Step 3: Development
This is the step where the bulk of the design work happens: space planning, concept design, specifying products, presenting to clients. Everything between the initial consultation and the beginning of products being ordered.
"I don't do all of the ordering at once--my projects just don't work that way."
That's okay! Just because the development phase comes before implementation doesn't mean that every single part of your project will be in the same phase at the same time. Fixtures and finishes may be getting ordered and possibly installed months ahead of the furniture and accessories.
The Mydoma Method still works!
No matter what your process is, using Mydoma means that your projects are more organized, more efficient, and more profitable while also delivering a smooth, positive experience for everyone involved. You can focus on doing what you do best--creating beautiful designs--while we do the heavy lifting.
No need to have bulky job binders, stacks of paper, and complicated spreadsheets. Instead, you have a central hub where you, your team members, your bookkeeper, and your clients and their contractors can access everything from contracts to design plans, tear sheets, schedules, and more!
Clients can sign contracts, approve documents, view product information, and pay invoices right there inside the project.
You can allow contractors to upload files of their own, approve drawings, view tear sheets and schedules, communicate in the message center, etc.
In the Visualizer, you can create space plans, furniture plans, elevations, and other drawings and import them directly into your project's Files & Media and Design Boards.
The Mydoma product clipper and public product libraries make it easy to source the perfect products and add them to your project.
Once your design is ready, it only takes a few mouse clicks to turn your 2D drawings into 3D renderings, video walkthroughs, and immersive AR to help your clients visualize the end result. These can be imported directly into the project's Files & Media and Design Boards, too!
You can add your bookkeeper as a team member and set their permissions so they can log in and directly access your studio reports, project pricing sheets, invoices, orders, and more. No more copy/pasting things into a spreadsheet for them!
1. Contract Signed and Invoice Paid
Once the client has signed the contract and scope of work and paid the initial invoice, the Development step has begun!
You may want to have a kickoff meeting with the clients and contractor to discuss the project in depth. It's always good to have everyone starting off on the same page!
Pro Tip:
During the meeting, use the task's timer to track your time and take notes directly into the description portion of the task. The task's checklist is the perfect place to keep track of the discussion points for the meeting.
Pro Tip: Adding an appointment for the meeting to the project's Appointments section will also add it to your calendar!
2. Concept Design
Drawings
Whether you create your drawings using the Mydoma Visualizer, Chief Architect, 2020, or another drafting software, you can add them to a folder in the project for your client to review and approve.
Adding Products & Services
"I don't need to create estimate requests or orders because I don't do any procurement--my clients and their contractors do all of the purchasing."
Believe it or not, going ahead and creating orders for your own records is pretty useful! Find out why below.
If you are doing the procurement:
We recommend putting product selections into your studio from the very beginning of your project. This makes it easy to create estimate requests, present your designs, have clients sign off on proposals, invoice for the products and services, place purchase orders and work orders, and keep track of shipments and deliveries.
Having everything in one, easy to find place will also help you cut down on errors and omissions. Not to mention how easy it is to find answers to questions from your client, their contractor, or anyone else (your accountant, the IRS, your lawyer, etc.) down the road!
If someone else is doing the procurement:
Even if you don't do procurement, documentation is still an essential aspect of all projects and helps everyone involved - the client, the builder, and you. It is crucial to have proper documentation in place from the beginning and ensure that it is updated throughout the project's duration.
In Mydoma it's easy to keep things documented from the very beginning so you can avoid potential conflicts and ensure a smooth project delivery. Here again, having information that is quick and easy to access can come in handy in case of questions in the future.
Why Documentation is Important for the Client
You want to ensure that the final product fulfills all your client's requirements and expectations. However, there may be instances where the builder purchases the wrong material or does not follow the specifications provided by you. In such cases, having proper documentation can help you prove your point and hold the builder accountable for their actions. It serves as a reference to ensure that the project meets the design standards and helps prevent potential disagreements with the builder.
