 
 
                 25   PROJECT   MANAGEMENT   TIPS 
              FOR  ARCHITECTS,  CONSULTING  ENGINEERS 
                AND  RELATED  DESIGN  PROFESSIONALS 
           ____________________________________________ 
 
      Architects & Engineers (A/E's) who, as a firm, undertake 
      dozens or hundreds of projects for their clients annually 
      have project management needs and definitions that can  
      vary considerably from many other fields. 
 
      The following 'tips' may be of assistance to those project 
      architects, project engineers and related A/E personnel who 
      perform the PM function in these design practices.  Most 
      such design practices do not employ professionally trained 
      or certified project management specialists, nor do they 
      serve as construction managers. 
 
     *  Know the difference between project cost control and  
        project management.  Project cost control is only one 
        part of a firm's overall project management process.   
        Financial-accounting system project cost control is an 
        historical report of "yesterday's" performance.  Most  
        project management functions are determining the futur- 
        ity of today's decisions and planning "tomorrow's" per- 
        formance ...  'You can't see the future through the  
        rear view mirror'. 
 
     *  Managing a project involves the critical management of  
        time of all personnel on the project.  If the PM does  
        not have the responsibility to control this resource  
        s/he cannot be held reponsible for project performance.   
 
     *  Choose project managers who have a proven record of  
        a sense of urgency.  Many design professionals are ex- 
        cellent technical people, but they are not suitable as 
        project managers as they may lack the business and  
        urgency skills necessary to manage projects and bring  
        them in on-time and at or below budget.   
 
     *  Choose a project manager who has an appropriate person- 
        ality and lifestyle affinity with the client and his or 
        her staff. 
 
     *  Provide full authority to the project manager to control 
        and manage the project.  If a matrix project management 
        structure is used with split project management/technical 
        quality reporting and responsibilities, use a "last word" 
        list that names who has the "last word" on specified pro- 
        ject elements. 
         
     *  Include project managers at the proposal, negotiating, 
        and planning as well as the implementation stage. Don't 
        negotiate any fee without finishing the project budget. 
 
     *  Carefully review the proposed project contract.  Make  
        sure there is a clear statement of the scope of work,  
        project schedule and budget, operational procedures,  
        provision for changes and extras, consultant services  
        /reimbursables, form(s) of payment.  If it is not a stan- 
        dard contract form for your discipline, then make up a  
        checklist for use in analyzing the non-standard contract. 
 
     *  At the beginning of the project internally write up/docu- 
        ment each salient major project event in clear concise  
        language. 
 
     *  Avoid the typical "snow plow" effect on your project. The 
        project continues to slip in both time and budget until  
        the phase or project is well toward completion and you have  
        to "throw people and money" at the job to undo the delays 
        and work your way out of the accumulated problem.  Review 
        project progress frequently and regularly. 
 
     *  Use computer based scheduling methods that provide timely 
        and accurate results.  Monthly reports on small-medium 
        size projects are inadequate. You can get into too much  
        trouble in 30 days plus the internal paper turn-around  
        time. Weekly or bi-weekly information is better.  Use 
        graphic reports whenever possible ... they communicate 
        more quickly and generally people respond well to them. 
 
     *  A correctly managed project is continually 'choosing to  
        do the right job before doing the job right'. 
 
     *  Include the accounting department head in every in-house 
        project start-up meeting.  Include an appropriate account- 
        ing department person in every project review meeting. 
 
     *  Guard against potential acccounting and project management  
        personnel disputes over financial items and associated 
        procedures.  One example is poorly managed work-in-process 
        (WIP).  Accounting may see this as an asset at billable  
        rates, but, depending on internal procedures, if the pro- 
        ject manager is not aware of it on his/her project reports  
        it will come as a suprise overrun, when revealed, and may   
        constitute a non-billable project loss. 
 
     *  Make sure the project manager is not holed up in a private 
        office, but has a workspace in with the project team. There 
        is inadequate leadership and managership when PM's are not 
        physically in the middle of the action. 
 
