BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: The Client Role in Successful Construction Projects
Authors: Jason Challender and Russell Whitaker
Publisher: Routledge
List Price: $39.95
Format: soft cover, 294 pages
Publication Date: 2019
ISBN: 9781138058200
Reviewer: Martina De Los Santos
Review Date: December 2019
Introduction
“The Client Role in Successful Construction Projects” is an exceptional tool in the hands of the project steakholders. It can benefit not only clients, but any project stakeholder and owner representatives, as well as young professionals and students seeking to learn and master the skills needed to successfully initiate, procure and manage construction projects from conception to occupancy and beyond.
This book provides the UK’s perspective on clients’ role, which in today’s global common understanding of construction project management, is a comprehensive hands-on guide for any stakeholder’s engagement and understanding of his/her key role and leadership in the project performance, driving the change in the global construction world.
Overview of Book’s Structure
The book is structured in two parts, consisting of 17 chapters.
Part 1 provides valuable introduction to the construction industry from client’s perspective. It provides lessons learned, identifies deficiencies and common due diligence framework for overcoming them and improving project success. Every chapter here addresses various perspectives on client’s roles, knowledge, interface and team integration: developing requirements, involvement in design procurement and performance control, leadership, governance, finance, contractor’s identification and selection, skill set, professional ethics, team motivation. Further Part 1 includes a practical toolkit to help in the management of all stages of the projects.
Part 2 is a practical handbook and a guide for project risk management and discusses the importance of client leadership, feedback and overall contribution to project success. It focuses on the quality, capabilities, skills and development of the stakeholders toward minimizing project risk.
The chapters in Part 2 discuss client contribution to every phase of the project. It discusses the importance of client’s project controls of scope, time, cost and quality. The topics provide practical guidelines and examples for quality, risk, cost and time management.
Highlights
“The Client Role in Successful Construction Projects” is a compact and well-organized efficient guide for both novice and experienced construction clients. It helps them to understand better the importance of their role in the construction process. In addition to identifying the needs, formulating the requirements, securing funding the client must use efficiently the communication channels and articulate them clearly with the project team.
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About the Reviewer
Martina De Los Santos
North Texas, USA
Martina De Los Santos is a certified project manager, with education, background and career in design and construction. She has a Master’s Degree from the University of Economics in Varna, Bulgaria, major “Economics and Management of the Investment Process”. She has 15+ years’ experience in the corporate management of design and construction companies and the project management of design and construction projects. Combined with her 7+ years in aviation, currently she is a consultant to the Project Controls Group at Design, Code and Construction at DFW International Airport. Martina is an active member of PMI Dallas and PMI Bulgaria Chapters.
Martina can be contacted at mdelossantos@smartpm.us.
Editor’s note: This book review was the result of a partnership between the publisher, PM World and the PMI Dallas Chapter. Authors and publishers provide the books to PM World; books are delivered to the PMI Dallas Chapter, where they are offered free to PMI members to review who agree to provide a review within 45 days; book reviews are published in the PM World Journal and PM World Library.
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