Stick with it

To be truly effective, project managers cannot limit themselves to the development of ever more complex "road maps" and "execution plans" to control construction projects. Rather, they must understand the business drivers for projects and to that end acquire broader-based education and training.

With regard to the new breed of "contractor–designer", I would be reluctant to generate a new name for an existing service. Increasingly, major projects are executed under a design-and-build arrangement, the contractor having total responsibility for design and delivery. Design is usually subcontracted through a novation agreement, which ensures that it stays with those best qualified to undertake it. I do not believe that it is in the industry's best interests to invest in the development of what may turn out to be second-grade design capabilities within contractors, who may have neither the skills or ethos to do this. We could, of course, stick with the term "development manager".