SmartDesign Appendix
Preliminary Project Concept Plan
1
SmartDesign Appendix
Abstract
The commercial interior/architectural design industry has long suffered from the
problem of having to wait days, sometimes even weeks, to produce a threedimensional rendering of a project for a client. The designer must first meet with
the client, discuss and draw the out the project, then send it off to an outside
architectural firm. This process could take weeks resulting in a cost somewhere
in the thousands of dollars range. Often a preliminary 3D design is rejected
causing the process to be repeated. The SmartDesign software will cut this time
down to minutes instead of days or weeks by allowing the designer to build their
design on site and render it three-dimensionally for a client almost instantly.
SmartDesign will accomplish this by employing an updateable centralized
database with a particular design firm’s chosen furniture and fill textures, which
can then be used to create a rendering. Coupled with the completely
customizable database SmartDesign will revolutionize the industry by providing
nearly instant, easily customizable 3D renderings that will save design firms
enormous amounts of time and money. It will also provide a higher level of
design firm customer satisfaction and allow for greater flexibility and creativity in
the interior design industry.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Goals and Objectives
Our primary Goal is to provide a robust software solution targeted at the
commercial interior design industry. This solution will provide interior designer
with software that is capable of rendering a room, or space given that designer’s
inputs. With that in place the software will allow the user to place objects in the
room, such as furniture and lighting. With that in place the software will render a
3D rendering of the room and its new interior design. All of this will be possible in
a timeframe of minutes. This 3D rendering will help the designer’s client decide
on a particular design. Today designers frequently use these 3D renderings for
just that purpose and the process to have them created is lengthy and expensive.
Our goal of providing a customizable database will give us a niche in the
marketplace, there is currently no solution commercially available that offers this
feature. Our objective of marketing SmartDesign towards commercial designers
also gives us a hook in the market because, as with the custom database
objective, there is currently nothing out there that targets that market that is
capable of doing what SmartDesign will be able to do. In meeting our objectives
we will not only keep ourselves profitable but will also help the commercial
interior design industry save time and money.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Title Descriptions
Project Manager
The Project Manager is the team leader and is ultimately responsible for the
project. The manager ensures that the team is always in communication with
each other and that assigned tasks are completed in a timely manner. The
manager is also responsible for developing team and project schedules, as well
as ensuring the project is done on time and within budget constraints.
Documentation Manager/Graphics Designer
The Documentation Manager/Graphics Designer is responsible for ensuring all
text based information created for the project is organized and correct including
presentations. Coupled with the job of Graphics Designer, this individual must
either create or approve all slide graphics, charts, animations, and movies used
in the documentation and presentations.
Marketing Manager
The Marketing Manager is responsible for researching and finding the target
market for the projects end product. This individual is also responsible for plotting
trends, developing a marketing plan, and contacting possible clients for
feedback.
Financial Manager
The Financial Manager is responsible for creating and monitoring all budget
plans throughout each of the project phases. This individual must also research
funding for each phase and take into consideration the costs for staff and nonstaff resources.
3D Graphics Technology Expert
This individual is responsible for researching all project related aspects of 3D
graphics technology, as well as finding and recommending COTS software to
integrate with the project. In addition to this, the 3D Graphics Technology Expert
is responsible for understanding how the software will be written with regards to
the 3D graphics core engine.
Database/Networking Technology Expert
The Database/Networking Technology Expert is responsible for researching all
project related aspects of database and networking technologies, as well as
finding and recommending COTS software to integrate with the project. In
addition to this, this expert is responsible for understanding how the software will
be written with respect to our database and how all pertinent data will transfer
between the database and client machines.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Team Bios
Listed In Alphabetical Order
Adrian Clark
Graphics Design, Documentation Expert
Adrian Clark is a full-time student at Old Dominion University. He is currently
in his senior year at ODU pursuing a degree in Computer Science. Adrian is
employed part-time by Office Max, Inc. He brings real-world sales experience to
the Smart Design development team. Prior to Smart Design, Adrian possessed
no graphic design experience; however, he has gained a wealth of experience
and knowledge using graphics packages such as Microsoft Office Visio to
skillfully craft the Smart Design presentation graphics.
James Mauldin
3D Technology Expert
James Mauldin hails from Virginia Beach, VA. He is an Old Dominion University
Computer Science student with plans of graduating in spring 2006. Upon
graduation, James plans to contribute his gained knowledge and expertise to the
Artificial Intelligence Department of Bethesda Softworks. James brings to the
Smart Design team a background in C++ and Java and the experience of
building high performance computers.
Neal Porter
Project Manager, Website Developer
Neal Porter is a full-time student at Old Dominion University. Upon graduation in
the winter of 2005, Neal will have earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer
Science with a minor in Computer Engineering. Neal is an experienced
programmer and web designer which gives him the tools necessary to develop
the Smart Design website. Prior to returning to ODU in 2003, Neal worked as a
systems administrator and programmer for a local Internet Service Provider.
