In the demanding world of yacht refurbishment, the project manager occupies a central position. This professional is responsible for planning, organising and supervising every stage of the project, ensuring that the work is completed on time and to the highest quality standards. His role involves effective coordination between the various trades, rigorous budget management and transparent communication with the customer and the rest of the teams.
At Monaco Marine, project management is recognised as a key element in ensuring excellence in yacht repair and refit services, enabling smooth sailing from start to finish. To better understand this job and what it entails, we interviewed Théo Lonchamp, Project Manager at Monaco Marine's La Ciotat shipyard.
1. As project manager, can you tell me if you are involved in the project preparation phase with the customer for the feasibility study, the determination of costs and duration?
‘As project managers, we are not always involved in the preliminary phase before the yacht arrives at the yard. This is handled by our sales team. Projects are assigned to us by our manager when they are confirmed. Once validated, we are responsible for each of the project's tasks, the studies, costing and negotiation of all the upcoming work.’
2. What are the most important communication points at the start of a project?
‘At the start of a project, the most important thing is to be available and to listen to the customer. It's essential to understand their needs, constraints and priorities. Effective communication must be clear, concise and highly responsive.’
3. How do you coordinate with the other teams and the various trades involved?
‘There's always an ideal order, but in reality, you have to adapt to constraints linked to parts delivery times, the availability of teams, co-activity in the area, the complexity and risks of each task, etc. As a general rule, you'll always prefer to start with the ‘dirty’ and risky jobs first, to have time to find a solution. As a general rule, we always prefer to start with the ‘dirty’ and risky jobs first, so that we have time to find solutions if there are any surprises.
4. Is there an order in which the work must be carried out? What are the constraints involved?
For example, during a five-yearly class visit, we try to carry out the structural thickness measurement campaign as early as possible so that we have time to organise the boiler works if necessary.
‘There's a lot of co-activity on board because space is limited. We can have dozens of people working on the yacht at the same time, boilermakers, joiners, saddlers, painters, fitters and so on. We work very regularly with a project coordinator who brings together all the players on board.
5. You've been working on three projects simultaneously, not all of which took the same amount of time. Can you tell me more about the duration of these 3 projects?
‘The first project was a long one, lasting almost 10 months, during which we had some big surprises during the corrosion treatment. The boiler work involved caused us to fall behind on the painting cycle. The second project lasted 3 months and we were greatly challenged by the schedule when we discovered the extent of the hot work to be carried out in a tank. In the end, we managed to meet the milestone of the yacht's departure for her season in the Caribbean. Finally, the last one is an 8-month project, with the critical path of the schedule being the complete painting.’
6. Are projects managed differently when there is interior and/or exterior work to be done?
‘Basically, project management remains the same and in general, we always have some work outside and some inside the yacht. However, we each have our preferences between working more in the engine room or guest areas because they require different qualities and sensitivities.’
7. How do you manage to keep to the estimated costs? I imagine that between the time the project is priced and completion, costs can sometimes change?
‘Indeed, costs can change when there are unforeseen circumstances. That's why the costing phase is so important so that we can estimate as accurately as possible what we need in terms of materials, labour and sub-contracting. When the additional costs are linked to an extension of the scope of work, we always communicate with the customer to offer him the best deals and make the right decisions together.’
8. What are your favourite tasks in your job?
‘Technically, I like to understand a request in detail and propose solutions to the customer to meet their needs. Sometimes we have to be creative. From a managerial point of view, the interaction with all the partners, each an expert in their sector, is a challenge. There's not a day that goes by when I don't discover a new subject or a new technique.
9. What are the most challenging constraints?
‘Managing co-activity on board, anticipating the risks associated with the work, maintaining constructive communication with the client and contractors to ensure that all stakeholders keep a common goal.
’It's clear, then, that the role of yacht refit project manager requires a wide range of skills, but above all know-how and adaptability that is regularly challenged, as well as effective coordination and transparent communication to bring complex projects to a successful conclusion for a demanding clientele.
As Théo concludes, for him his job requires ‘Clear direction, shared objectives and fluid communication are the keys to a successful project.’