Why Documentation is Important for the Builder
On the other hand, for the builder, documentation acts as a guide that helps them understand the design requirements and specifications accurately. It helps them in purchasing the right materials, keeping track of the progress of the project, and ultimately delivering a satisfactory result. If any discrepancies arise, the builder can refer to the documentation to ensure they are following the client's expectations and avoid any misunderstandings.
Why Documentation is Important for the Designer
For the designer, documentation acts as a safety net and a form of protection. A designer's role is to bring the client's vision to life, and they have the responsibility to ensure that the final product meets all the requirements. The documentation serves as proof that the designer has followed the client's instructions and provided the necessary details for the builder to execute the project accurately. It also serves as a reference for any future projects or disputes that may arise.
Products
I don't use the same products more than once. Do I really need to add them all every time?
Yes! First of all, documentation. (See above.) Your future self will thank you.
Plus, there's no limit to the number of products that you can have in your studio's product catalog and you can easily clean up your catalog by archiving products that you don't plan to reuse.
Many of the products I specify are from a vendor I'm only going to use once. Do I really need to add each vendor?
Here again: Yes! It takes much less time to create a vendor profile that you'll only use once than it does to try to figure out where you purchased those items when it's two years later and you're being audited.
Products can be added to your project in several different ways:
From the Product Clipper: Clip items using the product clipper and add them directly to a project
From your Product Catalog or our Public Product Libraries: Select items then click Add to project
From your project's Products & Services: Click the Product button, select items, then Add
From your project's Design Board: Click Add, then click Product Images, change the source to your Product Catalog or the Public Product Libraries, select items, and Import and add to project
Pro Tip: You can add products to your product catalog while you're at a showroom using the mobile app.
Click here to learn how in this Tech Tip Tuesday - Adding Products from Mobile at HPMKT video
Services
Whether you're adding your own services or those of a contractor, subcontractor, or workroom, they can be added to your project in two different ways:
From your Service Catalog: Select services then click Add to project
From your project's Products & Services: Click the Services button, select the services, then Add
Custom Products
Custom products are a great way to handle more complex products, especially if the product requires both products and services–custom lighting, countertops, cabinetry, specialty tile installations, window treatments (hard or soft), upholstery (or reupholstery), and more.
Pro Tip: Create Custom Product Templates to help remember all of the bits and pieces that go into custom products you use regularly. For example, a custom cabinetry template might include color, style, hardware, labor, installation, delivery, etc. You can have placeholders for the color/style/hardware, then switch them out for the actual color/style/hardware after you select them.
Click here to learn how to create custom products.
Design Boards
Create concept boards, moodboards, and more, using the Design Board feature. In a board, you can:
Upload inspiration images, your logo, and other images
Pull product images from the project's Products & Services list, your Product Catalog, or the Public Product Libraries
Import Visualizer plans and renderings
Add hotspots with product information or notes about a specific product
Add text
Pro Tip: Create Design Board templates so your boards are both beautiful and consistent.
Click here to learn more about Design Boards.
Process
When it comes to sourcing and documentation, the following process works well whether you are doing the purchasing or your clients/their contractors are:
1. Choose the products for the concept design. Choosing the actual products that you plan to use in the project instead of showing your clients inspirational placeholders helps to cut down on the number of steps in your process and often means you won't need to do any additional sourcing in the detailed design phase.
2. Add products to the project and tag them as Concept Design. If you have included alternates, make sure to tag them as Alternate so you can find them easily down the road.
3. Verify pricing and stock availability. Add all of the items to orders, then send out estimate requests (or RFQs) as needed. After the vendors respond, you can update the product's pricing from within the order by clicking on the three dots to open the More menu and selecting Edit.
We recommend that you update the product in the product catalog from here by clicking on Edit Base Product.
Once you change the cost price there, it will automatically update the product in your project as well.