Here, Neal worked closely with others in project groups, often times serving as
the project manager. This experience more than qualifies him to be the Smart
Design project manager.
Omar Rahimi
Marketing Expert, Graphics Design
With a background in many aspects of the business world, Omar was a perfect
choice for the Smart Design marketing expert. He possesses expertise in
economics and accounting and is knowledgeable in the field of Information
Technology. A senior at Old Dominion University, Omar is pursuing a degree in
the field of Computer Science with a minor in Information Technology. Outside of
Smart Design, Omar enjoys web development and graphics design. After his
planned December 2005 graduation, Omar plans to pursue a rewarding career in
the world of Computer Science.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Olga Stubbs
Finance Expert, Lead Presenter
Philosophical and outspoken, Olga is the perfect choice for the position of Smart
Design lead presenter. With a Bachelor’s Degree in linguistics, the ability to
fluently speak five different languages, and experience as the President of the
Student Union at Brest State University, Belarus, Olga is the consummate
presenter. Aside from being an excellent student, Olga is a hot shot volley ball
player.
Brandon Vause
Database Expert, Network Expert
With childhood ambitions of becoming an astronaut, Brandon Vause entered into
the Old Dominion University Computer Science undergraduate program. Upon
his graduation in December 2005, Brandon hopes to land a job specialized in the
field of Computer Science. Brandon would also like to pursue a career as a
musician. Brandon brings to the Smart Design team a charismatic personality,
evidenced by his ability to acquire experts in the fields of database and network
implementation. Brandon is also a capable programmer and a very supportive
team member.
Outside Experts
We have enlisted the help of various domain experts to guide us through Phase
0 of our project.

Ann Orwig, Director of Tidewater Operations, Gwaltney Fleming, Inc.

Chutima Boonthum, PhD Student, Database Expert, Old Dominion
University

G. Hill Price, 3D Rendering Expert, Professor of Computer Science, Old
Dominion University
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SmartDesign Appendix
Management Plan
Project Organization
For the SmartDesign project we will use the mixed style of project
organization. This style, which is a mixture of the Functional, Pure Project and
Matrix styles, was chosen for several reasons. First of all, we have a situation
that allows all the members of the team to meet and communicate with each
other on a regular basis, which eliminated the need to use the Pure Project style.
In considering what skills each member had to brought to the team we found that
all had very different, and in some cases, unrelated skill sets with regards to the
project, which means all would need to take on tasks that may be entirely new to
them. In addition to this, this project also requires that some or all of the team
may need to work on any particular task(s) in concert in order to complete the
project. These factors eliminate the need to use sole Pure project, Functional or
Matrix styles but a mixture of all three.
Budget Control
This project will be limited to a specified budget broken down by phase, as
follows:
Phase 0: unspecified
Phase 1: $ 100,000
Phase 2: $ 750,000
Phase 3: $ 751,893.91
For the out years (phase 3 on) the budget will be based on past and projected
sales of the software and services.
For the project to be successful there will need to be strict oversight of
spending. It is important that the proper and/or planned amount of money
allocated to a particular resource is spent on only that resource, and that that
resource is not overpriced or misused. These resources include direct costs such
as salaries, hard equipment and software. Indirect costs such as marketing,
research and overhead will be taken into consideration as well. This will all be
accomplished by the Financial Manager and Project Manager through regularly
scheduled reviews of general project progress and spending records. For further
information on how we intend to plan and ultimately track progress and spending
please refer to the Work Breakdown Structure and Budget plans.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Marketing Strategy
The marketing strategy, as outlined in the marketing plan, will be carried
out initially (phase 0) by this team’s marketing manager, beginning with research
and acquisition of a patent, as well as market identification. For future phases an
individual experienced in marketing shall be hired to take on the task of
marketing. Currently this includes the research and identification of our core
target market, Commercial Interior Design firms. With the market identified we
will solicit the product to interested local firms, one and the most important of
which is the Commercial Interior Design firm of Gwaltney Fleming (Richmond,
Virginia Beach). This customer has expressed a significant amount of interest in
this project and has already indicated that they will invest in it. This initial
customer will be used in field testing the product and their record of successful
use of it will be used in marketing it to firms located inside and outside the
southeast Virginia region, focusing first on the east and northeast regions of the
U.S and eventually working our way west and south, and eventually
internationally. We will market the software via the internet and through
purchasing ads in professionally directed magazines such as Architectural
Digest. The majority of these marketing activities will be conducted in the out
years.
