In addition to the requirement for the property owner to manage maintenance contracts for reactive and preventive work orders execution and other related maintenance and inspection services for real estate and equipment assets, the property owner needs to also the contracts for refurbishment and re-capitalization projects. Those could include projects for elevator lobby refurbishment, tenant improvement, parking renovation, installing a new fire alarm system, fountain pump repair and replacement of pump, installing a new X-Ray machine, new administration offices, repairing toilets, installing new kitchen equipment, replacing the escalators, replacing the built-up roofing, refurbish retail store outlet, renovating a restaurant, upgrading a movie theatre, renovating retail bank outlet, replacing the access security system and associated CCTV cameras among many others.
Regardless of the scope of work, cost, or duration of those refurbishment and re-capitalization projects, the property owner must adopt project management best practices in managing the contracts for those projects. Using the same PMWeb Project Management Information System (PMIS) used to manage the real estate and equipment assets, the property owner will use PMWeb to enable the implementation of those practices. The processes detailed below are considered to be the absolute minimum process that a property owner must adopt when it comes to managing refurbishment and re-capitalization projects. Almost all proposed processes for this minimum project management practice are based on PMWeb out-of-the-box modules. Those will include modules for capturing details of all projects and consolidating them into programs, project schedules, cost and contract management, document management, everyday communication management, issues management, and progress reporting.
There are many other additional project management processes that property owners might consider implementing to improve the likelihood of successful project delivery. Those for example include the processes of risk management, field inspection, testing and commission of equipment assets, handover certificates, authority permits, NOCs, material procurement, and work permits among many others. Some of those processes are available by default in PMWeb but the majority will be created using PMWeb Custom Form Builder.
Regardless of Project Size, Cost or Duration, a Unique Project Needs to be Created
PMWeb Project module will be used to create the refurbishment and re-capitalization projects. Each project will be linked to the asset location where the work will be performed. The project module allows capturing all needed data for the project with the option to add an unlimited number of user-defined fields if needed.
It is also recommended to create a program to group all refurbishment and re-capitalization projects like this enable the property owner to decide if the facility management department will be the entity to manage those projects or if they will be managed by the real estate development department, project management department or outsource the program and project management to a third party. The property owner can decide if all those refurbishments and re-capitalization projects are to be grouped under a single program or multiple programs.
Set the Document Management Repository to Upload, Store and Attach All Supportive Documents to All Project Management Processes and Records
PMWeb Document Management repository will be used to create the folders and subfolders to upload and store all project documents including the different versions of each document. PMWeb allows setting access rights for each folder and subfolder to restrict access to uploaded documents in a folder or subfolder. In addition, project team members also have the option to subscribe to a specific folder so they can receive email or online notifications when documents/revisions are added, when documents are checked in/out, when documents are moved out/deleted, and when documents are downloaded. Notifications can be sent to PMWeb users as well as non-PMWeb users.
The uploaded documents could include drawings, BIM models, catalogs, method statements, certificates, insurance documents, and permits among others. Attributes and other details can be added to each uploaded document. The uploaded and stored project documents will be available to be attached to all relevant project records and communications.
Each Project Must Have a Delivery Schedule
PMWeb Scheduling modules allow importing projecting project schedules created in Oracle Primavera P6 and MS Project as well as allowing creating the schedule. The property owner project schedule must detail the different activities needed to perform the refurbishment and re-capitalization projects and the sequence to perform those activities. The project schedule must include all activities needed for the project including design, tender, construction, testing and commission, and turnover. The schedule should include activities for permitting authorities permits and no-objection certificates, interfaces with tenants, and others who could be affected by the project among others. If the schedule was created using the PMWeb Scheduling module, the schedule can be resource-loaded with the needed labor and non-labor activities.
Project Cost Estimate, Budget and Budget Adjustments, Procured Bids, Awarded Contracts, Change Management, Progress Invoices, Miscellaneous Invoices, Payment of Approved Invoices and Timesheets
All of the maintenance contracts management processes implemented using PMWeb’s different modules will be repeated when it comes to managing the refurbishment and re-capitalization projects. Details of all these processes and relevant PMWeb modules were detailed under “How Can Property Owners Have a Single Version of the Truth When Monitoring, Evaluating and Reporting Performance Status of Facilities and Assets Maintenance Contracts?”.
By having the data from all cost and contract management processes on a single platform, the property can have a real-time single version of the truth report on the project’s cost and contracts’ performance status. The implementation of those cost and contract management processes using PMWeb modules will ensure that the reported data is trustworthy, auditable, and traceable. The form and format of the output cost and contracts’ performance status reports can be designed in any desired form and format.
Enforce Transparency When Communicating Project Information
The delivery of refurbishment and re-capitalization projects requires implementing different processes to formalize the communications and information sharing between the property owner, contractor, consultant, and suppliers among others. PMWeb comes ready with all those communication processes although additional processes can be added using PMWeb Custom Form Builder which is limited to creating the Issue form and Progress Report Input form.
