Project management functions for the light industrial sector in Mexico

This article examines the day-to-day functions performed by Project Managers in the Light Industrial sector of the Mexican construction industry in order to successfully complete their projects. The research investigates the primary activities performed by these professionals to identify those that are more time consuming. The study is based on results of a survey questionnaire and interviews of thirty Project Managers who responded to questions regarding their roles and responsibilities in performing pre-construction, construction and close-out phases of construction projects. The role of attending, organizing or leading meetings was found to remain relatively constant during all three phases consuming approximately 14% of the Project Manager's average weekly time each. Site rounds, report writing, quality issues and financial issues were found to increase as the project progressed from pre-construction to close-out. Planning and scheduling activities and contract review/negotiation, at 24.5% and 20.1% respectively, were found to consume the most average weekly time during the pre-construction phase and reduce through subsequent phases. As expected, safety issues (7.4%) and productivity review/improvement (7.1%) reached their peak during the construction phase. The results presented in this article provide an insight into the roles and responsibility of Project Managers in the Mexican Light Industrial industry.