Ramroth Flashcards
Two common deal-breaker clauses that owners like to insert in contracts
- Indemnity clauses to defend client against all claims
- Guarantees/Warranties/Certification clauses of things or work beyond firm’s control
Five Most Common Fee Structures
- Lump Sum/Fixed Price
- Time and Materials (T&M)
- Time and Materials with a Maximum-Not-To-Exceed
- Cost Plus Fixed Fee
- Cost Plus Fixed Fee with a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP)
Three Resolution Techniques commonly used in design contracts
Partnering
Mediation
Arbitration
Five Phases of Project Management
- Start - the project begins
- Planning - figuring out how to perform the work
- Design - the project’s overall design is worked out
- Production - preparation of construction documents and/or other deliverables based on the overall design
- Closeout - the project work is completed
Six Activities of Project Management
- Defining
- Planning
- Directing
- Coordinating
- Monitoring
- Learning
Six Goals of Project Management
To reach the end…
1. Of the project
2. On budget
3. On time
4. Safely
5. As error-free as possible
6. Meeting everyone’s expectations
Four basic organizational structures for design firms
- Sole proprietorship
- Design studios
- Multiple design studio organizations
- Matrix organizations
Main Must-Haves of a Good Project Manager
- High motivation to manage
- Ethical and professional behavior
- Technical and legal competency
- Pragmatic decision-making skills
- Ability to make decisions with incomplete information
- A generalist’s experience, education, and attitude
- Good communication skills
- Ability to empower a design team
Highly motivated managers share …
- Favorable attitude toward authority
- Desire to compete
- Desire to exercise power
- Desire for a distinctive position
- A sense of responsibility
Code of Ethics for Project Managers
- general public is ultimate client. Hold their health, safety, and welfare in the highest regard
- PMs must know their personal strengths are areas of competency. Know firm’s areas of expertise and only provide services within expertise and competency
- Always behave in a way that honors dignity of design professions
- Never allow themselves or firms to become entangled with other persons or businesses that are engaged in deceitful or fraudulent practices
- Only stamp and sign drawings, specifications, reports, or other documents that were prepared under their direct supervision
- Frontline representatives to their firm. They must act faithful, trustworthy, and honest agents of their firms.
- Constantly strive to improve their professional skills and better their profession
- Must not accept commissions, monies, perks, or favors from contractors or other parties that have dealings with mutual clients
When to Use or Not Use Email
Use Email:
- Confirm recent discussion or decision that took place orally between PM and receiver. In email, PM requests confirmation from receiver.
- Communicate simple, clear-cut factual information that requires no feedback from receiver to understand message.
- Transmit lengthy documents as attachments to the email (reports, drawings, memos, RFPs, etc.)
Do Not Use:
- In lieu of decision-making and/or brainstorming meetings that require direct interaction and simultaneous participation by many individuals
- To share important, complicated information that may require follow-up questions before the receiver fully understands the message
Six Objectives of the Project Work Plan
- Definition of the project objectives
- Identification of the project team
- Breakdown of the project into task budgets
- Development of the project schedule
- Establishment of the project quality-control program
- Identification of other project-specific procedures and standards
Three Elements of a Task
- An objective (measurable outcome)
- A duration (time budgeted)
- A level of effort (hours budgeted)
Characteristics of good Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
- Developed iteratively, starting with whole and getting more detailed with each pass. Hierarchical - component parts relate to each other in terms of importance
- Right amount of detail
- Tasks defined by objective, duration, and level of effort. Based on relevant project experience in project management and design.
Strategies to Control Risk
- Prevention - reduce # of uncertainties/threats
- Transference - make other party responsible of threats
- Mitigation - lessen impact of threats should they occur
- Contingency planning - Plan in advance for coping with threats should they happen
- Assumption - identify the uncertainties or threats and accept their potential impact on project because of cost of prevention/mitigation/transference/contingency planning are greater than possible impact