TWEP - Episode 11 - Project Management

The Workplace Experience

Today we will be discussing how to achieve the best results from your project manager on your workplace project.

It is essential that the project manager that you engage has experience in workplace projects.

Often the contract delivery model or the ongoing requests for cost cutting, reduction in time to deliver the project and scope creep puts at risk the quality or even inclusion in the final workplace fitout. .

So lets talk about the new world of Project Management for your workplace project.

Make sure your PM is engaged early. Include a consultancy fee for their involvement in a review of the workplace design and identify that if costs savings do need to be found where they could be extracted from in traditional building services such as plasterboard, electrical, mechanical, hydraulics and other services that have little or no impact on the functionality of the space.

There review should also examine build-a-bility. Often there is a definite difference that occurs between the As-Built documents verses the design package.

Any other cost saving or design deviation or alternative options should be discussed early with all stakeholders around the table.

The strategist and change team should lead these discussions.

Ensure your PM has workplace project management expertise. This will allow for them to ensure sequencing of trades are maintained to ensure the project is keep on track in terms of both time and budget.

Now lets look at the new project management delivery model which appears to becoming more attractive to clients – design, bid and build on integrated project delivery model where base building, fitout and FFE are delivered by the one project management team.

The integrated project model also allows for one stop for any building defect, warranty claims and rectification and other maintenance matters.

This delivery model is popular with global organisations across a wide range of industries, commercial or industrial management funds, institutional property owners or property development funds.

To a lesser extent a cost plus model has also become quiet popular on smaller projects.

The FFE procurement should be managed by you or your workplace strategist or expert workplace change manager. This will ensure that the FFE package will not be compromised on its functionality for the occupant to deliver extra profit to the project management team.