KEENAN GROTE
Chief Operating Officer at PMKConsult
Experience in the field: 16 years
From a client’s perspective, particularly amongst the uninformed ones, there seems to be some confusion as to whether or not we participate in the actual construction, development or engineering within the design. In some instances, there is an expectation that the role of a project manager is to be the tool through which clients can whip or bully the consultants and subcontractors. The latter has unfortunately become the more popular and ill conceived definition of a project manager within this region.
We at PMK Consult take the view that this method is counterintuitive to the outcome of a project. In fact, the role of the project manager should be more collaborative. A PM is a common denominator or conduit between the client and end user, and the consultants at the front end, contractors and subcontractors at the back end, and string these entities together throughout the project lifecycle.
What are the many roles that project managers have to undertake, particularly in this region?
In the traditional sense, a project manager is brought in as the first external, contracted source for a client who is engaging on a new project. At the onset, that PM’s primary role would be to challenge and validate the brief, to help a client fully understand that their interpretations on the outcome of the project are aligned with the ‘holy trilogy’ – time, quality and cost. The PM would then look at identification and procurement of necessary consultants, engineers, specialists, and ultimately the contractor, and then manage that contract.
In other instances, if you have multiple consultants that are directly procured by the client, our role would be to organise and manage the interfaces to check if there are no gaps or overlaps. And to not necessarily be the gatekeeper of communication, but to be involved and manage the process to make sure that as the design is being developed, it is staying true to the other key drivers of any given project, such as budget, timelines, program, etc.
So, as mentioned earlier, our key role is to be a conduit of sorts and overseeing from a helicopter view, the multiple and moving parts of a project.
And then there is the post contract aspect! The most common role that most people are familiar with is being on site during the post contract execution, managing the contractor, doing the quality control and assurance, checking and monitoring the progress, ensuring that commercial management is being considered and reviewed. This onsite supervision and management role is probably more well known.
What is the value that a project manager brings to a project?
In healthcare, we work very closely with the developer, (not necessarily the operator), who wants to build a facility within a certain budget and timeframe in order to generate revenue. They usually go into agreement with a healthcare operator who’s going to run the facility. These two elements are key for us to get all of the information, and understand the intricacies and operational necessities to deliver against their objective. Our job is to bring our expertise, ask the right questions, get the appropriate information from the developer or operator, and translate those requirements into the physical execution, both through the design and ultimately the build onsite.
Good project management is embedded as part of the client team, and definitely not about taking control.
So what happens to a project that does not have a PM on board? Where it can potentially fail?
Again, going back to the holy trilogy – cost, time and quality. These are the elements that a PM is best suited to safeguard and align, to help a client identify which of these three are important to them and in what order, and then put together an execution strategy accordingly. Without a project manager, projects inherently lose one, two or sometimes all three of these elements. They go over budget, they take longer than anticipated, and there are significant qualitative concerns, either in the delivery or operation.
And what is the most challenging aspect of this role?
A non biased approach from a project management perspective is often reviewed as a negative. I have been drawn across the coals by a client in the past, because they felt that I wasn’t being too hard on a contractor or a consultant. They felt that if I was not beating up on the contractor, that meant that I wasn’t doing my job. And that’s not what I’m there to do! If a client is looking for a schoolyard bully, a good project manager should not be that person. A good PM is someone who is capable of bringing ALL project stakeholders together and moving them in a common direction. And you can’t do that by driving wedges or building fences.
What is the relationship between a PM and a client?
To be a trusted advisor, confidant, almost a colleague through the development and execution of a project. The ideal scenario is to have an identified team of client stakeholders that are the owners and responsible parties for delivering a project, working alongside a team of expert project management consultants. There have been a few times in my career where there has been this coming together of the ‘dream team’… and the execution is flawless! It’s one of those things that is truly a joy to be a part of, because you can see the theoretical become practical and realistic.
How do you see your role evolving in the future?
I have spent the last couple of years looking for different technologies that can help improve or make what we do more efficient. This is a big passion of mine. However, a lot of what we do is personable, it’s how you can collaborate and communicate, and work with a number of stakeholders that are involved in any given project. So I don’t believe that there is going to be a shift now or at any time in the future that is going to change that fact. But there is going to be continued development in technologies that will allow project managers to roll more efficiently in communication and drawing reviews, accessing files, even site supervision. Still nothing that would replace the need and value that a project manager brings.
