Driving Value through Project Delivery: How Effective Project Management Can “Lift All Ships” for your Clients and your Firm-Driving Value through Project Delivery How Effective Project Management Can “Lift All Ships” for your Clients and your Firm Slides

Driving Value through Project Delivery How Effective Project Management Can “Lift All Ships” for your Clients and your Firm Slides

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The 2023 ACEC Fall Webinar, presented by Justin Smith, P.E., Principal at AEC LEAD LLC and Consultant at Zweig Group, focused on driving value through effective project management in engineering and architectural firms. Smith emphasizes that great project management is not just about planning and organizing, but about driving and capturing value for clients and firms by raising client willingness-to-pay and lowering delivery costs.<br /><br />Key learning objectives included understanding how project managers create and influence value, differentiating between typical project managers and those who truly add business value, and applying a straightforward framework to prime projects for success from the start. Smith defined value as the difference between what clients pay and their perceived worth of services, highlighting the importance of aligning client expectations and project outcomes.<br /><br />The webinar introduced the "Project Discovery Process" as a vital tool to uncover client goals, preferences, and success criteria, enabling project managers to transform unknown expectations into clear actionable plans. Discovery includes exploring key performance drivers (defining success and desired outcomes), key experience drivers (client preferences for communication, responsiveness, and quality), and addressing potential friction points such as decision-making, change management, and information flow.<br /><br />Smith stressed the importance of surpassing client expectations—whether explicit or implicit—by focusing on three success pillars: performance (quality outcomes), experience (client interactions and service delivery), and friction reduction (proactively neutralizing issues). The process involves asking targeted questions early and maintaining ongoing communication to ensure alignment and responsiveness.<br /><br />Overall, the webinar conveyed that strong leadership and a structured discovery process are essential for project managers to maximize project value, enhance both client satisfaction and firm profitability, and elevate the project delivery experience. Contact details for further support were provided for participants to engage with Justin Smith directly.

Keywords

ACEC Fall Webinar 2023

Justin Smith P.E.

project management

engineering firms

architectural firms

value creation

client willingness-to-pay

Project Discovery Process

client expectations

project success framework