PM Excellence Academy
Onsite #1 · Quick Reference
The standard in your pocket — the three behaviors, the roles and utilization targets, the SMEs to leverage, and the two maps you’ll build.
Quick reference · three core behaviors · role & utilization matrix · SME leverage · the two mapsThe one idea
A companion to the Onsite #1 working session. The session itself is built by you, in the room, so this page won’t teach the day in advance. It holds the standard’s vocabulary, the role and utilization targets, and the reference scaffolds you’ll use live — and keeps them in your pocket for all twelve modules that follow.
The five outcomes the standard drives:
The standard
The whole standard, on three cards. Tap one to see what it asks of you in practice.
Behavior → outcome
Clarity powers defined scope & aligned commitments. Advancement powers controlled, predictable delivery. Integrity powers protected design & technical integrity. Compounded and applied through people, they sustain financial health and developed teams. The behaviors are how the outcomes get produced.
The business stream
Project management is the primary driver of firm health. Two levers: target utilization (human capital deployed effectively) and efficient execution (billing rates protected against unbillable rework). Together they drive revenue, cash flow, and long-range margin.
Role & rate schedule — 2026
| Role | 2026 hourly rate |
|---|---|
| Principals | |
| Principal | $335 |
| Architectural | |
| Senior Project Manager | $210 |
| Senior Architect | $200 |
| Project Manager | $180 |
| Architect | $170 |
| Senior Design Professional (Architecture) | $165 |
| Design Professional (Architecture) | $130 |
| Design Intern (Architecture) | $75 |
| Construction Administrator | $165 |
| BIM Manager | $175 |
| Director of VDC | $185 |
| Engineering | |
| Mechanical Engineer | $260 |
| Design Professional (Engineering) | $215 |
| Interior Design | |
| Senior Interior Designer Project Manager | $205 |
| Senior Interior Designer | $170 |
| Interior Project Manager | $165 |
| Interior Designer | $160 |
| Design Professional (Interiors) | $153 |
| Design Intern (Interiors) | $60 |
| Administration | |
| Administrative | $95 |
Source: official 2026 Grace Hourly Rate Schedule, effective 01/01/2026; rates adjust annually with CPI. Other billing modifiers — expert witness / court / deposition at 1.2× standard rates; outside PEs & consultants and reimbursables (printing, postage, travel, etc.) at 1.1× cost; mileage per IRS. PM-track roles highlighted.
The sharpest distinction
A coordinator passes information along; an owner is accountable for what happens next. Lead the workflow — don’t become the clerk for it. Predict the owner’s move, then reveal it.
Lead the workflow
PMs lead the workflow; they don’t solve every problem alone. Engage the right specialist early to mitigate risk.
Engage early so documents are insurable and constructible. Rely on site observations to resolve claims, disputes, and QC issues during CA.
Proactive technology quality reviews and the strategy for resolving complex digital conflicts across disciplines.
Daily model management — subcontractor model integration and digital-design workflow support.
What you’ll build
The day produces two participant-generated tools that become shared references for the whole program.
Your reference for both is the live Lifecycle Map. On it the three core behaviors run across the lifecycle — Clarity up front, Advancement & Integrity through execution — while the three streams (Client, Team & Business) run down every phase. Three views: Leadership Outcomes (what good looks like), PM Responsibilities (who owns what), and the Project Manager Playbook, with every Grace tool and template linked.
Project Process Map
A shared picture of the stages a project moves through — and the decisions that gate each one. It makes the invisible process visible so the firm can agree on it.
Build it by asking: what are the real stages, and what must be true to advance past each?
Project Responsibility Map
Laid over the process map: for every stage, who is accountable, who contributes, and who decides. It ends the “I thought you had it” failures by naming ownership before work starts.
Build it by asking: at each step, whose name is on the outcome — not just the task?
Before you walk in
Tick what’s true today. The gaps are what the day is for — no wrong answers.
Reference
GRACE’s motto and mandate: project management as a leadership function that backs design excellence with operational and business discipline.
The one person answerable for a project’s outcome — not just its tasks. The PM’s core identity in this program.
Establishing Clarity, Controlling Advancement, Protecting Integrity — the standard the PM owns on every project.
Billable hours as a share of total hours worked. PM target 70–75%; varies by role per the Role & Rate Matrix.
Utilization plus efficient execution (billing rates protected against unbillable rework) driving revenue, cash flow, and margin.
The factor applied to raw labor cost to set billing rate, covering overhead and profit. (Grace: cost multiplier 2.75 from a 1.75 overhead factor; target 3.23–3.44 at a 15–20% profit margin.)
Subject Matter Expert — CA, BIM Director/Manager, and others the PM leverages to mitigate risk rather than solving everything alone.
How the standard is reinforced after the kickoff: defined scope & aligned commitments, controlled & predictable delivery, protected design & technical integrity, sustained financial health, and developed teams & collaborative leadership.
The two participant-built tools from Onsite #1: how a project flows, and who owns each step.