IIApproach

Four stages, one thread throughout.

The same discipline for a renovation, an opening or an order: a clear brief, the right people, steady follow-through and a clean close.

The stages
I

Brief and scope

A conversation, a visit if useful, and a short brief: what the project is, what done looks like, the budget, the date and who decides.

Everyone reads the project the same way, before anything is spent.

II

Plan and team

The schedule and budget set out, and the people the project needs found, checked and briefed: designers, makers, contractors, venues, advisers. Each is engaged directly by you, and all of them work to one plan.

The right people around the table, and one plan they have all agreed to.

III

Coordinate and follow

Everyone kept to one plan: meetings attended, work checked on the ground at the moments that matter, quotes and changes reviewed, decisions brought to you in time, with a short note every week.

You decide in time, and nothing on the ground takes you by surprise.

IV

Report and close

The handover checked against the brief, snags and open items followed until they are closed, accounts reconciled, documents gathered into one file.

The project closes cleanly, with nothing left open behind you.

Read: what a project manager does for you, and what they do not →
Engagements

Three ways to work together.

The whole project

From the brief to the handover. A fixed fee for each stage, agreed once the scope is clear, or a monthly fee for longer work.

Part of a project

Setting a project up well, taking over one already under way, or being present at the moments that decide it. A fixed fee, agreed in advance.

A single check

One visit or one meeting before you buy, sign or order, with a clear written report. A fixed fee; often the first step.

Gibson is paid only by its clients. It takes no commissions from suppliers or contractors, so its advice stays yours.