     *  Any firm large enough to have a director of design, or a 
        director of engineering, either by title or function, should 
        have a director of projects to whom project managers report. 
 
     *  Don't overload your project managers.  Know the proper bal- 
        lance for your discipline, types of projects, and PM exper- 
        ience.  This usually can be done by a combination of project  
        dollar value, number of personnel to be managed, years of PM 
        experience. 
 
     *  Your firm should have a Project Manager's Manual. Most  
        firms with one say that the process in writing one is as  
        important as the final document.  Don't use an outside  
        consultant ... give the job to the best project manager  
        in the firm and give him/her maximum support.  Set up a  
        schedule and stick to it or momentum/interest will wane  
        and the manual will never be finished. 
 
     *  Don't skimp on the amount of funds allocated for project  
        management in the project budget.  Various surveys indi- 
        cate that the medians are in the range 10 - 15%.  Many  
        firms clearly outline project management as a continuing  
        project task in their proposals and charge for it. 
 
     *  The project manager should employ effective people man- 
        agement techniques.  Emphasize communications between and 
        and among all project staff.  Hold regular project meet- 
        ings to ensure this.  Delegate decision making to admin- 
        istrative support staff to reduce interruptions - let  
        your main support person know your to-do list so she/he  
        can help - make sure she/he knows your functions, respon- 
        sibilities and activities both inside and outside the  
        organization. 
 
     *  The "excess perfection syndrome" is frequently mentioned  
        as a significant contributor to project delay amd overrun  
        costs.  This is, for example, the unnecessary effort to  
        "improve" a report, drawing, event, etc., by spending say,  
        10 - 15% or even more time to achieve only a 3 - 4% improve- 
        ment in the result.  Know when to "blow the whistle" on  
        tasks. 
         
     *  Get out faster meeting minutes.  Writing, typing, preparing  
        project meeting minutes can introduce unnecessary project  
        delays.  Try this.  On certain projects the PM hand letters  
        action minutes during the meeting.  At the end of the meet-         
        ing photocopy these action minutes onto firm letterhead the  
        PM brings with him and distribute to all present.  This can  
        get each participant started several days earlier on their  
        action items. Also, it affords additional protection against  
        forgotten items when writing the minutes several days later. 
 
     *  What do you do for projects behind schedule ?  These won't  
        work on every job and in all firms but they are stand-by's 
        that have proven themselves over the years:  review the pro- 
        ject's schedule/budget and carefully examine all contingen- 
        cies ... they may be too high and you are not behind sched- 
        ule - work overtime - change staff work assignments - get  
        in some temporary help -- bring in the firm's principals on  
        the job - reorganize the drawings - consider what the client  
        can do to expedite the job. 
 
     *  Know when to close off a project.  Many projects continue  
        past a finish date because the project manager didn't wrap  
        it up.  This absorbs profits. 
 
     *  After every major project is completed learn from it.  Was  
        the project profitable ... if not why not ? ... if so could 
        we have made more money ?.   Evaluate the client ... would  
        we want to work for them again ? ... What do we need to do 
        to get more work from them ?.  Review how you handled your  
        resources (people time and money) on the job ...  Did we do 
        a good job ? ... or did we misuse the resources and if so 
        how and when ? 
 
     *  Project success is the result of successful technical and 
        project management personnel.  People don't work for money 
        alone.  Reward staff by praising them for top performance 
        ... by not assigning more projects or duties than can be  
        completed with a reasonably high effort... by telling them 
        what is going on in the company ... by explaining clearly 
        why people in the firm got promoted ... making it possible 
        for the best people to get a piece of the action - not just 
        discretionary profit distribution, but ownership.    
 
 
     Bud Hoyles - South Pointe Software  
                  RPM/Resources and Projects Manager 
                  (See RPMSHA.ZIP: TCMFORUM, LIB 3 - Plan & Schedule) 
     CompuServe 70254,3443 
     Internet:  70254.3443.compuserve.com 
     June 22, 1995          
 
                                        
