Client Briefing for Introducing Value Management to Establish Daycare Center Guidelines for the Republic of Korea

Daycare centers are the first spaces where children develop social relationships and enhance their senses through public education. Despite its significance, marginal guidelines are provided for the design of centers in the Republic of Korea (ROK); thus, clients have different perceptions of the priority of functions. To bridge these gaps, in this study, guideline for daycare center planning were established by applying value management (VM), rarely introduced in the ROK. First, importance-performance analysis was conducted to identify the gap between the ideal and status of daycare centers based on the developed framework. The analysis results explain the attitude toward risk perception of end-users and construction practitioners. The VM workshop process was then executed thoroughly, and diverse perceptions of risk factors for each space in the daycare center were moderated to propose a sample drawing and guideline. Compared with existing drawings, the room arrangement was improved for utilization and safety, and materials were developed to increase eco-friendliness and safety. The introduction of VM to establish daycare center guidelines suggested that continuous communication to coordinate perceptions supports the integration of stakeholder opinions based on the required space with reduced risks. The unification of the overall goal with a reasonable solution could be identified through the VM process. However, the lack of top management support and inexperience in VM are hindrances to overcome in the context of the ROK. Therefore, the encouragement of clients’ participation actively and systematically in the VM process by establishing governance is necessary to increase user satisfaction and outputs.

Based on the importance-performance analysis conducted in the pre-VM workshop, it was possible to identify and compare the differences in perceptions of representative stakeholders. Therefore, it could support the understanding of the interests of stakeholders participating in the project in advance through systematic steps, rather than by simply applying VM. This research provided opportunities for stakeholders who do not experienced VM workshops in the ROK. It helped to identify which part was insufficient during the VM workshop. VM can be used in a more advanced way now that the interests of different stakeholders have been taken into account. Thus, environments in which VM can be applied can be expanded, thereby reducing the cost, as the basic purpose of VM, is increasing information sharing and communication and, in turn, increasing the quality and performance of the output as well as trust among stakeholders. If the guidelines and sample drawing generated in this research are followed in a practical manner, daycare facilities with reasonable building costs and appropriate functionality can be established, as the opinions of representative stakeholders and experts are genuinely reflected. These aspects are an improvement over the existing plans; therefore, they could increase the satisfaction of end-users.