Project management: what is it?
To describe project management, you need to identify, plan, and implement specific goals. But it is so much more than what its definition suggests. It is a wide-ranging subject with many topics covered. Architectural project management is a part of project management.
Who creates project plans?
Project managers are the obvious answer to this question. However, project planning can benefit anyone managing projects in their roles, especially when recurring tasks are involved. With a project plan, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel over and over.
Before completing the project plan, a project manager may incorporate the input, expertise, cost estimates, and other relevant information the team and stakeholders provide.
Why are project plans necessary?
It is essential to prepare a project plan because it helps define what the project is intended to achieve. As a result of this mutual understanding, the project team stays on track to achieve its goals and deliver excellent results.
An effective project plan clarifies the responsibilities of each team member and stakeholder. Additionally, they ensure that all the work for the project is coordinated from beginning to end and that extraneous tasks do not interfere with the critical functions.
Throughout a project, project plans can serve as a powerful communication tool. Project managers, team members, and external stakeholders may refer to these documents as important written references. In addition, these plans assist in mitigating risk and maintaining quality throughout a project, from the planning phase to the final delivery.
ELEMENTS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
The following elements are essential to creating an effective project plan. You can just as easily create and work with a flawed plan as without one.
Business justification and stakeholder needs:
You should align the goals of your team and organization and needs before starting any project. Considering the organizational objectives, how important is this project? In what way does this contribute to the year’s or quarter’s goals? What are the expectations of the stakeholders involved?
Using these questions to clarify and align the new project with the needs of your organization and stakeholders can be helpful.
Project requirements:.
Though a project plan is a living document that changes as the project progresses, it’s essential to set a deliberate course to achieve the project’s goals.
Project managers have to understand the needs of all parties involved and figure out what’s needed to get them done. To be successful, what are the project’s objectives? What capabilities and features should the deliverables have?
If some aspects of your project plan need to be corrected as the project progresses, that’s fine.
Scope of the project
One of the most critical components of a project plan is the project scope statement. The plan lays the foundation for the rest of the project.
By finalizing and recording all project details in the scope statement, the project manager ensures everyone involved is on the same page. Project steps and requirements are described in this statement. Project stakeholders usually refer to it for agreement and buy-in.
Schedule of deliverables and due dates
As a result of preparing the project scope statement, your understanding of the project deliverables and outcomes should be more precise. For example, after identifying your team members’ responsibilities, decide when each member needs to complete their tasks.
The best way to accomplish this step is with a work breakdown structure. For example, you can map out all the project work with a simple list, flow chart, spreadsheet, or Gantt chart, assign tasks to teammates, set due dates, and indicate dependencies.
It is also important to note which deliverables or tasks will require approval from external stakeholders and ensure no delays caused by task dependencies or reviews and permissions.
Scheduling details
Often, project plans and project schedules are confused. However, an effective project plan consists of many elements, including the project schedule.
You estimate the time it will take to complete each task, leaving enough slack for unanticipated events. This calendar shows all required tasks and deadlines. In addition, a timeline shows the project’s duration, who is doing what, and when each task begins and ends.
Managing risks
While creating a project plan, it is essential to assess the risks involved with the project. At this time, what is the state of your organization? How much trouble can you tolerate? The execution of this project can present hazards and opportunities. How will you mitigate them?
Even if potential project risks are not realized, their impact on the project’s outcome could be significant. A risk management plan communicates the team’s response to likely occurrences and assesses the risk itself.
Risk management is a critical part of every project plan because risks are inevitable. Early identification of risks can help control them and increase success chances.
Responsibilities and roles defined
Ensure that everyone on the project team understands their responsibilities, including the external stakeholders. Many of the project’s key stakeholders aren’t involved in every aspect, so stakeholders may need to review and approve various tasks.
The plan will likely need to be reviewed and approved by the project’s sponsor. Business experts are responsible for defining requirements for projects and deliverables. They are also involved in reviewing and approving aspects of the project. The project manager is responsible for developing, executing, and controlling the project plan. Lastly, the project team completes the tasks and builds the final product.
Auditors, quality analysts, procurement specialists, and risk analysts are among the other contributors to a project. Depending on their expertise, it may be necessary for them to approve parts of the project plan.
Allocating resources
The time, materials, and budget allocated to your team for project planning are broken down and given accordingly. In addition to identifying all available resources, identify the resources needed for each task. Then, calculate their costs and contributions.