Customer Relations
While working closely with our potential first customer, the Commercial
Interior Design Firm of Gwaltney Fleming, we have already begun the process of
using close customer relations to learn how we can improve and develop
SmartDesign. Through this relationship we have learned that the current way of
developing 3D renderings for our customer’s clients is expensive and time
consuming. This has helped direct our efforts into producing a product that does
exactly what our customer needs it to do. In the future we will continue to use
feedback from our customers and create weekly reports on problems and
suggestions regarding improvements in future versions of SmartDesign. This
continued communication with the customer will ensure that SmartDesign is
developed with the necessary features to be of maximal use to our customers,
thus ensuring customer satisfaction, without which the project would otherwise
fail.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Evaluation plan
Our project has four main parts: the software package, the database, the
web site, and the documentation, all of which need a process for determination of
completion. For each part, we will have to have a different, yet comparable,
measurement of completion; hence, earned value will be used. If you refer to
Evaluation Plan spreadsheet, then you will see an example of the process for the
software package. The use of the GUI in the diagram is only for an example, in
actuality the lowest level tasks on the work breakdown chart will be used for the
earned value calculations.
How will earned value be calculated? First, each low level task will be
assigned some measurement according to the dominant aspect of that task. For
example, coding is given the measurement of KLOCs. In other words, the size of
a coded module will be represented in thousands of lines of code. Testing on the
other hand is measured by the number of test cases that must be run. Each
task’s complexity will be estimated according to its dominant measurable factor.
Going back to the coding example, each module will be assigned an estimation
on how many thousands of lines of code it will be once finished. Once all
estimations are in place, then for each task we will estimate the total time
required to reach the estimated complexity. With the coding example, we will
calculate the estimated time off of the estimated size by using the estimated
KLOCs per day a person can code. Then by dividing the estimated time for each
task by the overall sum, we will obtain a percentage stating how much of the
project is invested into each task. This percentage will be the value for that task.
Once a task is finished, we will state that we have earned that value, and from all
earned values we will be able to estimate the level of completion.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Funding Plan
Funding Agency
National Science Foundation, Division of Design, Manufacture, and Industrial
Innovation
Topic: Information-Based Technologies
Subtopic: Applications, Data Mining, and Management (Real-Time)
NSF Mission Statement: “To promote the progress of science; to advance the
national health, prosperity, and welfare; and to secure the national defense.”
Cost
Phase I awards have a max amount of $100,000
SBIR Phase II awards have a max amount of $500,000
Phase IIB for eligible SBIR Phase II grantees plus Phase II have a max amount
of $750,000
Schedule
SBIR Phase I has a duration of six month, during which experimental or
theoretical investigation is commenced upon the proposed research or activity.
The result should determine the scientific, technical and commercial merit, and
feasibility of the idea or concept. The goal of the research should be to develop
products, processes, devices, or techniques that can be commercialized.
Phase II has an approximate duration of 24 months. The process involves further
developing the proposed concept, improving upon the feasibility of the project,
and incorporating the reassessment of scientific, technical, and commercial merit
and feasibility.
Phase III deals with commercial applications of the government-funded research.
This phase will not be funded by SBIR (Federal or non-Federal).Funding is
coming from real customers, sales, and investments.
Availability of Information:
Proposal Preparation and Submission
http://www.eng.nsf.gov/sbir/phase_i_-_prop.htm
Grant Proposal Guide
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/gpg/nsf04_23/start.htm
*Source: http://www.eng.nsf.gov
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SmartDesign Appendix
Budget Analysis
Phase 1 Staffing
Title
CS Intern
Software Engineer
Level 1
Software Engineer
Lead
Project Manager
Technical Writer
Graphic Model
Developers
Salary
Employment
Needed (Yearly)
Duration (Days)
1
$ 24,960.00
50
Cost of
Employment
$ 2,600.00
1
$ 68,569.00
50
$
7,142.60
1
1
1
$ 87,572.00
$102,099.00
$ 58,903.00
55
90
10
$ 10,034.29
$ 19,143.56
$ 1,227.15
3
$ 41,561.00
10
$
865.85
40% Overhead
$ 16,405.38
Total Employee
Budget
$ 57,418.83
Phase 1 Resources
Part
Workstations
DSL Internet
3D Software
MySQL
MS Office 2003
MS Visual Studio
# of units
Cost
5
$ 5,395.00
1
$
29.95
1
$ 800.00
1
Free
1
$ 499.99
1
$ 799.99
Total
$ 7,524.93
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SmartDesign Appendix
Phase 2 Staffing
Employment
Duration
Cost of
Needed Salary (Yearly)
(Days)
Employment
1
$
24,960.00
90
$
4,680.00
Title
CS Intern
Software Engineer
Level 1
Software Engineer
