Building our home is a unique process, driven by our individual needs and wants. Building a home is also temporary, it might take for ever but it will eventually reach completion. Unique and temporary is what projects always are, and building our home is a great example of a project with all its characteristics.
Building or acquiring a house to be someone’s personal or family nests, is part of the culture in Cyprus, and great effort and financial recourses are invested in that. In the last years the financial crisis demoted the importance of building a house but there is still a definite market for custom made homes in Cyprus.
Even though “building our home” is probably the most important project of our lives, it is often executed without much planning, monitoring or controlling which are very important but time consuming activities. As a result instead of being a rejuvenating, joyful activity for the owners, many times it ends up to be stressful and exhausting.
A project manager takes the responsibility of running the project, applying tools and technics to the projects activities. The project manager minimises risks and costly mistakes and directs the project to meet project requirements. Project management services can be of great assistance to owners, architects and contractors who are in the process of building a custom home.
When will I need a project manager?
A Project Manager can be involved in the very early stages of the project, to evaluate it and provide advice for the location, the type of construction, the size, or any other project variable.
Project managers will also often work closely with the architects and engineers who do the management of the design process and leave the construction process to the project manager.
Sometimes project managers are called at the final stage of the project to investigate and assist in preparing claims, perform final accounts or resolve disputes.
What stages of the project does the project manager control?
Initiating the project means defining and evaluating the project and its boundaries. The project manager can assist in producing specifications for the owners so that it can be compared to the project at all stages of the execution. This ensures that owners, designers and project manager have the same understanding of the project deliverables.
Planning is one of the most important steps of the project where a project manager can play a very important role. Working out costs, allocating funds and resources, evaluating risks and making a schedule which will ensure that the project is completed on time, is only some of the project managers planning responsibilities
When executing the project it is highly important to manage the resources well, to stay within budget and complete the project on time. The project manager will make sure the works are completed as planned and according to the project specifications.
Constant monitoring and controlling will keep the project from going off track. The project manager can track, review and regulate the progress and performance of the project, and adjust the project plan as needed. This way the impact of last minute changes are evaluated and appropriate actions are taken.
Closing a project is an important part of the project cycle. The project manager can help finalise all activities to formally close the project and disengage all resources from the project.
What qualifications should I look for? Who can be a project manager?
In Cyprus the project management’s role is usually performed by the architect, the engineer or the quantity surveyor of the project. However In the last few years, awareness of the importance of project management is increasing and more and more owners are using project management professionals for their building projects.
A project manager can be an individual or an entire organisation. Individual project managers are usually well-trained engineers, architects or other professionals with experience in the construction industry and with solid business management skills. Internationally recognised project management certifications like PMP of PMI and PRINCE 2, are a designation of qualification but specific experience on desired project is also important.
How much will a project manager cost?
The cost of a project manager in Cyprus is process specific. Project management cost for the construction process can be as low as 1% of the construction cost, whereas for the entire process from initiation to closing can exceed 5% of the construction cost. Also the project management cost expressed in percentage of construction cost, increases as the project gets smaller.
So for a home with a construction cost of €200,000 the project management cost for the entire process will be approximately €10,000. An amount well spend to minimize the owners risks considering the risks involved in building a home.