Effective communication is crucial for a successful design project.

Frequently the stages, steps or design levels are not perceived the same by all parties particularly in global design efforts where particular descriptive terms of a design stage can have very different meaning in different global regions.

For purposes of beginning a dialog about any particular design effort, the following Shipwright design levels are described.

 

1. BUSINESS ANALYSIS
2. DESIGN OPTIONS
3. CONCEPT DESIGN
4. PRELIMINARY DESIGN
5. CONTRACT DESIGN
6. DETAIL DESIGN