PRO TIP:
For products that you will purchase through the vendor's website, retail products, and even products that you will not be purchasing, we still recommend that you add them to an order and verify the pricing. Keeping your process consistent will help you avoid costly errors and omissions.
You won't need to email estimate requests to the vendors in this case--just verify the pricing yourself.
4. Add products to a proposal. (Optional) Proposals are a great way to get an official signoff from your clients that they approve the products you've proposed.
5. Present the products to your clients. This can be a large, formal presentation, a series of small presentations, the result of work days at vendor showrooms, or many other forms of "presenting" products to your clients.
PRO TIP:
For a formal presentation, we recommend you try our Presentation Mode. Click here to find out more.
6. Make revisions as needed.
See the process in action here:
3. Internal Concept Design Review
This is when you dot your Is and cross your Ts to make sure everything is ready to present to your client:
Double-check your purchase orders (POs), work orders (WOs) and/or estimate requests (RFQs) to make sure you have all the latest information
Double-check the budget to make sure it's up-to-date
Double-check the proposal to make sure it's up-to-date
Update design boards if needed
If you plan to show physical samples, make sure you have them organized.
Do a quick run-through of your presentation in Presentation mode to make sure your concept design boards are published and you've added the client to the appropriate views and files & media.
Send a friendly reminder message to your client, reminding them of the appointment and letting them know what to expect.
You have all of your presentation materials ready to go. Everything's uploaded, everything's numbered and dated correctly, and you don't have any questions anywhere that you won't be able to answer.
4. Client Concept Design Presentation
Presentation Mode
See Presentation Mode in action here:
The concept design meeting can be in person or virtual. Things to remember:
Before the meeting:
Make sure that you've reminded the client ahead of time
If the meeting is going to be in person you may also want to
Print a copy of the presentation - just in case of internet issues
Make sure you have all of the samples so your client can see and touch them.
During the meeting:
Make sure that you take detailed notes - a Task description or a Note in the project's Notes section are both great places to do that
Have client log in (can be in-person or virtual) or use Presentation Mode
Walk client through the project
Present the Deliverables, Proposal, Custom Quotes, and Scope of Work
Show clients how to sign off/approve everything
Make sure that you have the client approve:
Scope of work
Budget
Timeline
Design drawings
Quotes and proposals
Samples and finishes
If you bill by phase, you also want to make sure that you have the invoice for the design development phase ready to go. That way, they can go ahead and pay at the same time as they're taking care of everything else.
After the meeting:
Track revisions
Update notes as needed
Once they've signed off on that concept design and paid the invoice it's time to move on to Detailed Design Development.
5. Detailed Design Development
Detailed design development is all about revising (if needed), refining, detailing, and finalizing your concept design.
Make sure that you have all of your final estimates, your final quotes, any lead times and all the samples that you need. By the way, don't forget to keep tracking your hours so you can keep track of how closely you are coming to your projected timeline.
Once you've done all of your refining, you're going to go through that same process you did right before you presented the concept design which is to review the budget, review the timeline, make sure you have all of the information you need, everything is nice and tidy and in order. All of the revisions have been made to any of the mood boards, the floor plans, the products, the services, everything is perfect.
6. Final Design Sign Off
Once you've done all of that, it's time for the final design sign off.
Here again, this meeting can be in person or virtual. This is where the client make all of the final approvals and revisions.
Before the meeting:
Make sure that you've reminded the client ahead of time
Have all documentation ready to be approved
Create the invoice(s) for all of the products you have proposed (We strongly recommend that you don't move on to the next step until you have received full payment.)
During the meeting:
Have the client approve all of the final deliverables
Have the client approve any remaining proposals or vendor estimates
Have the client pay the invoice for the approved products
If you invoice in phases, make sure to have the client pay the invoice for Implementation, too.
After the meeting:
It's time for Step 4: Implementation!
If you need any additional support, click the question mark in the upper right-hand corner to chat with a member of our team.
Happy designing!