WHAT DOES A CAPITAL PROJECT MANAGER DO?

The Capital Project Manager oversees the project lifecycle from ideation to implementation, coordinating with business leaders to define project scope, and designing evaluation processes. This role extends to managing subcontractor relationships, negotiating contracts, and ensuring compliance with financial and project management office (PMO) guidelines. Additionally, the manager also conducts risk analysis, maintains schedules, and secures necessary resources to achieve project goals efficiently.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Capital Project Manager

1. Capital Project Manager Responsibilities

  • Tool Implementation: Creates and ensures all appropriate tools are completed and used effectively.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Actively communicates with project sponsors and key stakeholders.
  • Communication Management: Establishes regular points of communication, manages sponsor and stakeholders’ expectations.
  • Root Cause Analysis: Performs root cause analysis on project shortfalls and takes corrective action.
  • Project Management Application: Applies project management tools and techniques, as well as other continuous improvement principles and tools, toward a variety of projects.
  • Coaching: Coaches other employees on the use of various tools, concepts, and practices foundational to Project Management.
  • Contract Negotiation: Negotiate contracts in conjunction with Procurement, negotiate and approve/reject contractor claims.
  • Contractor Coordination: Coordinate contractor activity with Plant Operations and monitor contractor performance.
  • Performance Oversight: Oversee performance testing to ensure compliance with contract documents, and drive deficiency elimination process.
  • Document Management: Manage and archive drawings and documents during the project, verify/approve contractor invoices.
  • Process Change Management: Collaborate with Quality and Operations to manage process changes in a controlled manner.
  • Operational Participation: Attend and participate in day-to-day plant operations meetings, lead Kaizen events, perform Gemba walks, etc.
  • Process Improvement Identification: Identify process issues and resolve them quickly using DOE (design of experiments) or other like tools to drive improvements.
  • Lean Leadership: Use lean concepts to lead Kaizen events focused on cost reduction and process optimization.

2. Capital Project Manager Job Summary

  • Project Leadership: Directs the site capital projects team to execute projects, ensuring that safety and environmental considerations are the top priority.
  • Quality Management: Delivers high-quality projects that support operational reliability, and manages project scope, cost, and schedule efficiently and effectively.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensures project compliance with current standards, regulations, laws, and directives for safe, compliant, and reliable operations.
  • Standard Enforcement: Enforces Refinery Engineering Standards as well as site requirements on capital projects.
  • Scope Development Assistance: Assists and coordinates the organization to develop project scopes that meet targeted criteria.
  • Process Compliance: Ensures that all projects are evaluated using the PIPE process and that all project leaders comply with the requirements of the process.
  • Project Accountability: Maintains accountability for overall project performance for all site-executed capital projects.
  • Financial Compliance: Ensures that accounting requirements including AFEs, DOA, and forecasting are met for all site capital projects.
  • Support Coordination: Coordinates internal support needed for project execution, both within the project organization as well as other departments.
  • Startup and Commissioning Assistance: Ensures the project team is assisting during the startup and commissioning of capital projects.
  • Progress Reporting: Reports regular progress on individual projects as well as the project portfolio to management and its key stakeholders.
  • Post-Project Audit and Consultation Coordination: Directs post-audit on completed projects as deemed necessary and coordinates outside engineering/consultants for the capital organization.

3. Capital Project Manager Accountabilities

  • Project Planning: Facilitate project planning meetings to discuss and determine project objectives, develop program plans, define project scope and recommend budget resources.
  • Project Setup Support: Assist and support project sponsors with the project setup.
  • Project Development: Develop project scope, initial budget estimates, and preliminary project schedules and provide input for obtaining project planning funds.
  • Project Documentation: Develop and maintain project notebooks, tracking tools, reporting formats, and project SharePoint sites.
  • Presentation Development: Develop, coordinate and prepare presentations and documents.
  • Contract Management: Develop, negotiate and manage complex consultant contracts, budgets, and schedules for design and construction.
  • Consultant Selection Oversight: Manage and oversee the design consultant selection process.
  • Diversity Goals Compliance: Responsible for meeting Port's Diversity in Contracting Goals.
  • Project Monitoring: Monitor and evaluate projects through regular interaction with the project team to ensure adherence to project specifications and standards.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Provide information or respond to the public and other government entities regarding aspects of the assigned project.
  • Project Controls Management: Manage, track and report project controls including project scope, schedule, budget, and authorization.
  • Environmental Permitting Coordination: Coordinate complex environmental permitting processes and related issues.
  • Design Review Management: Take responsibility for managing and overseeing the design review process.

4. Capital Project Manager Functions

  • Project Execution: Responsible for the overall execution of the sites' Capital Plan (including scope, contract strategy, risk management, etc.)
  • Project Compliance: Ensuring that capital projects and refurbishments are completed within the time, cost, and quality parameters in conjunction with all key stakeholders.
  • Project Management: Ensure that the concept, development, implementation, and close-out of each assigned project is managed under recognized project management principles and procedures.
  • Documentation Preparation: Direct and indirect preparation of plans, specifications, and tender documents to invite tenders for minor refurbishment works and services.
  • Cost Estimation: Prepare draft project plans, cost estimates, and implementation schedules for project option appraisal.
  • Communication: Providing regular technical and project management briefings to the Head of Capital Projects and Hospital Project Team.
  • Project Coordination: Coordinating the tender and implementation stages of the project, having close liaison with the design team and site supervisory staff.
  • Site Monitoring: Daily monitoring of all active construction sites within the hospital complex.
  • Change Management: Monitor and record all changes from the original project plan on all major and minor hospital projects.

5. Capital Project Manager Details and Accountabilities

  • Project Management: Manage the portfolio of projects and design the evaluation process that takes projects from Idea through Implementation and Validation.
  • Stakeholder Management: Coordinate with appropriate business leaders to establish project scope, goals, and deliverables.
  • Scope Management: Define what should be internally performed versus what work will require subcontracting.
  • Procurement Management: Coordinate with Finance and Procurement to establish a list of qualified bidders, development of bid packages, solicit bids, and award subcontracts for each portion of the scope to be subcontracted.
  • Vendor Management: Build relationships with subcontractors and equipment vendors to understand capabilities, create a clear scope of work, and negotiate the best prices for equipment and labor.
  • Contract Management: Assure the project is executed following the contract, negotiate terms, and execute subcontracts, ensuring that subcontractor invoices are according to contract terms.
  • Financial Management: Coordinate with Finance and PMO to ensure client invoicing per the contract requirements, manage project cash flow, track, and report project cost, estimate cost to complete, and forecast project financial results.
  • Risk Management: Responsible for performing project risk analysis and mitigation, defining, and maintaining the project schedule, and task list.
  • Resource Management: Coordinate with leaders/managers to establish project manpower plans that provide the resources required for the execution of the work.
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