Lead
Project Manager
Technical Writer
Graphic Model
Developers
Quality Assurance
Manager
Marketing Manager
1
$
68,569.00
90
$
12,856.69
1
1
1
$
$
$
87,572.00
102,099.00
58,903.00
120
360
30
$
$
$
21,893.00
76,574.25
3,681.44
3
$
41,561.00
10
$
865.85
1
1
$
$
53,926.00
62,410.00
120
120
$
$
13,481.50
15,602.50
40% Overhead
$
59,854.09
Total Employee Budget
$
209,489.32
Phase 2 Resources
Part
# of units
Raid Storage
1
Raid Controller
1
Database
2
DSL Internet
1
Server
2
Workstations
5
High-end Laptop 1
Total
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Cost
1,187.96
647.56
9,990.00
29.95
1,463.96
5,395.00
3,785.00
$22,499.43
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SmartDesign Appendix
Phase 3 Staffing
Title
Cs Intern
Software Engineer
Level 1
Software Engineer
Lead
Project Manager
Technical Writer
Graphic Model
Developers
Quality Assurance
Manager
Marketing Manager
Technical Support
Employment
Duration
Cost of
Needed Salary (Yearly)
(Days)
Employment
1
$
24,960.00
annual
$ 24,960.00
1
$
68,569.00
annual
$
68,569.00
1
1
1
$
$
$
87,572.00
102,099.00
58,903.00
annual
annual
annual
$ 87,572.00
$ 102,099.00
$ 58,903.00
1
$
41,561.00
annual
$
41,561.00
1
1
5
$
53,926.00
$
62,410.00
$ 120 per Hour
annual
annual
300 hours
$
$
$
53,926.00
62,410.00
36,000.00
40% Overhead
$ 214,400.00
Total Employee
Budget
$ 750,400.00
Phase 3 Resources
Part
# of units
Backup Database Server
Backup Web Server
DSL Internet
1
1
1
Total
Cost
$ 731.98
$ 731.98
$ 29.95
$1,493.91
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SmartDesign Appendix
Salary Information
Source: http://www.salary.com
Software Engineer Lead: ($87,572.00 per year)
Designs, modifies, develops, writes and implements software
programming applications/operating systems. Also, coordinates work teams.
Provides technical support to project team members. Requires a bachelor's
degree in area of specialty and at least 8-10 years of experience in the field or in
a related area. Demonstrates expertise in a variety of the field's concepts,
practices, and procedures. Relies on extensive experience and judgment to plan
and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. May provide consultation on
complex projects and is considered to be the top level contributor/specialist. A
wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected. May report to an executive or a
manager.
Graphics Model Developers: ($41,561.00 per year)
Produces 3D graphics using AUTOCAD or a similar package.
Project Manager: ($102,099.00 per year)
Manages a team of software engineers to architect, design enterprise
software products/operating systems. Writes product requirement documents,
implements and tracks development timelines, negotiates feature sets with the
development leads and product. Requires a bachelor's degree in a related area
and at least 7 years of experience with software development in Java and C++,
strong relational database knowledge. Knowledge of e-commerce infrastructure,
customer relationship management, data warehousing, and business
intelligence. Generally manages a group of software developers/engineers.
Relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Typically
reports to a senior manager.
Software Engineer I: ($68,569.00 per year)
Designs, modifies, develops, writes and implements software
programming applications. Supports and/or installs software
applications/operating systems. Participates in the testing process through test
review and analysis, test witnessing and certification of software. Requires a
bachelor's degree in a related area and 4-6 years of experience in the field or in a
related area. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and
procedures. Relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.
Performs a variety of complicated tasks. May lead and direct the work of others.
May report directly to a project lead or manager. A wide degree of creativity and
latitude is expected.
Technical Writer III: ($58,903.00 per year)
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SmartDesign Appendix
Writes a variety of technical articles, reports, brochures, and/or manuals
for documentation for a wide range of uses. May be responsible for coordinating
the display of graphics and the production of the document. Requires a
bachelor's degree in a related area and 4-6 years of experience in the field or in a
related area. Familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and
procedures. Relies on limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish
goals. Performs a variety of tasks. May lead and direct the work of others.
Typically reports to a manager or head of a unit/department. A wide degree of
creativity and latitude is expected.
Quality Assurance Specialist II: ($53,926.00 per year)
Responsible for all activities involving quality assurance and compliance
with applicable regulatory requirements; conducts audits and reviews/analyzes
data and documentation. May require a bachelor's degree in area of specialty
and 2-5 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Familiar with
standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field. Relies on
limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a
variety of tasks. Works under general supervision. A certain degree of creativity
and latitude is required. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager.
Marketing Manager: ($32,410.00 per year)
Develops and implements strategic marketing plan for an organization.
