Given that projects across the property industry vary in size, form and nature with such varied stakeholders and numerous professions representing different aspects of the industry, it is perhaps unsurprising that there is a wide spectrum of “Project Management” offerings for Clients to choose from.
The term “Project Management” within the property industry can mean different things to different people depending on the nature of the project and the Client’s involvement. This can leave Clients confused about what level of service they need and their expectations and whether that level of service is delivering value.
The value in a project management service is simply whether the service will deliver the Client’s objectives on time and to budget, therefore any service which does not properly manage the various technical, commercial, legal and statutory disciplines which will affect the performance of the project cannot be said to be achieving value.
Some key questions Clients should consider when appointing a Project Manager include:
- Is the service tailored to maximising time, cost and project scope and meeting the Client’s objectives?
- Does that Project Manager have a bias towards one aspect of a project e.g. design, or can they maintain the same level of focus across all disciplines involved in successfully delivering a project?
- Does the Project Manager understand the technical detail of the various disciplines required for the project such that they can manage and coordinate those activities including architecture and the engineering disciplines, health and safety, planning, tendering and contracts?
- Does the Project Manager have the soft skills such as communication, organisation, drive, leadership and diplomacy to bring the parties together and promote a cohesive team?
- Does the Project Manager understand the Client’s objectives and the wider context of why the project has been commissioned and given thought to alternative procurement routes where this may benefit the project and the Client’s risk profile?
- Have the Client’s objectives been qualified to test feasibility or has the Project Manager simply accepted that what the Client says the want is their responsibility alone?
- Is there a Project Execution Plan defining the objectives, timeframes, budgets and the roles and responsibilities of the project participants?
- Will the Project Manager monitor the progress of the project closely and proactively identify and follow up on issues affecting the successful delivery of the project or are they hands-off, does the Project Manager take responsibility and ownership?
- Is the Project Manager keeping clear records of actions, sign-offs, deliverables and key decisions to provide transparency and accountability to the project stakeholders?
- Is the Project Manager identifying and assessing risks and planning to remove or mitigate those risks?
Ultimately a Client appoints Project Manager to deliver the project to meet their objectives and puts a lot of trust in them to do that. Project failure through budget overruns, deadlines being missed or sunk costs in projects failing to proceed can be catastrophic for some Clients so when appointing a Project Manager, they should ensure that the answer to the above questions are a resounding YES.
Doyen Land provides Clients with Project Management services on all types of real estate projects. If you feel this would help your organisation please do not hesitate to contact us.