Senior Project Manager

The Senior Project Manager owns Spike’s side of the project from equipment release and delivery through field installation, testing, commissioning, punch, and final closeout. The project is approximately 44 weeks and includes management of a third-party contractor performing the field installation.

The Senior PM is not expected to personally perform every task. The expectation is that he maintains control, visibility, accountability, and communication across the entire project.

2. CORE EXPECTATION

The contractor owns the installation. The Senior PM owns the contractor’s performance.

The Senior PM should always know:

· Where the project stands

· What has been completed

· What is coming next

· What is holding the project up

· What the contractor needs

· What Spike needs to provide

· What is costing Spike money

· What could become a problem

3. THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT

· Contractor schedule and manpower

· Productivity and daily progress

· Installation quality and compliance with project requirements

· Material handling and installation sequencing

· Testing, startup, and commissioning coordination

· Punch-list execution and closeout

· Contractor invoices and supporting documentation

· Contractor change requests

· Backcharges when applicable

· Schedule recovery when performance falls behind

4. SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT

The Senior PM owns the project schedule from Spike’s perspective and coordinates the contractor’s work with the overall data center construction schedule.

· Maintain the baseline schedule and key milestones

· Track equipment delivery, site readiness, installation, testing, startup, commissioning, punch, and closeout

· Identify schedule risks early

· Coordinate with the GC, owner, electrical contractor, other trades, and testing/commissioning teams

· Develop recovery plans when the contractor falls behind

· Escalate schedule threats before they become critical

Expected mindset: If the project is slipping, do not simply report the problem. Identify why it is slipping, quantify the impact, develop a recovery plan, and identify what support is required from Spike.

5. CHANGE ORDER MANAGEMENT

Change-order discipline is critical on a long-duration project. No work outside the contracted scope should be performed without appropriate documentation and authorization.

· Document the change immediately

· Identify who requested or directed the work

· Define the scope and reason for the change

· Determine labor, material, equipment, and schedule impacts

· Track contractor pricing and Spike’s associated costs

· Maintain separate pending and approved change-order logs

· Obtain written authorization before proceeding whenever practical

· Maintain field documentation and photographs supporting the change

Rule: Do not allow $50,000 of additional work to be performed based on a verbal promise that “we’ll get the PO later.”

6. COST CONTROL & FORECASTING

The Senior PM should maintain continuous visibility into the financial health of the project.

· Original project value

· Contractor committed cost

· Approved change orders

· Pending change orders

· Labor and overtime

· Travel and per diem

· Equipment and rentals

· Freight and material

· Rework and potential backcharges

· Projected final cost

At any point, the Senior PM should be able to explain whether the project is on budget, what is trending adversely, and what actions are being taken.

7. EQUIPMENT & MATERIAL COORDINATION

· Manufacturing and equipment release status

· FAT/testing status where applicable

· Shipping and delivery dates

· Site receiving and storage

· Material shortages or damage

· Missing components

· Replacement parts

· Contractor material requirements

· Coordination between manufacturing, logistics, engineering, field service, and the contractor

8. QUALITY CONTROL & INSTALLATION OVERSIGHT

Because a third party is installing Spike equipment, the Senior PM must protect Spike through proper QA/QC, documentation, and verification.

· Establish inspection points and expectations

· Verify installation follows project and manufacturer requirements

· Track torque records and required installation documentation

· Coordinate cable termination and electrical testing documentation

· Coordinate relay, breaker, insulation, and functional testing as applicable

· Document deficiencies and ensure corrective action

· Maintain records needed for startup, commissioning, warranty, and closeout

9. FIELD REPORTING & DOCUMENTATION

Documentation is the project record and a primary means of protecting Spike against disputes, delays, and unsupported claims.

· Daily contractor manpower and hours

· Work completed and work planned

· Equipment installed

· Material delivered, missing, or damaged

· Delays and site conditions

· Customer/GC-directed work

· Safety or access issues

· Testing and inspection results

· Photographs

· RFIs and submittals

· Change-order opportunities

· Schedule status and risks

Rule: If it is not documented, assume it will be difficult to prove later.

10. CUSTOMER / GC COMMUNICATION

The Senior PM should be the primary coordination point for Spike and should establish a professional communication structure with the customer, GC, owner, and contractor.

· Weekly customer/GC meetings

· Contractor coordination meetings

· Progress reporting

· Action-item tracking

· Schedule discussions

· Issue escalation

· Clear assignment of responsibility and due dates

· Written follow-up to important verbal conversations

Do not make commitments on behalf of Spike without confirming that Spike can execute them.

11. JUNIOR PM SUPPORT

The Junior PM is intended to increase the Senior PM’s capacity and provide administrative and project-control support. The Senior PM remains accountable for the overall project.

Typical Junior PM responsibilities:

· Meeting minutes

· Daily report collection and organization

· Change-order log maintenance

· RFI and submittal tracking

· Material tracking

· Schedule updates

· Contractor paperwork

· Invoice tracking

· Document control

· Photo documentation

· Punch-list tracking

Senior PM = Accountability and project control | Junior PM = Execution and administrative support

12. RISK MANAGEMENT

The Senior PM should maintain an active list of project risks and mitigation actions.

· Contractor manpower and productivity

· Long-lead equipment or material

· Site readiness

· Customer/GC delays

· Scope creep

· Damaged equipment

· Testing failures

· Commissioning constraints

· Weather or access impacts

· Subcontractor performance

· Schedule compression

· Warranty and liability exposure

The objective is to identify problems early enough that management still has options.

13. TESTING, STARTUP & COMMISSIONING

The Senior PM coordinates the transition from installation to operational acceptance.

· Installation completion

· Inspection and deficiency correction

· Electrical and equipment testing

· Energization readiness

· Startup

· Commissioning coordination

· Customer acceptance

· Final documentation

This requires coordination among the third-party contractor, Spike field service, testing agencies, customer, GC, owner, and other project stakeholders.

14. PUNCH LIST & CLOSEOUT

Closeout begins at project kickoff, not during the final weeks.

· Maintain punch-list tracking throughout the project

· Collect testing and startup reports

· As-built documentation

· O&M documentation

· Warranty documentation

· Customer signoffs

· Training requirements

· Final change-order reconciliation

· Final invoices and retainage

· Outstanding material and deficiency resolution

· Final project acceptance

15. INTERVIEW / ROLE-ALIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Use these questions to confirm how the candidate thinks about ownership and project control:

· You have a 44-week project. How would you establish control during your first 30 days?

· The customer verbally directs the contractor to perform $30,000 of additional work. What do you do?

· The contractor says the customer-directed work is included in our scope. How do you handle it?

· The project is six months in and 10% behind schedule. What is your process for determining why and recovering the schedule?

· How do you forecast the final cost of a project?

· What information do you expect from your Junior PM each week?

· How do you determine whether the field contractor is actually productive?

· How do you manage a difficult customer or GC while still protecting the company?

· What is the difference between a legitimate change order and a project-management failure?

· If I asked you every Friday whether the project is on schedule and on budget, what information would you need to give me an accurate answer?

16. SIX NON-NEGOTIABLES

· No undocumented work.

· No surprises.

· No uncontrolled change orders.

· Do not allow the contractor to dictate the project schedule.

· Do not wait until a problem becomes critical to communicate it.

· If Spike is exposed to cost, schedule impact, or liability, document it immediately.

17. SENIOR PM STANDARD

“You will have the resources to be successful. You will have a Junior PM supporting you, field personnel executing the work, and the internal teams behind you. I do not expect you to personally do everything. I expect you to know what is happening, know what is coming next, know where the risks are, and know when something needs to be escalated.”