Why should you consider the
services of PML Project Management, Inc?
There are many and varied lists outlining the road to
a successful real estate development and construction
project. There are as many lists of pitfalls to
avoid. The following list reflects the experiences
of PML gleaned from over the 35+ years of service in the
design and construction industry.
Effecting these requirements for success is not
difficult for the experienced Project Manager (PM), but
each item is critical to the success of your project.
Without a confident and competent project manager at the
helm of your project, you are open to a host of
obstacles ready to derail the project and waste your
investment.
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Focused Planning:
Your business plan, program needs, budget
constraints, scheduling pinch points, the impact on
your present business and your own focus, all need
to be considered when planning your project. PML is
a voice of experience at your side informing your
decision making, budgeting, scheduling, etc. Without
an experienced PM, your planning is based on too
many unknowns and on variables defined by “educated
(or not so educated) guesses”. Uninformed decision
making during the planning phase can erupt in
disaster after you are committed to the project.
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The chosen project delivery system must be
matched to the needs driving the project, the
schedule and your budget to enable you to assemble
the correct team. There are various project
delivery and contract options; Design/Bid/Build,
Design/Build, Agency CM, At Risk CM, General
Contracting, Lump Sum Price, Guaranteed Maximum
Price, Cost Plus A Fee, Fixed Fee for Design,
Percentage Fees, Fast Track, Phased Construction,
etc. The list goes on with many good time tested
options. The only limit to the variations of
delivery method is your imagination (and hopefully,
good business practice). The trick is to choose the
option that best suits the project Owner’s needs. It
is easy to be talked into using the system that best
suits the Design team’s mode of operation or the
Builders’ business plan or comfort level. You need
to be informed about each option and its’ impact on
YOUR business plan and YOUR company’s modus
operandi. PML offers insight into these delivery
systems so you can choose what is most suitable for
your situation.
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Assembling the best project team is possibly
the one item paramount to all others when effecting
a successful project. Choosing the design and
construction team has to be more thoughtful than
responding to the pressures of a trustee or the
suggestion of a senior company officer. Listening to
the advice of a staff member’s neighbor who recently
added on a kitchen wing at home may direct you to a
good house builder, but you may not be building a
house! The Architect or Builder who sent his child
to your school (and is a potential donor!) may not
be the right team member for your project. You have
a project to build, not an interpersonal or business
relationship to foster. Keep your eye on the right
goal. PML is engaged to make your project
successful. Let us be the professional voice that
allows you to excuse yourself from using the
neighbor’s house builder on your project.
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Coordinating the team
is the job of PML. Good designers and builders
realize that the only means to a successful project,
for both them and their client, is to work with a
well coordinated team. Each team member contracted
with the Owner is required to fulfill the
responsibilities outlined in their individual
contracts. They also know that the Owner has
contractual responsibilities required of him or her.
An accomplished PM is ready to insist that the
project Architect and Builder perform their jobs,
and that the Owner satisfies his/her
responsibilities in a timely manner. An experienced
PM understands the obligations facing all parties
and facilitates each team member’s work to help the
entire team meet their obligations in a coordinated
manner.
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Scope changes happen
on all projects.
The notion that a project can unfold from start to
finish without any change is not realistic. Being
prepared for change is a must for a successful
project. Your project cannot stand still while you
try to figure out how to make a change that impacts
budgets, schedules, and phasing. Change impacts each
team member, and you, as project Owner, need to have
a guide who can authoritatively analyze and inform
you of the impact claimed by the other parties.
Timeliness in decision making is critical when it
comes to Change Orders recommended by the Architect
or offered by the Builder. PML informs your decision
making and suggests how quickly you need to react to
Change Orders.
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Failure to understand
the design and construction process is the most readily available
pitfall on most projects. You, the project Owner are
not generally a Builder or an Architect. You provide
medical services, manufacture widgets, teach
students, house families, or maybe manage an office
of professionals. You don’t design or build
buildings. You cannot finesse your way to a
successful project just because you are good at your
profession. Each team member engaged on your project
has real issues facing them; issues that you quite
likely do not fully understand. Partnering
successfully with architects, builders, suppliers,
movers, etc, requires that everyone has at least a
minimal understanding of the other team members’
needs, goals, hopes and restrictions for each
project. You will see from Phil LaClaire’s CV that
he has served on all sides of the table in positions
of authority and responsibility. That experience is
critical to understanding the challenges facing each
team member as we all work together through a
project striving for a win-win for all. Remember:
when one party loses, all parties of the project
team suffer. The Owner is not immune to suffering
from other’s losses.
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Schedule tracking:
PML Project Management, Inc. utilizes either
Primavera Suretrak© or Microsoft Project©
scheduling programs as needed to track the design
team and construction team’s progress. The Architect
and the Builder are each required by contract to
provide a project schedule that 1) convinces the
Owner that the scheduling goals for the project are
based on thoughtful and realistic planning, and
subsequently 2) to commit the resources needed to
meet that schedule. It is commonplace for industry
professionals to disagree on the feasibility of
other’s project scheduling. PML has authored,
studied, critiqued, monitored and met many and
varied schedules over 35+ years in the business. We
are in a position to work closely with the Architect
and Builder to help them establish and meet
schedules to the success of the project.
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Meetings and Owner
representation at the table:
PML attends design team meetings periodically
throughout the design phase and then participates in
the weekly meetings during the construction phase.
There is no better way to stay in touch with the
project delivery than to meet face to face with the
team players on a regular basis. Your project
budget, quality control, and scheduling are
discussed at each meeting. It is unrealistic to
believe that the Owner does not have to be
represented in those discussions. These discussions
and resultant meeting minutes form the file which
informs many important decisions. PML provides an
experienced voice at the table while weighty
decisions are being sought.
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A Quality project
matters to you:
All designers and builders intend to provide you
with a quality product. The pressures of business;
time constraints, money shortfalls, and resource
juggling, all tempt the team to shortcut quality at
some point. When the Owner has an experienced PM on
the project team, the team is encouraged to bring
their challenges to the table so that it can work at
maintaining quality while addressing the constraints
that are threatening the success of the team members
or the project. It is not enough to beat the
“quality counts” drum ever louder while the team
members are facing business problems that will
inevitably undue the quality of the project. The PM
must help the team figure a way to meet their
contractual obligation while keeping their own
project and business goals on track, if possible.
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Resolving
troublesome, counter-purposed challenges during the
project delivery process.
There is an age-old approach that nearly guarantees
success in any project: make certain that the
various team members have incentives for completing
your project successfully (by their definition of
“success”). The Owner is not the only person on the
team with goals for the project. Each team member
wants to realize financial profit, enhanced
reputation, growth in their companies experience
level, and personal accolades, to name a few
incentives. If the team works together, each
realistic incentive can very likely be met. A true
win-win situation will assure your project succeeds.
PML has regularly and successfully sought to make
each project a success for all parties. It is a
realistic goal, and well worth the benefits
realized. The Owner wins along with all team
members!
When considering your next project, weigh these
potential pitfalls against the joy of being the Owner of
a successful project.
Engaging PML Project Management, Inc. is the
first and best step toward enjoying a successful
project.
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