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Building Surveying and Construction
Design for Manufacture and Assembly Essentials (DfMA)

Design for Manufacture and Assembly Essentials (DfMA)

Microcredential

Overview

MP and Centre of Excellence logos

Start date

Rolling enrolments

Delivery

Self-paced online learning with flexible start and completion times.

Get up to speed with modern construction techniques

This course has been developed to address a recognised capability and knowledge gap across the housing construction industry. Industry feedback indicates a growing need for business owners and their staff to better understand the benefits, drivers, limitations, and practical requirements associated with adopting Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), including the Building 4.0 principles, supported by PrefabAUS (2023).

The development of this course has been informed by consultation with a Subject Matter Expert from PrefabAUS and a structural engineering firm (refer Appendix 1), specialising in MMC and DfMA. This consultation indicated that DfMA and MMC are sometimes applied in contexts where they are not suited, resulting in increased costs, added complexity, inefficiencies, and project outcomes that do not meet expectations.

This course directly addresses the cognitive and systemic shift required across the industry, moving away from traditional, linear design and documentation processes toward an integrated approach that prioritises design for production and manufacturing. This represents a fundamental transformation in how the Australian construction industry currently operates.

Therefore, this course introduces participants to DfMA for them to begin exploring how they can apply it to their housing construction workflow. It supports participants to:

  • Understand DfMA and identify the key elements that inform it
  • Understand the criteria for determining when DfMA should be used and when it should be avoided
  • Understand the collaborative aspects of DfMA to ensure housing construction projects can meet desired outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcome Description
LO1: Understand Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) as an integrated, structured, and iterative design process for prefabricated housing construction. This learning outcome includes:
  • Unistructural knowledge: defining the concept of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA).
  • Multistructural knowledge: identifying and describing the individual elements that inform DfMA design, quality and safety, including:
    • Regulations and compliance certification
    • Manufacturing requirements
    • Shifts in design thinking
    • Software and system relationships
    • Logistics requirements
    • Assembly requirements.
LO2: Understand the key criteria for determining the suitability of a project for a DfMA approach. This learning outcome includes:
  • Multistructural knowledge: describing the key criteria used to assess project suitability for a DfMA approach, including:
    • Project intent and typology
    • Levels of repeatability and standardisation
    • Availability of stakeholders for appropriate DfMA sequencing
    • Business and financial considerations
    • Stakeholder capabilities
  • Relational knowledge: explain why a project is suitable or not suitable for a DfMA approach.
LO3: Understand how to collaborate effectively with key partners within a DfMA environment to achieve safe, efficient, and compliant outcomes for prefabricated housing projects. This learning outcome includes:
  • Multistructural knowledge: describing the elements of successful collaboration including:
  • Necessity of continuous and early collaboration
    • Stakeholder involvement requirements and collaborative activities
    • Digital workflows to support collaboration
  • Relational knowledge: explaining how partner roles interact within the DfMA process to influence project outcomes.

Industry recognition

Design for Manufacture and Assembly Essentials (DfMA) is delivered by Melbourne Polytechnic for the Construction industry and developed at the Future of Housing Centre of Excellence and our industry partner prefabAUS

Digital badging

Learners who successfully complete Design for Manufacture and Assembly Essentials (DfMA) will receive a digital badge endorsed by prefabAUS.

The digital badge provides a secure, verifiable record of achievement that can be shared online with employers and professional networks.

Requirements and recommended prior experience

Have a basic understanding of Modern Methods of Construction, including the variety of MMC domains such as pre-fabrication, sustainability, digital systems and work processes.

This course is aimed at learners who have completed or have the equivalent knowledge of the Micro Credential: Rethinking Construction: Modern Methods of Construction

Minimum technical requirements

To participate successfully, learners must have:

  • Access to a PC or laptop computer
  • Reliable internet connection
  • Ability to access an online learning platform
  • Basic digital literacy skills.

Mobile devices are not recommended for assessment tasks.

Assessment

The assessment will be an online quiz in our Learning Management System. Learners are required to answer all questions to receive the microcredential.