BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The driving forces of productivity-oriented design management in architecture and urban planning offices, as a novel approach to improving project performance, focus on identifying and analyzing the key factors influencing the design process. Accordingly, the present study aims to examine the driving forces affecting the status of productivity-based design management in selected architecture and urban planning offices in Tehran. METHODS: The study is applied in nature and uses a descriptive–analytical method. Theoretical data were collected through documentary research, and empirical data were obtained via a Delphi-based survey. Twenty experts were selected through purposive sampling, and 40 factors in six main dimensions were analyzed using structural cross-impact analysis in MICMAC software. FINDINGS: The cross-impact analysis indicated that the driving forces occupy a complex, intermediate state, mostly in the independent cluster. Among 31 identified drivers, the most influential include precise project planning, advanced design software use, effective stakeholder communication, quality control, human resource management, and project risk management. These factors have the greatest direct impact on productivity-oriented design management in the studied offices. CONCLUSION: The analysis identified key drivers such as precise project planning, advanced design software, stakeholder communication, quality control, and risk management as having the greatest direct impact.
