Reactive project managers cost contractors millions

4 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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In this presentation, William Doyle MRICS cites Dr. Martin Barnes’ defining quote that project management is about influencing the future, with everything else being merely admin. He uses this framing to argue that project managers should focus on proactive measures—early warning systems, robust programme management, and prospective compensation‑event assessment—rather than merely recording problems after they occur. Doyle stresses that the larger the lag between on‑site realities and the decision‑makers, the fewer opportunities exist to intervene, leading to costly outcomes for contractors. The talk positions proactive, forward‑looking practices as essential to avoid millions in avoidable losses.

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Project management is about influencing the future. Everything else is admin. That was a quote, uh, live at a conference, um, by the late Dr. Martin Barnes, who was the NEC originator, and it really etched itself into my brain as a young sort of commercial person in our industry. Um, project management is about influencing the future. Everything else is admin. So it really said to me what is it that we should be doing here? Are we recording problems as they go wrong, or are we getting ahead of them and influencing the situation for positive output? And you think that's what early warnings are about, that's what program is about, that's what prospective compensation event assessment is about. And the, the bigger the lag between the reality of what's happening on site reaching those decision makers, the less opportunity they have for intervention.