Project Manager

A Project Manager is the person responsible for accomplishing the stated project objectives. Key project management responsibilities include creating clear and attainable project objectives, building the project requirements, and managing the constraints of the cost, time, scope, and quality.

A Project Manager is often a client representative and has to determine and implement the exact needs of the client, based on knowledge of the client they are representing. A Project Manager is the bridging gap between the contractor, design team and client. Therefore they must have a fair knowledge of the industry they are in so that they are capable of understanding and discussing the problems with either party. The ability to adapt to the various internal procedures of the client in question, and to form close links with the nominated representatives, is essential in ensuring that the key issues of cost, time, quality and above all, client satisfaction, can be realised.

Most of the project management issues that influence a project arise from risk, which in turn arises from uncertainty. The successful Project Manager focuses on this as their main concern and attempts to reduce risk significantly, often by adhering to a policy of open communication, ensuring that project participants can voice their opinions and concerns.

The Project Manager is accountable for ensuring that everyone on the team knows and executes his / her role, feels empowered and supported in the role, knows the roles of the other team members and acts upon the belief that those roles will be performed. Responsibilities that are common to all Project Managers:

• Developing the project plan
• Managing the project stakeholders
• Managing Communication
• Managing the project team
• Managing the project risk
• Managing the project schedule
• Managing the project budget
• Managing the project conflicts
• Managing the project delivery

Under Frameworks Scotland 2, it is the role of the Project Manager to establish and regularly review the organisational structure and its communication pattern for the project; comply with all relevant and current Health & Safety legislation and where possible make comment / contribution to the preparation of the Health & Safety file and plan; comply with the requirements of the Construction Design and Management Regulations (2007); prepare circulate and review the project execution plan and take corrective action as necessary.

The Project Manager will also be expected to establish and manage all lines of communication and reporting between parties; create and maintain a line of communication with the Contractor and other project participants, without prejudice to any other contractual responsibilities.

The role also involves establishing a clear communication and reporting procedure with the project team, as its chairman; managing and co-ordinating the preparation of the risk analysis to establish the sum to be included as contingencies; and to manage and co-ordinate the evaluation of different contract strategies.

The Project Manager is also responsible for receiving from the client the non-works related revenue costs for incorporation into the client approved budget. In conjunction with the client, agree the works-related revenue costs to be incorporated into the client approved budget; manage changes to the project and their anticipated impact with a view to maintaining the objectives of the client, particularly regarding cost, time and ensure quality satisfies or exceeds requirements;

The Project Manager will also ensure that, where possible, the client is made fully aware of all events which will have significant effects on cost, time and /or quality before they occur and establish responsibilities for communicating enquiries, decisions and output to personnel or organisations not represented in the project team or acting as consultants.

The Project Manager will also hold responsibility for managing and co-ordinating the review of design proposals against the briefs from the client, resolve discrepancies with the project team or make proposals for amendments to the brief to the client, and confirm the result of the review to the Lead Consultant as necessary; validate and pass for payment fee accounts in accordance with consultant agreements and all other invoices for works-related costs in connection with the project;

The Project Manager will establish programmes of meetings for the scheme, including the following:

• client’s meetings;
• appraisal team meetings.
• arrange and chair design team and site meetings and any other meetings that may reasonably be necessary to perform the Project Manager’s duties.

The Project Manager will also take account of information obtained from the project team and Lead Consultant, prepare progress reports and financial statements for the whole project at intervals noted in the project execution plan and agreed with the client, to report progress and anticipated final programme together with anticipated final expenditure against the client approved cost (including cash flow forecasts).

Lastly, the Project Manager will take responsibility for the Post-Project Evaluation, ensuring that performance benchmarks / criteria are established for the Project to enable Post-Project Evaluation to be effectively completed.

Consultant Project Managers

AECOM Professional Services LLP	Currie & Brown (UK)	Faithful & Gould
Thomson Gray Ltd	Turner & Townsend