PMWeb ready-to-use forms include Request for Information, Safety Incident, Submittal, Contract Drawings List, Meeting Minutes, Transmittals, Punch List (Snag List), Actions, and Correspondence. For each one of the forms, the property owner can limit and restrict access to each form as well as the fields within the form. This will ensure trustworthiness, transparency, and accountability in communicated information.
Each PMWeb communication form can be attached with all supportive and relevant documents that were uploaded into the PMWeb document management repository as well as the option to upload documents directly. PMWeb also allows linking other relevant PMWeb records to the communication process as well as linking relevant emails that were imported from MS Outlook. The PMWeb attachment tab is available by default to all PMWeb records including the records that will be created using the custom form builder.
To enforce accountability in submitting, reviewing, approving, and sharing those communication processes, the PMWeb Workflow module will be used to map the different workflow steps needed for each communication type. The workflow steps will include the duration set to complete the step, how to return or resubmit, available actions for the reviewer, for steps with multiple reviewers if approval from all is needed or not among others. In addition, PMWeb Workflow allows adding a condition to the workflow to enforce approval authority levels as set by the property owner. The PMWeb Workflow is available by default to all PMWeb records including the records that will be created using the custom form builder.
The default ready-to-use PMWeb Workflow Inbox by Project provides the property owner’s project management team with real-time visibility of the status of workflow steps for all project communications. The report layout and format can be modified to show for example delayed workflow steps in Red, those due to become critical in Cayan, and those that are still not due in Green.
Proactive Issues Resolution to Avoid Negative Impacts
PMWeb Custom Form Builder will be used to create the “Issue Resolution” form. The form will include fields for issue type, category, criticality, issue description, issues raised by an issue owner, needed issue resolution date, and which project schedule activity it first impact. The issue form will also include the fields for issue impact and severity which will automatically calculate the issue severity. The form will also include fields for issue resolution actions and a description of the attached documents. In general, the form should be detailed to the level that eliminates ambiguities and miscommunication of the reported project issue to avoid any undesirable impacts on the project’s delivery.
The issues log will be used to provide the real-time status of all project issues captured in the issue form. The log which can be designed in any desired form and format could also include visuals to summarize issues by status, type, and issue owner among others. The tabular section of the report will include the complete details of those issues which can be grouped and filtered in any desired format. Usually, the Issue Report will be needed by senior organization executives as well as the project team members.
Reporting Project’s Progress
The data captured in the different PMWeb modules will become the basis for monitoring, evaluating, and reporting a single or a portfolio of refurbishment and re-capitalization projects’ status and performance. In addition, PMWeb Custom Form Builder will be used to create the progress form which the assigned project manager needs to complete to provide the progress narrative as well as insight into each project performance status. The progress report will be attached with pictures that could become part of the progress report.
The layout of the progress report can be designed in the desired form and format to communicate all refurbishment and re-capitalization projects’ performance to the stakeholders who will be given access to the project dashboard. The created dashboard is dynamic thus the displayed information will be based on real-time data. In addition, there could be the option to drill down for additional information and details when needed.
The status and performance information captured across the complete refurbishment and re-capitalization projects’ portfolio will become available for the enterprise dashboard. This dashboard will summarize the project’s information into key performance measures. The stakeholder who has access to the enterprise dashboard can drill down to a specific project’s dashboard if the stakeholder has the ss rights for this project. The created dashboard is dynamic thus the displayed information will be based on real-time data.
About the Author
Bassam Samman, PMP, PSP, EVP, GPM is a Senior Project Management Consultant with more than 35-year service record providing project management and controls services to over 100 projects with a total value of over US $5 Billion. Those projects included Commercial, Residential, Education, and Healthcare Buildings and Infrastructure, Entertainment and Shopping Malls, Oil and Gas Plants and Refineries, Telecommunication, and Information Technology projects. He is thoroughly experienced in complete project management including project management control systems, computerized project control software, claims analysis/prevention, risk analysis/management (contingency planning), design, supervision, training, and business development.
Bassam is a frequent speaker on topics relating to Project Management, Strategic Project Management, and Project Management Personal Skills. Over the past 35 years, he has lectured at more than 350 events and courses at different locations in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and South America. He has written more than 250 articles on project management and project management information systems that were featured in international and regional magazines and newspapers. He is a co-founder of the Project Management Institute- Arabian Gulf Chapter (PMI-AGC) and has served on its board of directors for more than 6 years. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI), a certified Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP), an Earned Value Professional (EVP) from the American Association of Cost Engineers (AACE), and a Green Project Management (GPM).
Bassam holds a Master’s in Engineering Administration (Construction Management) with Faculty Commendation, from George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA, Bachelor in Civil Engineering – from Kuwait University, Kuwait, and has attended many executive management programs at Harvard Business School, Boston, USA, and London Business School, London, UK.