Firstly let’s not go near the most overused term in the industry...Project Manager...As I've banged on about so many times before, everyone's a Project Manager. What we provide is full PROJECT DELIVERY expertise across the whole property spectrum including Development Management, Project Management, Clients Representative, and Construction Superintending. Our role provides leadership and direction from the very first identification of an opportunity, Feasibility, and Due Diligence, through to Design, Development, and Delivery.
Project Delivery encompasses all the disciplines and requires you to take charge of the Development as a whole. This includes the following skill set –
· Sourcing opportunities
· Bringing stakeholders together to create an opportunity
· Due Diligence analysis
· Feasibility and Cash Flow Analysis
· Master Plan and Design Concept Co-ordination
· Managing Pre-sale and Pre-lease commitment
· Satisfying financial conditions precedent
· Town Planning Approval Process
· Stakeholder Management throughout the entire process
· Construction Clients Rep or Superintendent
· Time, Cost, Scope, and Risk Management
But above all, whether you call yourself a Development Manager or a Project Manager, the skill that is the most important and the most essential to successful outcomes, but that is constantly ignored in exchange for perceived experience, is the ability to manage people and personalities.
As a Development or Project Manager, your Key Performance Indicator is to deliver a project on scope, on time, on budget, and to meet all functionality requirements. Understand that as the DM or PM you are not the expert in Architecture, or Engineering, or Planning. It is your job to maintain focus on the ‘big picture’ and to co-ordinate and motivate the team of experts to all be heading in the one direction.
I’m definitely not saying that it’s easy, but the two key attributes that you should develop before anything else are –
1. Surround yourself with individual experts who are problem solvers not problem creators. Management is about looking for solutions not looking for blame. You need people around you who can bring solutions and ‘best practice’ to the table, not just the cheapest fee.
2. Develop the ability to understand personalities and how to motivate different people. Everyone is different and responds in different ways. Take time to develop your ability to read people and understand what motivates them to perform and produce outcomes.
