PjM: Project Management

Black and white logo for the Architect Exam Podcast with bold text and a circular emblem in the word “Podcast.”

Explore content focused on architectural project management, including organizing principles, contract administration, and consultant coordination. This category covers effective team development, client relationships, risk management, fee structures, and quality control processes featured in ARE 5.0. Resources highlight project planning, resource allocation, and managing consultants. Strengthen the essential skills needed to deliver projects on time and within budget, while maintaining high professional standards.

Female architect pointing to a massive on-site chart listing construction specification types like MasterFormat, performance, and proprietary.

Construction Specification Types Made Simple: A Complete Guide

This guide demystifies all major construction specification types and helps you understand when and how to use each one. These distinctions will make you more effective at writing, interpreting, enforcing, and managing construction documents....

Rolled construction drawings and a specs book face off in a boxing ring, dramatizing the classic Drawings vs. Specifications debate in architecture.

Drawings vs. Specifications: Why “Specs Always Win” Is Dead Wrong

This guide debunks the common misconception about document precedence and explains how drawings vs specifications work together as complementary contract documents. Understanding this drawings vs specifications relationship is crucial for both ARE success and professional...

Female architect holding an open book on a construction site with a giant manual titled “Construction Specifications 101” in the background.

Construction Specifications 101: The Project Manual Explained

Have you ever wondered why architectural specifications matter so much? Or maybe you've been avoiding them altogether because they seem intimidating or boring? I get it. Specs aren't exactly the most exciting part of architecture...

Giant monster looms over a chaotic construction site, symbolizing unexpected issues and the need for construction contingency planning.

Construction Contingency: Planning for the Project’s Unknown

In the world of architecture and construction, one truth remains constant: something will always go wrong. No matter how meticulously you plan, how carefully you design, or how thoroughly you prepare your construction documents, the...

Two professionals shaking hands in front of an active construction site, symbolizing agreement and financial security through a construction bond.

Construction Bonds 101: Everything You Need to Know

This comprehensive guide explains everything you need to know about construction bonds and how they protect your projects. You'll learn the different types of construction bonds (including performance bonds and payment bonds), how surety bonds...

A classical courthouse and a modern office building balanced on a scale, symbolizing the comparison of public vs private construction projects.

The Client Factor: Public vs Private Architecture Projects

This podcast is also available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts One question can determine the entire course of an architecture project: Is the client public or private? This seemingly simple distinction fundamentally transforms every...