¦PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT TALK WITH SVEN SWENSON
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n the last edition of Project Talk, I spoke with veteran biomass executive Ken Ciarletta about the importance of recognizing gaps in collective project knowledge in order to fill them with qualified people who can keep projects out of trouble. Knowledge is power. Along those lines but on a slightly different tack is the need for timely and accurate information as the project progresses—i.e., where are you really with regard to finishing the project in the magical land of “on time and under budget?” To explore this question, I turned to a veteran of project management and project controls, Ugo Santone. Santone is the partner overseeing professional services and talent at PTAG, a global project and construction management services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. PTAG is primarily engaged in supporting the owner in execution of large-scale capital projects. Among other things, Santone is working with a local Canadian technical university to introduce the basics of project management by developing a project management micro-credential course. Regardless of their ultimate profession, understanding the basics of project management, the interfaces and what each supporting group is responsible for can provide burgeoning professionals with insights into the grand scheme of things that will aid them for the rest of their careers. When I asked Santone about first steps that he would take when starting a new project, he said, “First, find a really good project manager.” (No surprise there—we’ve heard that one before.) Getting the right people onboard early is key, no matter how many
Swenson
times you say it. Along those lines, a good project team feeds off itself, and allowing the project manager (PM) to have an early hand in selecting the team is a good move. Santone offered that project management is a lot like coaching, and pointed to famed basketball coach Phil Jackson, who was known to believe that coaching is about managing personalities. If you allow the PM to form their team, they are consciously and unconsciously thinking about future team interactions. The PM will select those who will work well together, or understand if there are relationships that will need to be watched closely with potential interventions necessary. There are several people and multiple organizations who need to be on that team, from an owner’s perspective, including project controls, engineering, construction management, contracts and procurement.
Regardless of the bells and whistles brought by your EPC firm, the owner needs a strong project management team, and some degree of project controls to ensure success. Business legend Louis V. Gerstner Jr. once said, “People don’t do what you expect, but what you inspect.” I live by a similar mantra in the project world.
INspect what you EXpect
The PM should always be considering the expectations of the project, and from the outset be thinking about the types of project controls and feedback that they and the rest of the team will need to ensure these expectations are fully realized. These controls can vary drastically dependent upon project size and scope, and while picking the right controls is beneficial, overutilizing project controls can be cumbersome, expensive and
CONTRIBUTION: The claims and statements made in this article belong exclusively to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Biomass Magazine or its advertisers. All questions pertaining to this article should be directed to the author(s).
32 BIOMASS MAGAZINE | ISSUE 2, 2022