Stays abreast of changes in the marketing environment to best serve the
objectives of the organization and adjusts plans accordingly. Researches and
develops pricing policies and recommends appropriate sales channels. Requires
a bachelor's degree with at least 7 years of marketing experience. Generally
manages a group of marketing professionals. Relies on experience and judgment
to plan and accomplish goals. Typically reports to an executive.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Phases
*Please see the end of this section for complete (and readable) Gantt charts
Phase 0
Phase 0 is the first of four phases the SmartDesign project will go through.
The work done in this phase is the material covered and work needed to
complete the course CS410, so the phase will last for exactly one 16 week
semester at ODU, or from January 11, 2005 until May 3, 2005. The beginning of
phase 0 is the project inception. After the team is assembled various ideas are
presented and discussed and ultimately one is agreed upon. In this case we
decided that there was much needless wasting of time, money and resources in
the interior/architectural design industry when preparing 3d renderings of a
design concept, which is an important resource they use (for more information
please see abstract p.1). Once we have the idea we move on to proving
feasibility, in this case we proved that the technology exists and there are many
products out there that do similar things, but none has a database of 3D objects
that is customizable to the design firm’s needs, nor are any that produce quick
results targeted at commercial design firms. So given that we knew that
SmartDesign was certainly doable. Our General Manager directed us to a local
design firm manager (Anne Orwig, Gwaltney & Fleming inc.) who, when
approached with the idea, was very excited about the prospect of not having to
hire outside the firm to get the renderings done, which is quite expensive
($6000/avg).
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SmartDesign Appendix
So with that we had a project that had a clear, good reason to be done.
With feasibility firmly established we move on to the milestone part of the phase,
which entails planning for management, budgeting, financing and technical
aspects of the project. We established a clear plan and schedule that is outlined
in the Gantt chart diagrams found throughout this section. We have also acquired
enough information regarding the project to keep a website updated with all of
our research and team information. All of this data will culminate in the final
milestone/deliverable for phase 0, the SBIR proposal, the success of this
proposal will determine if SmartDesign moves on to phase 1.
Phase 1
Phase 1 is the second of four phases the SmartDesign project will go
through. The work done in this phase is the material covered and work needed to
complete the course CS411, so the phase will last for exactly one 16 week
semester at ODU, or from August 27, 2005 until December 9, 2005. Phase 1 will
entail revising and further researching the project, in en effort to show proof of
concept and to eventually build a working prototype. Also in this phase the user
manuals and other similar documentation such as recommended hardware will
be prepared. Finally we will consult with legal experts regarding issues such as
attaining a patent for SmartDesign. After all of that work is done we will be able to
revise and resubmit our SBIR proposal. All of this activity will be documented on
the project website.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Phase 2
This is the Critical Design phase, upon reaching this phase it is assumed
that the SBIR grant was given and we are ready to begin actually developing a
product. This phase is scheduled to begin on January 2, 2006 and will last 2
years. At the end of this phase SmartDesign will officially exist, it will have been
tested, it will do what we have proposed it will do and we will begin to sell it for a
profit.
The first task in this phase is to acquire some office space and move in
our people and equipment. Once that is done we will need to go over all of the
material created in phase 1, in other words check for mistakes that may have
been inadvertently inserted in the plans and documentation. The specification of
the software design will also be reviewed and scrutinized, as the next step for
them is to be viewed by our lawyers.
The next step will be to focus on marketing SmartDesign. A marketing
professional possessing the skills that our group does not have will need to be
hired and a support team for this professional will be assembled. The tasks will
include analyzing the target market by examining the portfolios and sales figures
of local design firms. With that information we can prioritize and focus our target
market in order to begin solicitation of SmartDesign. In preparation for our
ensuing expansion we will then be analyzing our choices in advertising. Although
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SmartDesign Appendix
clogging the airwaves with SmartDesign propaganda and advertising would do
wonders for our sales, it’s not within our budget range and there is no evidence
that it would be cost effective. So the natural choice in advertising mediums to
research would be the internet, via our website and via other websites such as
business software vendors, through link exchanges and through banner
advertising. We will also explore the possibility of placing advertisements in
magazines directed toward the interior design industry. Once our optimum
advertising medium(s) are identified and they meet our budget plans we will
allocate the funds to purchase advertising for SmartDesign. Our website will also
undergo a major facelift as we turn its focus from research and development to
marketing and sales.
With our market strategy and execution strong and underway we will begin
the process of selling the product. This will begin by identifying, through our prior
research, desirable initial customers. The obvious first choice would be the
locally based form of Gwaltney Fleming Inc. as they have expressed marked
interest in SmartDesign even though it’s in its infancy. We will allow this firm, as
our first customer, to be our beta testers. We will also choose others to beta test,
based on our marketing research.
