The Professional Practice Course has had us (as the class) explore the different stages that a Quantity Surveyor is involved with during the lifecycle of a project. The structure of the course has taken a logical and methodical approach in order to give students a thorough understanding of how the QS industry works and where they fit into the whole process. Before starting this course, my knowledge of the actual involvement of a QS was very limited. I knew the different tasks that a QS performed but I did not understand the order in which they were done or how intricate the whole process actually is. There are vital responsibilities of a QS that, if not performed correctly, could lead to the demise of a project.

 

I consider this course to have adequately covered the topic of what is regarded as ‘good practice’ among Professional Quantity Surveyors. This ‘Portfolio of Understanding’ demonstrates that I have a good understanding of what the course requires (i.e. to understand what is regarded as ‘good practice’ among PrQS’s). The portfolio acknowledges the responsibilities of a PrQS and displays techniques used to: protect the clients’ financials, ensure that the project runs according to plan, gives important value advice and ultimately ensure that the client is able to stick within their initial budget. The course has also given insight, through guest lecturers, of how the ‘real-world’ is not that far-off from what we’ve been taught. Although the tasks that we perform are usually only theoretically based, the problems dealt with are very similar to those experienced in the ‘working-world’.

 

I believe that one of the best ways to learn about a topic is through the practical application of it. This course allows for that and somewhat emulates some of the tasks that I have performed during my work experience and, I’m sure, will continue to perform as I move into the ‘working-industry’ in the future.