7 Powerful Benefits of Interior Design Project Management for Businesses in the UAE & GCC

Introduction

Managing an interior design project is no longer considered an optional consideration; rather, it is an important strategic consideration for all serious companies wishing to design and create a high-performing business environment. With an increasingly discerning customer base, particularly in the UAE and GCC region where quality is expected and regulated; along with shortened timeframes; failing to properly manage an interior project can damage the perception of a business’s brand and slow down the generation of revenue from the outset.

Whether you are designing a hair salon located in JLT, a specialty retail store in a shopping center, a corporate office, a medical practice, or a café located within a busy area; the decisions made regarding an interior space will fundamentally impact the experience provided to the customer, employee productivity, operational efficiencies and ultimately the value of the company brand. Despite this, many companies still approach the design of an interior space as a single independent creative process rather than as an internal design project management process that combines strategy, design, approvals, construction, budget management, and final delivery to clients.

Mashrou Group works with clients throughout every phase of the interior design project management process, from the initial concept and feasibility, to the detailed design, technical documentation, approving authorities’ coordination, implementation, construction, and final delivery. This blog will identify why managing the interior design project is a business necessity; identify common mistakes businesses make in managing an interior design project; and demonstrate how the implementation of a structured management approach will convert the design of an interior into quantifiable business values.

Summary – Key Insights

• Business owners are becoming increasingly aware of how interior design impacts their financial performance, customer satisfaction, and image.
• Inside the UAE/GCC region, it is very important to combine your interior design with the appropriate building codes, MEP systems, and Leasing/Landlord obligations.
• By utilizing structured and systematic management techniques for their interior design projects, these businesses reduce risk, control cost and open sooner.
• With Mashrou Group, decision makers will have one single point of reference, from the idea stage through to the day that they open.

What Is Interior Design Project Management?

Interior design project management is the organization of all components needed to convert an empty area or an existing location into a designed environment. This does not simply involve the design; it also entails:

• Planning a business’s and/or an individual would be the foundation for Space Planning and Functionality
• Technical Designs (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing); Lighting and Finish – All Technical Design Elements must be approved by the appropriate authorities
• Budgeting and Controlling Project Costs
• Coordinating Contractors and Suppliers for Successful Completion
• Completing the Project Including Final Walk-Throughs with Clients

The Interior Design Project Management approach gives clients a single point of contact and accountability through the Mashrou Group. There is no need for a client to work with multiple individuals (i.e., the designer, contractor, approver or supplier) to manage a project.

Common Mistakes Businesses Make Without Interior Design Project Management

• People treat interior design as decoration, not a means to create strategic use within the space.
• Designers and contractors are typically hired separately, without any communication or coordination between them.
• Construction begins prior to completion of final drawings and obtaining the proper approvals.
• Forgetting to allow for sufficient time for landlord and municipality’s, civil defense, and other authority’s approvals before starting construction.
• Material selection without knowing ongoing maintenance and lifecycle costs.
• Approving designs that appear aesthetically pleasing in design however do not maximally support operations of the company.
• Not developing flexibility in order to utilize for future growth and/or changing service needs.
• These issues can be mitigated by implementing project management for interior design from its inception.

Why Interior Design Project Management Matters in the UAE & GCC

Commercial properties in the United Arab Emirates and on the Arabian Gulf Coast are not built in isolation but exist within ecosystems such as malls, office towers, mixed-use developments and hyper-competitive retail/hospitality clusters. A salon located in Dubai’s Jumeirah Lakes Towers has competition from multiple beauty salon concepts within walking distance. Similarly, a café located at Dubai Marina has competition from dozens of food/beverage brands for views and engagement on social media, as well as time spent in-venue. Office spaces located in business towers are competing for talent and employee productivity.

In this highly competitive marketplace, managing an interior design project becomes an even bigger competitive advantage since it allows for systematic linkage between business drivers and physical spatial deliveries.

Therefore, the first step of an effective project management process is to analyze the business model: What types of services will be offered? What is the average number of customers per hour? What is the expected level of privacy for clients? How many employees will be greeting customers each day? What are the expected peak times? How is the brand being priced and positioned: Is this a luxury, mid-market, or accessible brand?

After gathering all this information, the interior design project manager can move to develop specific spatial approaches, such as zoning, circulation patterns, functional layout, etc.: Where to physically locate reception areas? How do clients navigate through the space? How do staff members perform their job functions? What are the storage areas? How does the “back-of-house” interact with the “front of the house”? How does each service component (such as HVAC, lighting, MEP) provide for customer comfort and worker efficiency?

The regulatory layer is the one that will require the most approvals in the UAE/GCC, and each sector has different approval requirements (salons, clinics, F&B, offices, and retail are all different). Each sector has a different set of standards that relate to ventilation, hygiene, fire safety, plumbing, accessibility, and signage—all of these areas will be affected when designing a project without having a structured interior design project management process.