Now that we know who our initial customers/beta testers will be we will
begin the actual development of the SmartDesign software. This will begin with
the core software, the graphics rendering engine will need to be engineered to
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SmartDesign Appendix
work the way we need it to, and to interface with our database. Then work will
begin on developing the first database. This will entail producing 3D models of
desks, chairs, lamps…etc. to use with the software. Once that is accomplished
we will begin work on the GUIS, there will actually be two ways to install the
software, one as a server for the database, and one as the client that is installed
on a designer’s laptop. The DB GUI will have functions for editing and updating
the database, the client GUI will have the 3D rendering engine running in the
background and will allow a user to define a room, or space, and then select
various objects and fill textures from the library downloaded from the central
database.
With the software developed and beta testing begun we will focus our
efforts on, not only collecting data from the beta tests for adjusting the software
and market plan, but revising all the user and installation documentation to reflect
updates as well. This will conclude the initial development of SmartDesign and it
will be ready to be sold, and the website will be updated to reflect this milestone.
This phase will not quite be over however, we will need to put a quality
assurance plan in place, this will be done to essential report and fix any bug the
beta testers or anyone else has found.
Phase 3
The project will be in this phase for the duration of its lifetime, as this
phase represents the production of SmartDesign and the out years. This phase is
made up of three activities, continued development of the software, changing
marketing strategies and deployment, and maintenance of the deployed
software. Continued development will ensure our product is always viable and
state of the art. By taking advantage of future advances in computing power and
display advancements SmartDesign will continue to offer the latest and greatest
functionality. Should the market dictate the need, we will also increase the
compatibility by porting the software to other platforms.
Marketing SmartDesign in this final phase will consist of a 21 month long
plan of deployment starting in January of 2008 with the local region, and moving
on to strategic regional deployment based on marketing research, and finally
going worldwide with the product. The website will also be revamped and
updated so that customers can easily request custom database updates,
software updates, or so new customer can get a feel for what SmartDesign is all
about and purchase it online.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Maintenance of the deployed software will be a key factor in keeping up
customer relations and keeping sales high. It includes faithfully considering all
customer feedback and making changes to the software when appropriate, as
well as tracking reported bugs. We will also provide, for an annual fee, custom
database object updates by creating new 3D objects based on customer
specifications and sending them to the customer, there will be a limit on how
many determined by our Phase 1 research. We will also sell training materials to
our customers should they need them, and we will provide installation assistance
at no charge. Quality assurance will not go away with phase 2, the same
activities of bug tracking and fixing will always take place.
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Marketing Plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Organizational Mission Definition
Market Analysis
Competition
Strategy
Break-Even Analysis (Smart Design Team)
Return On Investment (customer)
1. Organizational Mission Definition
The Smart Design concept was derived as a result of combining several ideas
into one. The initial concept of Smart Design was to provide an alternative
method to aid design professionals in their efforts to get customer approval for
interior architectural design projects. The current methods of design do not allow
for the client to make an immediate decision on the project. The current methods
require a designer to gather information from the client and to give to CAD
specialists to develop a preliminary three dimensional rendering of the clients'
possible vision. This may take several weeks to develop, as the drafting
specialist must use room measurements to sketch the ideas and then develop
the rendered computer image of the client idea. On the average, an initial design
concept takes 1 – 2 weeks to get a prototype approved. The current process is
costing architectural design firms a great deal of time and money. Time is
wasted which means the designers are not being productive because they are
waiting to get approval of the initial design concept. Costs become significant
because architectural firms are spending a lot of money when very little is being
done. The project cannot get started until it is approved by the client. The longer
the delay, the more a firm is spending to get the idea right. After several failed
attempts to capture the clients' vision, the client may choose to go to another
firm; one which may be able to identify exactly what the client wants.
In order to reduce the initial design and discussion approval time, Smart Design
will integrate several hardware components that corresponds with the software to
provide "on the spot" three dimensional prototypes to eliminate the time required
for a Computer Aided Design specialist to develop the preliminary design
concept. The integrated hardware will also make Smart Design unique by
providing the ability to customize the database to allow the software to keep up
with current market trends in the commercial interior architectural design market.
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In an effort to reduce costs associated with waiting on a design concept to be
approved, Smart Design will offer the ability to use computer technology to
develop a design and render an architectural prototype "on the spot". This “on
the spot” prototype will help the client envision their raw idea and allow the
designer get approval for the project on that day. Providing same day approval
allows the commercial architectural design firms’ employees become more
productive and efficient in their line of work.
2. Market Analysis
There are 24,643 commercial architectural design firms in the United States,
according to Direct Media Incorporated. Despite the slow growth in recent years,
due to the September 11th terrorist attacks the interior architectural design market
has had a compelling increase over the last year. The 2005 top 100 Interior
Design Giants experienced a double-digit growth over 2004, earning
$1,610,057,477, a 10.19 percent increase in over the last year. The single
largest earner was office design which earned 35.49 percent of the total fees.
