Throughout the years, I’ve watched contracting and construction change. No greater change has taken place than the move from general contracting (GC) to construction managing (CM). In the old days, general contractors employed carpenters. Many GCs even poured their own concrete. Today, many, if not most, CM personnel have little hands-on craft experience. Their tools of the trade are computers and emails, not hammers and saws. This might be compared to a fine restaurant where management knows little about cooking or a vineyard without a winemaker.
Construction management is here to stay, as fast-track construction and the CM process fits today’s building owner’s style of constructing where time means money.