21 - Managing Projects

Question 1

929 - What is your overarching role as a project manager?

(Example response subject to your scope of service and professional appointment)

Answer 1

To manage the project team and drive the successful completion of the project and its objectives.

Question 2

930 - Are you aware of any guidance issued by RICS associated with the employers agent role?

Answer 2

Employers agent; design and build. 1st Edition, October 2017

(See book for QR code link to document)

Question 3

931 - How did you evaluate your teams performance on your last project? (4)

Answer 3

1) Performance appraisals.
2) Reviewing key performance indicators (KPIs).
3) Monthly project reviews to assess progress and identify shortcomings in delivery.
4) Reviewing outputs against the scope of service, project quality plan and project execution plan (PEP).

Question 4

932 - What is ISO 9001? (2)

Answer 4

1) ISO 9001 is a certified quality management system (QMS) for organisations who want to prove their ability to consistently provide products and services that meet the needs of their customers and clients.
2) In simple terms, it provides the basis for effective processes and affective people to deliver an effective product or service time after time.

Question 5

933 - What is the purpose of a project audit? (2)

Answer 5

1) A project audit is a review of how closely the key areas of your project quality plan are being followed. It’s basically a fact finding mission and should be undertaken on a regular basis.
2) The audit provides an opportunity to review project challenges, risks, processes etc. and reflect if the project is still meeting its core objectives.

Question 6

934 - What is a Project Execution Plan (PEP)?

Answer 6

A PEP is a governing document that defines how a project is to be executed, monitored and controlled. It could be described as the methodology to deliver the project.

Question 7

935 - What sort of information might be included in the PEP? (13)

Answer 7

1) Project definition and a summary of the strategic objectives.
2) Project programme and key dates.
3) Roles, responsibilities and authorities.
4) Team organogram chart.
5) Stakeholder and management strategy.
6) Communication protocol.
7) Quality assurance and reporting strategy.
8) Processes for approvals (at the end of each RIBA Stage for example).
9) Change control process.
10) Soft landings and handover strategy.
11) Technology strategy (BIM, contract administration software etc.)
12) Health and safety strategy.
13) Sustainability strategy.

Question 8

936 - How often should the PEP be updated? (2)

Answer 8

1) The PEP is typically reviewed every month at a minimum or;
2) After significant change to the project; for example, a budget increase or changes to the project team.

Question 9

937 - An external stakeholder wants to change a room layout, how do you manage this type of change on your project?

Answer 9

Implement change control procedures.

Question 10

938 - What is the purpose of change control? (2)

Answer 10

1) Change control is a methodology used to manage change requests that impact the baseline of the project.
2) It’s a way to capture that change from the point where its been identified through every step of the project cycle. That includes evaluating the request and then approving, rejecting or deferring it.

Question 11

939 - Talk me through a change control procedure you have operated, what are the key stages? (5)

Answer 11

1) PROPOSE CHANGE - The first thing to do is to identify the change. This can come from anyone on the project team, a stakeholder or even a customer. The change proposal would describe the change and how it would benefit the project.
2) IMPACT SUMMARY - Once the change has been proposed, its now up to the project manager to consider if in the larger context of the project. Once the project manager has done the due diligence, they recommend the change is either approved or denied.
3) MAKE A DECISION - The project manager makes the recommendation but is not always the authority to make the final decision on the change. Whoever that person or those persons are, the project manager will present their findings to them.
4) MAKE THE CHANGE - A change that has been accepted moves on to the planning stage. You’ll develop a plan of action, including a schedule with start and end dates, all of which must meet with the approval of the project stakeholders. The change is then implemented.
5) CLOSURE - The person who requested the change should review the final deliverable and make sure they agree with it. Once they have signed off on the change, any outstanding paperwork must be completed, such as the change log.

Question 12

940 - WHat is a project stakeholder? (2)

Answer 12

1) Stakeholders are those with an interest in the projects outcome.
2) They are typically members of the project team, end users, customers, project sponsors, authorities or somebody with an interest with the project delivery and conclusion.

Question 13

941 - How do you identify project stakeholders? (3)

Answer 13

1) The process typically starts with a brainstorm session to identify parties connected with the project (individuals, groups, or organisations) that could impact or be impacted by a decision, activity, or outcome of the project.
2) Identified stakeholders should then be recorded which is the start of stakeholder management plan.
3) Stakeholder identification is an ongoing process and should be reviewed on a regular basis.

Question 14

942 - Now that you have identified your project stakeholders, how would you prioritise them? (3)

Answer 14

1) I would first analyse the stakeholders against two key criteria;
a) How much influence does the stakeholder hold.
b) How much interest does the stakeholder have in the project.

2) Each project stakeholder is then placed in an influence / interest matrix which reflects their relationship with the project. (See book for diagram).

3) Stakeholders are then prioritised according to the quadrant into which they fall. If the stakeholder has low interest and low influence, they will naturally be a lower priority in engagement. The opposite is true for those who have high interest and high influence.

Question 15

943 - What is value engineering (VE)? (2)

Answer 15

1) VE is a method used to eliminate unnecessary costs and / or increase the value of the item or product in question.
2) Value is not necessarily related to cost; value could be increased in efficiency, functionality, appearance, sustainability etc.

Question 16

944 - What are the potential benefits of value engineering? (6)

Answer 16

1) Improved performance through efficiency savings.
2) Identification of alternative designs or solutions (move away from the status quo).
3) Adding value to the end product (increased functionality and / or reduced cost).
4) Reduced post construction maintenance cost.
5) Increased material or building life span.
6) Identification of alternative construction methods.

Question 17

945 - What are the potential risks associated with value engineering? (4)

Answer 17

1) The exercise is undertaken too late for changes to be effective.
2) Inadequate information, causing incorrect assumptions.
3) Insufficient time allocated for the process.
4) Unknown knock-on effects to other elements of the design, for example, if the cladding is subject to VE, there could be knock on effects to the frame, u-values, fixing details etc.

Question 18

946 - At what stage should value engineering be carried out? (2)

Answer 18

1) Value engineering should be planned from inception and should be reviewed at regular intervals throughout the delivery of the project, not bolted on as a corrective measure later.
2) One of the most frequent comments received after a successful value engineering study is that the project could have benefited much more if only the study had occurred sooner.