The double digit improvement is expected to boost the expected slower than
average growth through the next seven years. Although architectural firms are
expected to grow slower than average through 2012, specialized design services
will continue to seek rapid growth over the next several years. As figure 2.1
illustrates, the leading areas of specialty deal with the commercial design
development. The leading specialties in architectural firms are from the industrial
and arts facilities. Even though interior design is needed in all areas of
architecture, it can be seen that the most significant area of specialty is in the
commercial/industrial facilities.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Although rapid growth is expected in specialty areas of architecture, US firms are
facing strong competition from international companies offering services at a
lower cost. To deal with the international competition, market trends in the
architecture industry have shown that more and more architectural firms are
creating their own interior design departments in an effort to streamline the
building processes and reduce design costs. With “in house” design
departments, architects are incorporating their knowledge of the building process
to alleviate the slight imperfections that can cost the firm a client and the pricey
cost of hiring consultants.
The current design process is inefficient in that it takes weeks to get a turnaround
for preliminary designs on a project. The current process contains a recurring set
of tasks be accomplished in order for customer approval. These recurring tasks
have shown to be a considerable part of the design budget. These unnecessary
costs are incurred though the initial discussion, expert consultation and design
approval steps. Figure 2.2 illustrates that on the average 36 percent of the
design budget is on the initial discussion, consultation, and approval periods.
This 36 percent can become significantly greater if the firm continues their
inability to satisfy their client with their imperfections and misunderstandings
toward design approval.
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SmartDesign Appendix
Amy Yurko of American Institute of Architects explains, “Fees vary from project to
project, but can run anywhere from $1,000 to hundreds of thousands of dollars”.
36 percent of these fees are from the designer being unable to satisfy the clients’
needs on preliminary design. Smart Design will aim to reduce these costs by
targeting the initial discussion and expert consultation areas to generate a faster
method to get design approval.
Smart Design’s ambition is towards upscale architectural design firms. These
firms are the most compelled to invest in a product to help maintain their
prominence as a top tier architectural firm. Research indicates that these
upscale firms generally show improved performance in sales and services. One
upscale design firm in the Richmond Virginia area, Gwantley Flemming Inc. has
shown a lot interest in the Smart Design concept. Anne Orwig, Director of
Tidewater Operations for Gwantley Flemming Inc. has expressed great interest in
the idea. “I definitely feel there is market for such a product … You could market
it on several different levels, commercial design, architectural design and maybe
even real estate agents.” She has also expressed that a considerable amount of
time is spent in the initial discussion and expert consultation of the design
process. Along with Gwantley Flemming Inc., other high end architectural design
firms were selected as targets for Smart Design. The Red team research group
tried to identify architectural design firms which have showed considerable
earnings over the past several years. Three top architectural firms which have
shown growth and a steady market forecast within the past three years were
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SmartDesign Appendix
chosen as a sample to which Smart Design is targeted towards. Figure 2.3
illustrates the continuous growth by Highland Associates, Daniel Frankfurt P.C.,
and Ted Moudis Associates. All have all proved to be regulars as some of the
top design firms of the year. Highland Associates has experienced annual
revenues of $13,000,000 in 2003 to up to $14,579,500 in 2004. Daniel Frankfurt
P.C remained consistent with revenues of $14,267,423 in 2003 to $15,715,005 in
2004. Ted Moudis Associates also showed growth with annual revenues of
$11,200,000 in 2003 to 11,950,000 in 2004. Each of these upscale firms
illustrates the recent growth trends in the interior architectural design market.
They have shown increased profits each year and remain part of the top 120
architectural design firms in the United States.
Smart Design is not targeted towards the residential design market. The purpose
of Smart Design is to help in commercial interior design development. There are
many easy to use software design products specifically for home design. These
products allow the home owners to create three dimensional renderings of there
own home and modify it as they see fit. The competition in the residential market
is very steep and software is affordable ranging from one hundred dollars up to
five hundred dollars. Figure 2.4 show a percentage breakdown of the specific
areas in architectural design. The figure shows that 13 percent of specialty firms
are of the residential segment. The affordable and user friendly software
products make the residential market extremely difficult to enter This is why the
initial target market chosen was the commercial segment which is 14 percent of
the market. As figure 2.4 illustrates, Smart Design's market does not just stop
at the commercial end. The Smart Design product can be used across any
segment except for the residential and urban design and planning markets. This
means that Smart Design is targeted for 75% of the market place. For this
reason, the target market for Smart Design is upscale commercial architectural
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SmartDesign Appendix
design firms. Future endeavors with Smart Design will move on to target other
specialty areas of architectural design.
