Strength in numbers

Reading "Repeat after me: 'Yes I can run your project'", I was taken back 30 years, to when I read Interdependence and Uncertainty, a report by the The Tavistock Institute, which had researched the construction professions and found that each one saw itself as pre-eminent.

Sadly, little seems to have changed, with the article comparing the relative attributes of the disciplines to fit the project management role. However, from my perspective, there is a simple solution: use a truly integrated team or partnering. In this way, with team members being brought together at the earliest opportunity, the strengths of all are available to be harnessed – including those of the client – to work together for the benefit of the project. I believe there is a place for the project manager, and he or she should preferably be a construction professional, but I don't consider any one discipline to be better suited than another for the role. If you want to learn about partnering, the Construction Industry Council's Guide to Project Team Partnering is a good place to start.