Today, I would like to obliterate some ignorance regarding management of projects. “Management” of construction has been around, of necessity, for as long as construction itself.

The idea of separating construction management into a separate contract for professional services began to gain attention in the 1960s.

In his paper; Construction Management: Evolution of a profession, John McKeon, aptly argues that the term ‘Construction Management’ has itself been a subject of confusion and competing claims. Architects and engineers often use the term to describe their construction administration responsibilities.

General contractors on the other hand use it to describe what their site agents do. The term has been used to describe a person, a person’s job, project delivery process, construction activity of anyone engaged in the industry or curriculum in a university aimed at educating future general contractors.

This confusion sometimes, in my view, is deliberate as it serves the self-interest of gatekeeping. As an industry and country, we must inevitably come to terms that the basic minimum capabilities of contractors, architects and engineers do not necessarily or automatically provide an individual with all of the skills required of a competent project or construction management.

There is no degree globally called Bachelor of Civil Engineering and Project management or bachelor of Architecture and Project Management. Project and construction management professions are now taught and regulated across many jurisdictions around the globe.

In Kenya, for instance, Construction Management was first introduced in JKUAT in 2001 at undergraduate level. It was a five-year programme. University of Nairobi introduced masters programme soon after. I am aware that Technical University of Kenya is in the process of starting doctorate programme in Construction Management.

We now have about five public universities offering undergrad programme in Construction Management. Like the rest of the world, this is now an established profession in Kenya. Yet, well over 50 years down the line since the commencement of this noble profession some folks in the industry, out of self-preservation, still awfully argue about the imperativeness of construction management.

They have terminally refused to cut the umbilical cord from their past. In country where it is now insane to complete projects within the triple constraints. Really? This country is begging for professional management of projects.

For clarity; construction project management well known as project management is the management of projects within the built environment from inception to completion including management of related professional services. Construction management, on the other hand, is the management of the business of construction, some would say the physical construction process, within the built environment.

The challenges and complexities the 21st century has thrown at the construction sector globally are monumental. These are not ordinary times to run projects in the luxury casualness synonymous with most of our public projects.

Not everyone in the construction industry can be a project and/or construction manager, it’s not a default profession. Equally, not everyone who studies project management can do construction project management.

These professions are here to stay. It is you to heed the altar call and renounce your obstinacy.…. The intend regulation of the construction project managers and construction managers will add the much required stamina in the construction industry. We pronto regulate the professions of construction Project Managers and Construction Managers for the benefit of the country.