Determine how much time each resource can devote to this project within the constraints of the available resources. Then, determine the best combinations or variations of those resources to achieve the project’s goals in good time – and with the best results.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODS
Project Management is a critical element of architectural project management. Yet, many are unsure what this is. You can break it down into three stages: Planning, Management, and Project Implementation. However, all of them focus on reaching three main objectives:
PLANING
Planning is an essential part of architectural project management. It covers everything from coordinating the architect’s ideas to executing them. All of this is done before any construction work begins. Planning also involves communicating the developer’s vision to all stakeholders to gain their support. It is the basis of any successful project development.
As the first stage of architectural project management, preparing proposals builds the foundation for a successful project. The critical thing here is to ensure that all documents and proposal documents have been submitted to all appropriate authorities in line with your plans. The essential issue here is knowing the latest market research and techniques and meeting all of your legal obligations to your clients. You need to remember that these are your clients, and you need to keep them happy throughout the entire project.
IMPLEMENTATION
Once you have a good understanding of all the required documents and working knowledge of your client’s industry, it is time to move onto the next phase of your plan, which is implementation. During this stage, you will be responsible for handling the job and interacting with your client. So this is where you will demonstrate your abilities and provide any required feedback. In the final analysis, it is your responsibility to understand your clients, their needs and requirements, and work with them closely to ensure their satisfaction.
On top of this, you must know what your budget will be and ensure that you set it accordingly. If the architects are not satisfied, you can lose out on money you would have otherwise spent on their opinions. At the end of it all, it is essential to know that you have taken decisive steps towards a successful project and that your clients are pleased with your work. For architects to receive a satisfactory rating in architectural project management, they have to feel that you are taking the project very seriously and that they can rely on you.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
One of the most common assessment methods used in architectural project management is the financial review. It involves examining an architect’s previous projects and evaluating where the money went and what did not. When comparing the work of several projects that share many similarities, this is very helpful. If a few things are similar in both these projects, it may be good to base the rest of the project around these areas. If a contractor is found to be misrepresenting something in their bid, this can also damage the reputation of the entire construction industry. It is essential to keep track of every penny that you spend on the construction industry, and by using the appropriate assessment methods, you will be able to see just how much you are spending on the projects.
CONSULTANCY SERVICES
Another method that is used in architectural project management is consultancy services. Some of these firms will provide their clients with the best possible consultancy service, which may be required in the construction business. These specialists are trained professionals and will provide their clients with advice on where they should build their next building or how they should transform their current one into something that will be attractive to potential buyers. In some cases, they will also be responsible for negotiating the purchase price of a property. Some consultancy firms are only used as contractors on specific projects, so it is essential to make sure that you do not accidentally hire them for any other jobs in the future.
SERVICES
One last way of hiring the best architectural firm for your construction projects is through tuition fees. Some consultants will be willing to offer their services at a discounted price if you pay for their general training and certification courses. Such professionals can get such certifications, which will benefit them once they apply to different construction projects. However, this will need you to pay for the certification course and their training and experience, so you may not want to opt for this option if you have other plans for taking courses related to this field of study. But if you are still undecided about what type of consultant or firm to hire for your architectural project management needs, you can always check out the internet for more details.
What Is Project Management Consultancy?
Consultants are professionals who provide expert advice to other individuals or businesses. For example, project management consultants give external businesses expert project management advice. When a company needs project management advice from an external, impartial party or lacks project management expertise, it may hire a project management consultant.
BENEFITS
Consultants can benefit from:
You can choose projects
The freedom to choose your schedule allows you to manage your time well
Setting your rates will enable you to earn a higher salary per hour
There are many companies to work with and a great variety of industries to work in
DRAWBACKS
As a self-employed person, your job security may be limited, as consulting jobs are irregular
Your business will be your own, so taxes and accounting will be more complicated
What does it take to be a project manager?
The following are requirements for becoming a project management consultant:
Experience managing projects and understanding best practices
Project management experience across a range of contexts
Managing client expectations and relationships well
Trustworthiness
CONCLUSION
However, to handle architectural project management, you should follow the basic rules of project management. Make sure the consultancy project follows all the regulations of consultancy project management. You need to demonstrate to others that your expertise and knowledge allow you to provide advice and services. For a consultancy to succeed, reputation and credibility are crucial.