The cost pillar is another critical pillar. Many businesses have an overall project budget in mind, but they do not have a detailed cost breakdown. Interior design project management is a system that gives you the framework for creating a cost plan for your project. Your cost plan should include all materials, finishes, lighting, furniture, joinery, equipment, contingency, authority fees, professional fees, and any other landlord requirements. As a result, your decision-makers can make adjustments to their scope and specifications based on their priorities instead of becoming aware of overruns after the project is already in progress.

The success or failure of most projects lies in the execution. With a solid concept and approved drawings, however, if a project does not have a responsible manager overseeing the timelines, quality, and coordination on-site, the actual completion of that project will drift from what was originally established as the intended outcome. When Mashrou Group is the project manager for an interior design project, we bring together the design intent and the execution, by monitoring the progress of the project, resolving any conflicts, reviewing the shop drawings, checking the samples, aligning subcontractors, and ensuring that what is built meets the promises made to the client, both visually and technically.

The handover process is a crucial step that is frequently overlooked by many contractors/clients. It consists of many other things than just handing over the keys – e.g., snagging, system testing, training staff on how to use the built space and equipment, providing the client with documentation, as-built drawings etc. A comprehensive interior design project management process also ensures that there is a structured way of closing the project so that the client can hit the ground running from day one.

The results of that? Clients will have spaces that feel coherent, efficient and on-brand. Clients will have projects that open on time (instead of weeks or months late) and will have protected their investments (instead of losing them through poor planning). Business owners will experience less stress, less uncertainty, and be able to focus more on their customers and their businesses’ future.

Features – What Mashrou Group Brings to Interior Design Project Management

Feature 1 – A Single Source of Accountability

Mashrou Group serves as a central source of accountability providing a single point of reference for clients to manage the entire interior design project through the entire process from concept design through to final inspection and acceptance of the completed project. This takes away the uncertainty and confusion often created by multiple contractors working on a project.

Feature 2 – This is Not Just About Aesthetics – Interiors are Strategic

We do not look at interiors as simply a piece of decoration. We provide an integrated approach to project management of your interior spaces, aligning your workspace with the company’s brand strategy, customer experience and operational workflows and generating revenue to support your operating budget. Every square meter of your space is specifically designed for the purpose of generating revenue or providing support for your employees.

Feature 3 – Local Knowledge and Regional Experience Matters

Mashrou Group is familiar with the authorities within the UAE and the GCC and their requirements, as well as the expectations of the landlords within the market. Clients who use Mashrou Group’s project management services avoid costly mistakes, as well as the slowdowns and redesigns often caused by inappropriate or poorly executed global concepts being applied to the local market without proper consideration for local customs.

Key Benefits of Interior Design Project Management

Aligning the design of your space with your company’s goals will provide you with the following benefits:

• Improved cost control and budget visibility
• Faster review/approval process and better coordination of management oversight
• Reduced exposure to project delay and re-work
• Greater brand influence on the customer experience
• Better communication among the design team, M.E.P., and finishing contractors
• A structured method to track snags and complete the building handover process

All of the benefits above are achieved as a direct result of utilizing professional project management to oversee your company’s interior design projects.

Strategies to Get the Most from Interior Design Project Management

• Start EarlyPrior to executing a lease agreement or making a final decision regarding the rented space, it is wise to work with the Mashrou Group interior design Project Management team to define the feasibility of the interior design layout and to maximize the efficiency of the layout.
• Define Your PrioritiesAre you most concerned with operational efficiency, the brand experience you want to create, your budget or speed to market? Establishing a hierarchy of priority to make trade-off decisions on interior design can aid you greatly with these types of decisions.
• Think in terms of the Customer JourneyIn the case of salons, clinics, cafés, or retail stores, you should create a visual representation of how customers will enter and exit your facility, along with how long they will have to wait and how they will pay for their goods or services. The Mashrou Group uses the Customer Journey as the basis for developing layouts for our clients’ facilities.
• Consider Lifecycle Costs, not just Fit-Out Costs.At times, a client will select materials that are less expensive to purchase but much costlier to maintain. We help you maintain a balance between aesthetics and durability.
• Plan for Future ExpansionInterior design can support or facilitate future expansion into new service lines, technology or additional physical space if it is appropriately considered in the early stages of the project planning process.According to research on workspace design and productivity, layout and environment significantly affect performance

Conclusion

The United Arab Emirates and Greater Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region represent an extremely competitive market driven by customer experience, where the interior of your business is the platform upon which you will build your operation. Interior design that creates an energized environment reinforces your brand, streamlines your operational functions and keeps your customers returning to your business. Conversely, poor interior design slowly diminishes your profitability and your reputation.

Interior design project management is the process by which creative concepts are transformed into functioning reality through the effective integration of your business strategy, design development, approvals, project cost control, project implementation, and project handover. By utilizing Mashrou Group’s extensive experience with interior design project management, you will avoid the many trap doors that can occur throughout the project and allow your concept to reach its maximum potential.

If you are planning a salon, medical practice, office, café, retail establishment, or any other type of commercial project in the UAE or GCC, it is essential that you partner with a company that understands the importance of Interior Design Project Management; this provides you with a competitive advantage from the start.

Learn how we manage feasibility and risk in our [Feasibility Studies for New Businesses] blog.