Digital optimisation workflow in early project phases and what it can bring when looking at the MacLeamy curve

It is known from the MacLeamy curve that early effort in project developments pays off. Any change in early project phases takes less effort and is more effective in impacting cost and success of the project than a change that incurs later. This contribution points out possible savings by employing numerical optimisation for achieving the optimal design with respect to both code-conforming performance and construction costs for common geotechnical systems such as ground improvements. One of the bottlenecks for the widespread use of numerical optimisation for design is perhaps the lack of a workflow management program. In the present paper, a structure of a functional workflow management program based on Python, its standard library, third-party packages, and external APIs will be detailed. In addition to that, some fundamentals of how optimisation works will be presented. One meaningful use case of the automated optimisation applied to the design of ground improvements for LNG tank foundation is presented. Extensions to digital ground model provided by the BIM process and seamless information transfer to the construction site purposed for the implementation of the observational method in geotechnical design will be drawn.