Installation of your new kitchen may be far from instant once you have placed your order. Some products and materials that need to be bought-in may require long lead times of between two to six weeks and the kitchen can't have even begun to have been installed until these materials have arrived.

A typical custom kitchen is usually installed anywhere from 4 weeks from signed contract (usually the earliest) to 12 weeks (usually the latest).

Typically the cabinetry is removed on day one, the Plumber and Electrician get their side of alterations partly installed and the next day the kitchen installation begins (sometimes it is on the same day as the removal).

Your job upon contract signing will be scheduled into the "Installation Project Planner" and in our "MS OutLook" daily diary. A final site measure is usually required by the Production manager to verify that all last minute design changes still fit within the physical boundaries, and that has to be booked in.

After that there is the wait for the materials need to arrive at the factory, some materials take a day, others take up to four weeks (lacquered solid timber doors for example). Once all the materials turn up then the job needs to be slotted into the next available spot in the manufacturing cycle, after which Your job is cut out, edged, drilled and machined, then assembled and cleaned and stacked ready to be delivered.

All this is pre-planned and we expect that barring major catastrophes, when your date of installation arrives that your kitchen is fully assembled and ready for shipment so the installation process can commence.

The installation crew arrive after the Plumber and Electrician have been and the cabinets are installed. This process will be finished quickly, but it depends a bit on the materials that you have selected.

If however, you have selected a granite bench top and glass splashback with an appliance cabinet on the bench top (for example), then after the cabinets have been installed the stone mason has to arrive to create a site template for the job, then he has to schedule your job into his work schedule. Usually the stone mason returns after 8 working days with the granite bench top and starts installation, he is usually there for the full day. Then the Plumber has to return to connect the sink, and the Kitchen Company returns to install the appliance cabinet.

Glass splashbacks may have a long schedule. The Glazier normally arrives after the benchtop is installed to template for the glass splashback. Because it is toughened glass which is painted on the rear, this gets done in Sydney and can take from 2 weeks to 4 weeks (depending upon how busy the glaziers are). Once the glass is shipped back to Canberra, then the glass splashback is then scheduled into the glaziers work schedule to be installed in your home. After the glass is installed you can't use the kitchen bench tops until the next day so that the silicone has had time to set.

So a quick calculation from the time the cabinets went in to the time the Glazier has finished the glass splashback shows that your kitchen sink may be out of action for four weeks longer then having a laminated bench top with tiles as a splashback.
Not only that but the Granite and the Glass Splashback would have probably set you back about an extra $5,000 more in cost!
Now if you were to have structural building work as well you could well add another week to two weeks on top of that.

Thus it is very important when selecting your kitchen finishes, that you realise that some products will take longer to complete than others and you cannot expect that just because they cost more that they will be installed faster. More often than not this is not the case.

From the foregoing discussion is it clear that the kitchen designer has to work in closely with the manufacturer, installer and other Trades people to ensure that suggested materials and products are available in a reasonable time period.
Most kitchen Designers today typically operate with well equipped showrooms, close to or allied with the manufacturing premises and in close contact with other team members in the field (Production controller, factory manager, purchasing clerk, other trades people, etc).
Some have begun their trade as a Cabinetmakers and have shown flair for design and organisation and progressed to become Kitchen Designers, while others have been trained more broadly as interior designers, then adapting their skills and flair with colour, light and space successfully to kitchen designs. 
Others still have had neither a Trade or Interior Design background and have learnt as they went along. 

Some have also received the designation of Certified Kitchen Designer CKD(Aust.) from the National Kitchen and Bathroom Association.
While such qualifications are not mandatory for designing kitchens, the CKD designation requires the passing of a theory examination and a minimum set amount of years full-time professional experience designing kitchens.  This is the highest credential that the Industry has and anyone that is a CDK is a qualified and respected professional in this Industry.

A designer, apart from developing innovative designs and detailed specifications, can pull all the tasks of your kitchen project together. The designer will keep you from getting bogged down in details that can throw your planning off track. You'll be free to dream, while the designer thinks through all the measurements, material coordination, and construction logistics that will make your dream a reality.

In other words, a good designer will help you do it right the first time, see possibilities where you could not, and make the entire experience go smoothly.

When you work with a kitchen designer, you don't have to give up control of your plans or turn all the remodeling work over to other craftsmen. Think of yourself as the project director and of the kitchen designer as the project manager. You can be intimately involved in every detail of the project and even do some of the hands-on work. But when you do need someone to handle logistics, whether it's ordering products or coordinating contractors' schedules, the designer or her/his colleagues can step in

The designer will:

    Visit your home to take measurements.
      Create a the design perspectives, elevations and floor plan.
      Develop a detailed quotation.
      Discuss the design reasons with you and apply modifications.
      Assist with colour and materials options.
      Review modifications to meet changing requirements.
      Formalises agreed plans and specifications into a contract.
      Schedule your job into the production.
      Assist in coordinating of plumbing, etc. contractors.
      Oversee the construction and installation of all design elements.

Be sure to clarify up front though, who will be responsible for the sub-contractors. Some design firms will coordinate the contractors' work only after you have selected and come to separate agreement with each sub-contractor. 
Aneka Kitchens however, prefers to contract the Plumber, Electrician and other sub-contractors that they have quoted for, to ensure all the work is carried out on schedule and that the work is carried out as per contract