Middle East - Project Management
The Procurement of construction projects is becoming increasingly complex with the move away from the traditional Client, Engineer and Contractor relationships. Clients require expert representation over the lifecycle of their projects to obtain the best value for money, with high quality at the most competitive prices and delivered within the expected time frame.
Perhaps the most important issue, for which the PM function was originally introduced, is the overall reduction of project risk. It is the Project Manager's responsibility to identify areas of risk, examine these and apply continuous management techniques to reduce or eliminate the attendant risk.
If it is assumed that the scope of PM work extends through the pre-construction (i.e. design) and construction periods, then principal and simple tools of risk management may be identified as being:
• Design management
• Value engineering
• Procedural Control
In summary, therefore, Knowles' concept of full-scale Project Management relies largely on two fundamental attributes:
1. An ability to manage risk throughout the periods and life of the project
2. A knowledge of how to avoid or minimise areas of dispute, conflict or contractual ambiguity
The first of these demands Project Management leadership by professional Chartered or Licensed Engineers, skilled in the application of Design Management.
The second requires the depth of experience commensurate with the demands of dispute and claim analyses undertaken by companies such as Knowles.
