Houston, We Have a Solution: When Deadlines Overlap

Key Takeaways:

• Shared design workflows help solar PV and battery energy storage system (BESS) teams coordinate multiple design packages on accelerated schedules.
• Shared drawings and consistent naming conventions reduce duplicated work while preserving the scope and requirements of each deliverable.
• Coordinated design practices make it easier to add early works packages without disrupting existing project deadlines.
• Connected workflows help renewable energy teams carry revisions across related packages, limit rework and respond quickly to late technical issues.

An accelerated solar PV + BESS schedule put multiple design packages, some reaching 100 pages, on parallel flight paths toward simultaneous deadlines.

The challenge was not simply producing more drawings. Portions of the packages needed to carry the same design information while each deliverable still reflected its own scope, requirements and milestones. Then, two early works packages entered the flight plan without moving the existing deadlines.

The mission became clear: increase the number of deliverables without doubling the effort or sending the schedule off trajectory.

Houston, we have a solution. Build a shared design workflow.

Project Engineer Lauren Leen and the team developed a coordinated drawing structure that allowed common design elements to support multiple packages while maintaining the requirements of each individual deliverable. Instead of treating every package as an independent effort, the team looked for opportunities to structure the work once and carry it efficiently across connected submittals.

Strong internal communication served as mission control. As designs evolved through internal, client and owner reviews, the team understood how each change affected connected packages and could coordinate updates across multiple deliverables. Each submittal also provided new intel, allowing the team to refine its approach for the next.

The result kept the mission on course. Even as the client added scope and design changes continued throughout the project, the team successfully met its deadlines while delivering the packages needed to keep the project advancing.

For solar and BESS developers, accelerated delivery requires more than producing documents faster. A scalable workflow can help teams absorb additional scope, coordinate change and advance multiple workstreams without unnecessarily duplicating effort.

Mission Debrief: How to Scale the Workflow

• Design for Multiple Deliverables: Structure connected packages so common design elements can efficiently support more than one submittal.
• Map the Connections: Understand how changes to one design affect other packages so updates can move efficiently across the project.
• Adapt With Every Submittal: Apply lessons from each deliverable to refine the workflow as scope and project needs evolve.

When the flight plan gets more complex, the workflow has to evolve with it. Mission accomplished.

KWRE | Transforming Visions into Sustainable Realities  Kier + Wright Affiliate | Full-Solution Renewable Engineering  Operating in 33 U.S. States | Focus on Diverse Renewables  Delivering Developments Up to 800 MW Capacity  Navigating the Future of Renewable Energy Together!