My name is Walt Sparling, and I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and work as a full-time Senior Project Manager (SPM) in the construction industry. I also fill the role of an ‘Owners Representative,’ which means that I do not manage the construction, but represent the owner’s position to oversee the team that makes it all happen. As the owner’s rep, I act as the middle man between the team and the owner, while maintaining the owner’s scope, budget, and schedule. I manage the day to day of the project process from initiating and planning, through design, construction, and ultimately closeout for projects that range from $20k on the low side to over $11mm.
I also, manage a small team of other P.M.s that do the same type of work. Our local team is comprised of a Project Coordinator (PC), Associate Project Managers (APM), Project Managers (PM), and Senior Project managers (SPM). We all interface with other groups that include move management and occupancy planning. It just so happens that we also work for a fortune 500 company – one of the largest in the world in the Real Estate industry.
Before accepting this job, I worked in the design world doing architectural, electrical, and mechanical design and project management. I also spent a large portion of the time in overlapping periods doing I.T. training and support, including a 6-year stint at a large engineering and contracting firm as their I.T. manager and in-house trainer.
I enjoy my job, which includes managing projects and teaching and mentoring our team and others across our companies’ accounts. My experience has convinced me to go back to writing again and share what I have learned with the rest of you! In the past, I wrote for a design industry magazine and a blog that was a how-to resource for AutoCAD users. This blog will be a resource for tools, techniques, and training. The blog will also be accompanied by a Podcast launching next month that will include interviews with other project managers in various roles and industries.
Welcome to PM-Mastery!
WES
P.S. If there is a project management topic that you are interested in learning more about, please send me an email from the contact page.