How I built up my PM team

"Go back 15 years and project management was less understood," says Derek Johnson, partner and pioneer of the project management division at Davis Langdon. "It tended to be treated as an individual entity as opposed to a compatible service that a corporate firm could offer."

When Davis Langdon decided to introduce project management into its repertoire the challenge for Johnson was to avoid establishing the new practice as a separate unit: "It needed to be a complementary strand that contributed to the overall turnover of the firm," he explains.

In 1987 there were no project managers working at the firm let alone the practice being a gateway to generate business. Fast forward to the present day and the picture couldn't be more different. There are now 210 PMs operating within the firm, both nationally and internationally, and project management provides 20% of the annual UK turnover, worth £21m.

So how exactly do you create a PM business within an already established QS business? Johnson outlines his guiding principles:

Work with existing clients

"The first 10 years were quiet," explains Johnson. "We worked consistently with existing but specific clients rather than concentrating on a mandate proclaiming to be the best. As we built up our business we didn't expose ourselves to review, we just ensured we established ourselves until we were confident we had got the processes right."

Do fewer projects but do them well

Johnson admits starting the division was difficult at the start as clients were initially reluctant to trust the firm with significant projects: "Clients will not give you big jobs when you are new so we began with smaller ones which can sometimes be harder to deal with than say five bigger projects," he says.

Gradually the PM team developed the capability to take on large projects.

Johnson also adapted McKinsey's Seven S model for assessing the team's progress. He reckons it is the ultimate test of the success of a business. The model uses an accepted, structured approach to review the progression of a consultancy business (see factfile), he says.

Listen to your clients

Under the Seven S model external consultants are brought in to quiz Davis Langdon's clients on the team's performance as PMs - an exercise performed annually. "It's a useful exercise," says Johnson. "In reality you are always listening to client feedback but this is slightly different as we return to the client after the job to see how the process was for them."

Often architects will say PMs tend to smother creativity by marching right in there all guns blazing. Arrogance and failing to listen does not lead to a good PM leader

Derek Johnson, partner, Davis Langdon

He says the perception of project managers within the firm has significantly changed over time. As the business has evolved so did the staff structure of the team.

"Project managers were often operating as other professionals and they develop through the disciplines to call themselves project managers and so we began with more mature PMs. There was a time when we didn't even take young people," he says.

Katie Simper was the first female graduate the PM division hired who went on to become an associate. After completing a degree in construction management she applied for assistant PM at Davis Langdon. "I was turned down initially," she says, but gradually there was a shift in what was considered to constitute a good project manager and the company became more flexible.

"Getting people to take me seriously was difficult as I was so young" says Katie. "I had come into the construction industry via an academic route, I was fresh out of university and when I started most project managers were 30 to 40 years old."

Have a balanced and dedicated team

The PM staff today at Davis Langdon comprises graduates and a balance of young and senior PMs which Johnson believes makes for a robust business: "They are not borrowed from any other branch of the business but trained specifically as PMs."

Invest in your staff

Johnson has created a five-year cycle to support the existing team, which includes putting his staff through an MSc. "It's important for a business to invest in its employees' time and develop their attributes, it's a long-term fix that the business benefits from," he says.

Katie, who successfully completed her MBA with the firm, says regular feedback and six monthly appraisals ensured she matured as a project manager as she was constantly identifying what she had to achieve.

Promote teamwork, not arrogance

"Teamwork and inclusiveness is the key to successful project management," Johnson says "Often architects will say PMs tend to smother creativity by marching right in there all guns blazing. Arrogance and failing to listen does not lead to a good PM leader."