C3-KS35 Flashcards
Knowledge of architect's role and responsibilities in coordinating an entire project team.
Types of Firm Structures
- Sole Proprietor
- Partnership
- Corporation
-Joint Venture — a business agreement in which parties agree to work together for a finite time.
Candidates will frequently ask me questions about setting up a firm structure. I’ve been a sole
proprietor, a C Corp, and back to a sole proprietor. My advice is always to speak to an attorney and
accountant before deciding on the structure for your individual needs.
Sole Proprietor
— a business owned and run by one individual with no legal distinction between the Owner and business. The least expensive type of setup and most common for sole practitioners.
Partnership
— partners agree to share in job duties and profits and losses of a business.
Corporation
— there is the S Corporation and C Corporation. S Corporation allows income and expenses to still flow through the individual business owner, whereas a C Corp clearly separates the individual from the corporation. Setting up and maintaining a corporation is expensive.
The State of California requires you to pay $800 every year just for being a corporation plus your accountant will
be more expensive because filing corporate tax returns is more labor intensive.
Joint Venture
— a business agreement in which parties agree to work together for a finite time.
Candidates will frequently ask me questions about setting up a firm structure. I’ve been a sole
proprietor, a C Corp, and back to a sole proprietor. My advice is always to speak to an attorney and
accountant before deciding on the structure for your individual needs.
Members of the Project Team
- Project Manager - central figure, person in the architecture firm who is responsible for
- Coordinates the entire Project Team including in-house and consultants
- Client interaction — keeps client informed of the progress of the work, reviews schedule and budget, schedules meetings with client Produces a competent set of instruments - Job Captain Coordination of working drawing set
Supervise drafters
Reports to project manager - Draftsman Produce drawings from redlines Interface with job captain Responsible for specific drawing task
- Interior Designer Selection of materials and finishes
Check on availability of materials Provide sketches - Specification Writer Compiles the spec book
Obtain specification info from manufacturers
Primary tasks of Project Management
- Client Expectations
- Identify client expectations, communication skills, especially listening are essential - Accomplishment
- Get things done, views difficulties as challenges and gains -respect of clients, supervisors, peers by accomplishing objectives - Taking Charge
- Provides guidance and direction for team - Service
- Ability to manage client relationships
- Meeting Contractual Obligations
- Carrying out the project within the scope of services, schedule, obligations and construction budget established in contract
Allocating Personnel to Tasks
- Establish the specific skills and level of effort needed for project
- Identify people to work on the project
- Balance the needs of the project with those of the firm and its other projects
Procedures for Management Decisions
- Establishing a project manager for each project to work closely with principals
- Open line of communication with PM and principals
- Weekly meetings with PM and principals to review schedules & workloads
Delegating to Others
- Identify team member most capable of doing task
- Give that person the responsibility and authority he or she needs
- Establish level of performance required
- Define the completed activity or results
- Define suitable completion date
- Agree on the level of effort and time required
- Check progress
Heads Up!
Keep in mind that you are
balancing the Project Scenario
with other work in your office.
Setting Project Milestones
- Milestone chart
- Set milestone at the end of each of the five phases
- Set intermittent milestones as required
Project Operations (3 main Parts)
- Startup
- Team briefing
- Project authorization
- Establish project files
- Identify key project information (directory, program, site info, applicable codes, schedule, milestones) - Communications
- Meetings — prepare agenda, do homework
- Routine communications — use transmittals, include contact info on all correspondence, date everything, take notes, standard fax cover letter
- Documentation — document key decisions - Closeout
- Collect project info
- Finalize billing
- Close out project files/archive (Contract, final drawings and specs, file of progress reports and correspondence for statute of limitations)
Account Codes
- keep track of time, reimbursable expense, phone, fax
Project Charges
- time and expense charges should be accurate and documented
Project Reports
— periodic checks on time management and budget compliance for PM
