Why is Project Management Important for Architects?
Let’s face it – good project management skills are essential to the success of any architect. Because of their everyday duties and responsibilities, these professionals must have the knowledge and experience to handle large projects from inception to completion.
Read our blog post on learning project management as an architect for more information.
With that said, here are some critical project management duties, particularly compared to the architect’s role.
Coordinates Architect/Client Project Meetings
Architects are hired to work with clients on the designs that they want and need. Before getting started, however, both parties must meet to discuss the project.
In essence, the architect must assist with scheduling meetings to obtain the initial details of the work that must be done. In these meetings, everyone involved is invited so that every aspect of the new project is outlined.
So, the architect’s role is to ensure the client provides their requirements, site characteristics, planning and safety regulations, expected budget, and the deadlines for the work that must be done.
Manages Team/Teams to Design the Plans
Once the architect has gathered all this information, these requirements must be formally documented.
This is also a traditional role of the architect/project manager. Because this documentation is used for several reasons and purposes, this information must also be distributed to everyone involved. The main objective here is to keep everyone on the same page.
Responsible for Cost Estimation
The architect is also responsible for keeping track of the cost. Since each stage usually requires a different set of fees, architects must be able to anticipate changes in finances as these projects progress.
Additionally, if they have good project management for architects’ negotiation skills, they may find creative ideas to produce the highest quality construction jobs at lower rates. Their position as the project manager is to deliver new or renovated construction designs within the budget allocated.
Overseeing and Hiring the work of Contractors
As needed, architects may be required to hire contractors to complete their projects. When this is the case, their job is to oversee the work, inspect the jobs for certain specifications, and pay contractors for their work.
Also, if the contractors are falling behind or need more time, everyone involved must know this information. For instance, if more than one contractor is hired to perform more than one activity, the dates that they are scheduled may need to be adjusted accordingly.
Helps to Facilitate Communication Between Stake Holders
Keeping everyone up-to-date is also a critical part of the architect’s role. Everyone involved can stay connected based on the architect and the software tools they have access to. For instance, architects, team members, and their clients can use innovative software applications to monitor a project’s activities.
Also, in some organizations, every architect and their clients may have access to PlanMan, a project management software that can be used to plan, execute and track projects of any size today.
Analyzes and Solves Problems
Running into problems along the way is a normal part of completing any small or sizeable architectural design. Therefore, today’s architects must be equipped with the knowledge and experience to solve problems quickly to keep the project on track.
Because time is money, significant delays in solving problems can be very costly to its overall success, including increasing the cost to deliver the project on time.
So, as a project manager, the architect must be able to ensure individuals and teams can collaborate quickly with each other.
For instance, the project manager is responsible for ensuring everyone involved has the technical tools and communication platforms to meet face-to-face or remotely whenever needed or required.
Conclusion
As you can see, project management is vital for architects. Even though the architect’s role can vary from one project design to another, this skill and experience are precious. This is because the architect must be equipped to manage both small and large design projects for their clients.
These professionals play a wide range of duties and responsibilities to be successful and practical. So, they must have the skills to see their projects through from beginning to end.
Simply put, the architect must be skilled in coordinating meetings with clients, managing multiple design teams, overseeing contractors, helping facilitate communications, and delivering quality projects on time.
Having specific project management software for architects is a good way of managing everything. You will be able to track every stage of the project, keep project documents securely with the project and keep track of time spent and invoices relating to each project.