Project management appears to be an imperfectly understood role characterised by a series of contradictions. It is a new and evolving profession that has long been a presumed function within project teams. Now an emerging discipline in its own right, it is also a position that can be filled by consultants from many more established disciplines with various qualifications. Against an increasingly litigious construction backdrop, claims against project managers are still comparatively rare and there is limited case law on the liabilities of consultants performing these duties. Historically, clients have tended to presume that the lead consultant, typically the architect, will manage and organise the construction team as a matter of course. However, project management is a separate and distinct discipline, and it is important for architects to understand and recognise this if they are not to be called to account for breach of duty, unwittingly assumed.
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