In conclusion, the Smart Design target market is primarily the commercial interior
architectural design firms. The greatest market is toward the commercial
segment of architectural firms. The goal of Smart Design is to help upscale
interior architectural firms save money by reducing costs in the initial discussion,
expert consultation and design approval steps of the design process. The
commercial architectural design market has shown growth and is expected to
show growth through the year 2012. As figure 2.3 illustrates, a sample of three
of the top design firms of 2005 have shown growth in the past three years. They
have shown revenues the past three years, remaining part of one of the top
design firms of the year. The target market takes up 75 percent of the specialty
segments, leaving out only residential and urban design/planning segments.
Smart Design does not target those markets since the residential segment is full
of competition and the urban design/planning segment focuses on urban renewal
projects. The target market for Smart Design has proved to make enough
revenues to invest in the concept. It also contains a large enough market to keep
Smart Design in business for a long time.
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SmartDesign Appendix
3. Competition
Figure 3.1: Competition Matrix
The current software products in the industry provide a variety of features to help
make the design process experience simpler. Smart Design takes advantage of
the competition by providing some unique features not provided by the
competition. The most unique feature of Smart Design is that it offers a
customizable database which can be updated to contain the newest market
trends in commercial design. This also allows for instant prototyping in
renderings of 3 dimensional objects.
3.1 Description of Competition
3.1.1 Reals 3D Rendering and Animation
Kajima Corporation, a large General Contracting firm from Japan, are developing
rendering software, REALS , with the goal of making a software that has both
high end quality and easy operation in order for architects to use as a design
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SmartDesign Appendix
tool. This product is used by architects only to develop 3D renderings. This
product cost $853.
3.1.2 Anark
Anark is a leading provider of large-scale Web-enabled 3D applications for the
aviation and aerospace industry. This is a graphics product tool geared toward
the aviation industry. The cost of this product is $995.
3.1.3 VectorWorks
VectorWorks is a Sophisticated CAD software product that provides variety of
tools and capabilities that regular CAD programs don’t offer. It also provides the
RenderWorks software to develop 3D images. Offers technical support and
targets all industries. The cost is approximately $2,045; however, they also
require classes be taken to become familiar with the product.
3.1.4 Maxon Cinema 4D
Maxon Cinema 4D is a software product which provides3D modeling, animation
and rendering. It has been used mostly in the film, television, science,
architecuture, engineering industries. It is targeted commercially; although, it
mainly does rendering. This software product cost $2995.
3.1.5 Punch Home Design Architectural Series 4000
Punch Architectural Series 4000 is a software product designed for developing
architectural models of homes and their interiors. Punch allows home owners to
develop 3D models of their potential ideas. It is designed specifically toward the
residential design market as it merely a tool to help home owners use for ideas of
remodeling. This product costs $249.99
3.1.6 Animazing 3D
Animazing specializes in 3D computer architectural animation. They produce
computer animations and renderings using CAD conversion. This product
company offers the most competition towards Smart Design; however, they do
not offer the customizable database and immediate feedback. Also, they are
typically used when firms contract out the work. This means their costs are very
expensive as they do the imaging for the firm. Smart Design will help firms save
money so they won’t have to contract out the work that they do.
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SmartDesign Appendix
4. Strategy
Demonstration
Smart Design will solicit numerous commercial architectural firms with a free
demonstration as to how the product works. The goal is promote the idea
through architectural conventions where hundreds of top tier firms come together
for awards and for the outlook on trends in the industry. The software products
will demonstrate the prototype amid numerous firms to gain support as a
sophisticated software product in the industry. An effort will also be made to
promote the concept through several architectural publications. These efforts will
accomplish two main goals.
1: Test the purpose of the product. Confirm that the product does what it is
intended to do and that it does gather the interest of architectural firms.
2: Propose contracts with some interior architectural design firms to design
templates geared toward those firms.
Deployment
This section determines how the Smart Design product will be distributed. The
initial deployment will not target a wide range of firms because the costs may be
too great for a small company as Smart Designs to handle. The goal is to sell
the product nationwide. To accomplish this goal, the deployment will be broken
down into several phases. Each phase will target the metropolitan areas of
states. It will begin locally within the metropolitan areas of Virginia then move
north towards the New York and New England areas. Next, the city of Chicago
and other large cities of the Midwest will be targeted. After that, the big cities of
the West Coast will be able to receive the software product. Following that,
Smart Design will be available in the big cities of the south; Atlanta, Miami, Dallas
etc. The final deployment phase allows Smart Design to be offered anywhere in
the nation. Deployment numbers are expected to grow exponentially until the
production reaches the final phase. The biggest market is in phase two, since its
market contains more of the leading firms in the industry. After this phase sales
are expected to accelerate as other firms will works to keep up with the leaders
of the pack.
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SmartDesign Appendix
5. Break-Even Analysis ( Smart Design Team)
6. Return On Investment ( Customer)
31