Differences Between a Project Manager, Construction Manager and Site Manager

CONSTRUCTION

Jun 7

Written By Francisco Javier Muñoz Fuentes

If you are not an architect, or a technical architect, nor are you minimally related to the world of construction, surely when they tell you that you have to hire a project manager, an execution director and a site manager for the execution of the work, you think who are kidding you: aren't all three the same thing?

DEFINITIONS

First of all, for you to understand the explanation, we are going to define each of the three figures:

Project manager: Usually an Architect.

He is the agent who, as his name indicates, directs the development of the work in technical, aesthetic, urban and environmental aspects, in accordance with the draft, the license granted and other authorizations that have been given.

Director of execution of the work: Usually a Technical Architect (or surveyor, it is the same).

He assumes the function of directing the material execution of the work and of qualitatively and quantitatively controlling the construction and the quality of the built. Its specific functions are:

- Verify the reception of the materials on site, checking that they meet the minimum qualities that had been agreed and ordering trials or tests to check their quality (if necessary).

- Check the correct execution and arrangement of the construction elements and the facilities, according to the project and the instructions of the project manager.

Site manager: Does not have a specific qualification.

He is directly responsible for the execution of the project within the construction company, as well as its technical and economic management.

Surely, with these definitions the difference has not been clear to you at all, but it has made you even more involved; so let's try to explain it in other words.

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FACULTATIVE MANAGEMENT - CONSTRUCTORA

First of all, you should know that both the construction manager and the execution director are part of the facultative management, while the construction manager is part of the construction company.

The project manager will be in charge of checking that all the small changes or modifications that have to be carried out in the work are made in such a way that they do not modify the final result, and that the finished house is as it was proposed in the draft. In the event that any modification is necessary (due to a problem derived from the work), the project manager will be the one to dictate how it should be carried out, ensuring at all times the interests of the promoter.

The work of the director of works execution is a more meticulous task, and he takes care of the details, checking that all the construction elements are correctly executed. For example, they will be the one who checks that the flooring that has arrived at the work is of as good a quality as indicated in the project, that the steel inside the structure is correctly placed and has the diameter and coatings adequate, that the ducts of the facilities are properly insulated so that unnecessary noise and vibrations do not occur, that the insulation inside the façade is thick enough...

Finally, the tasks of the project manager are very diverse: he is in charge of planning the organization of the work, planning each of the tasks and jobs to be performed (who is going to perform them, when and how), proposing the construction techniques and procedures that are more suitable for the result to be achieved, control costs and construction times, process orders from suppliers, and so on.

A final summary…

Broadly speaking, we can establish the following differences:

The construction manager is a kind of supreme director who directs the rest of the agents and is in charge of verifying that the work is being carried out as it had been drawn in the project. If a problem arises or any aspect of the project needs to be modified, he will be in charge of making the decisions, and will issue instructions to both the execution director and the project manager.

The director of execution will be in charge of verifying that the work is being executed correctly according to the criteria established in the project (that the structure has the necessary reinforcements and coatings, that the facades have sufficient thermal insulation, that the joints between elements are well executed…) In the event that there is something that is not well executed, it will issue instructions to the project manager.

Finally, the project manager organizes the work of the rest of the workers who are part of the construction company (officers, electricians, carpenters, plumbers ...) so that they carry out the work in accordance with the project and the instructions of the project manager and the project manager. execution.

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