.

Lars Hofman:

“The challenge starts at a different moment. It starts when assumptions slowly turn into project assumptions without anyone still recognising them as assumptions. A temporary supplier detail becomes part of the structural design. An indicative routing becomes the basis for available installation space. An initial layout becomes the starting point for multiple disciplines.

The project continues to move forward, but more and more disciplines are building on information that is not yet final. That is why missing information is rarely the biggest risk. The real risk starts when it is no longer clear which parts of the project are based on facts and which parts are still based on assumptions.”

Every line in a model represents a decision

From the outside, engineering is sometimes seen as turning ideas into models and drawings. In reality, it is often the other way around. A model or drawing is usually the end result of a large number of decisions, trade offs and assumptions that have already been made. Every line that eventually appears represents a decision making process that is often no longer visible once the model is complete.

That is exactly why a model or drawing is only as strong as the assumptions behind it. When an important assumption changes, the impact rarely stays within a single discipline. It affects routing, structure, maintenance space, accessibility, supplier engineering and later project phases.

The further a project progresses, the greater that impact usually becomes. The quality of Basic Engineering is therefore determined not only by the technical output, but also by the quality of the decisions that come before it.

Good basic engineering looks beyond the next project phase

A decision made in an early phase often appears straightforward. That is exactly why its consequences are regularly underestimated.

Marcel Kruithof:

“Many project teams evaluate a decision based on today’s situation. That is understandable, because the immediate impact is visible. The consequences for later project phases are often not. Yet those future consequences are exactly what determine the quality of Basic Engineering.

Supplier information becomes final. Detail Engineering continues based on existing assumptions. Freeze moments get closer. Available space becomes increasingly occupied. Disciplines become more dependent on earlier decisions.

A solution is therefore not only good because it works today. A solution is truly strong when there is a reasonable level of confidence that the project will not have to revisit that decision later. That requires engineering that looks beyond the current situation and understands the impact a decision may still have one or two years from now.”

An intake shows where a project will become sensitive later on

Many people see an intake as the moment when scope, planning and deliverables are discussed. Of course that is part of it, but the real value lies elsewhere.

Marcel:

“A good intake makes it visible where the project may come under pressure later.

Which information is still missing? Which assumptions are required to keep the project moving? Which disciplines will become dependent on the same assumptions? Which decisions will be difficult to reverse later? And which open points seem small today but may influence multiple parts of the project later on?

These are often the questions that determine how stable a Basic Engineering package ultimately becomes. Not because all risks disappear, but because it becomes clear what the project is actually relying on.

A good intake does not ensure that all answers are available. A good intake ensures that it remains visible which answers are still missing.”

Why HOFF pays so much attention to the phase before engineering starts

When HOFF becomes involved in Basic Engineering, the work does not start with modelling or drawing. The first step is understanding where the real complexity of the project lies. Not only within individual disciplines, but especially at the interfaces between them. Which decisions influence multiple disciplines? Which information is still uncertain? Which assumptions are acceptable and which require a decision? Which project assumptions will become critical later in the project?

This is not an activity alongside engineering. This is engineering.

Many revision cycles do not arise because a technical solution turns out to be incorrect. More often, revisions occur because dependencies only become visible after other disciplines have already moved forward. That is why we invest significant time in understanding a project before the first line is drawn.

You often only recognise a stable Basic Engineering package in hindsight. Not because there were no changes, but because new information, supplier data and further detailing continue to align with the assumptions that were established earlier. That creates stability within engineering. And that stability usually starts long before the model is finished.

Want to know what our engineering can mean for your team at the yard? Whether you’re active in yacht building or shipbuilding, feel free to send a message to Lars Hofman or Marcel Kruithof.

HOFF • Partners in Engineering

Stationspark 950
3364 DA Sliedrecht
The Netherlands