Netherlands

JPMarine

A naval architect by training with an MBA postgraduate degree, Jan Pieter Braam believes in effective communication, meticulous planning and strategic team management. With nearly two decades of frontline experience at <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/29" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Feadship (Company)">Feadship</a>, he has navigated a diverse career path from project managing iconic new-build and refit projects to hands-on line management roles. Since founding <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/8055" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="JPMarine (Company)">JPMarine</a> in 2017, he has drawn on that experience to assist his clients in achieving the best possible results. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/346272/image/large-1ffb135fd9de993b2e679d99bc1d85e0.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/346272">How did your time with Feadship help you in your independent career?Working as a project manager on yachts like 102-metre <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/3765" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Symphony101.5m (333'0&quot;)Feadship2015">Symphony</a>, the first <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/29" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Feadship (Company)">Feadship</a> to cross the 100-metre mark with all the PYC challenges that involved, has been invaluable. I also spent three years as head of production at Van Lent, which gave me insight into the production and team-building side of things, which ultimately made me a better project manager. But I also learned that I missed the interaction with clients and their representatives, with the naval architects and designers, and realised that I could best serve as the catalyst in the build process between the client and the shipyard. At that point I had a chat with Jan-Bart Verkuyl, CEO at <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/29" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Feadship (Company)">Feadship</a>’s Royal Van Lent shipyard, who was very supportive when I said I’d like to start up on my own. I was then lucky enough to go on to work with <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Company/29" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Feadship (Company)">Feadship</a> representing the owner on the 71-metre new-build <a data-gid="gid://syiq/Yacht/7546" href="#managed-by-system" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Juice71.1m (233'3&quot;)Feadship2022">Juice</a>.<img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/289519/image/large-dc884439fca78e5d0a1ba3fc7c3c3b04.jpeg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/289519">Part of your role is to gathering the right team around you when a new-build project starts up. How do you decide who to take on, where to build, and so on?&nbsp;Ideally, you start with an owner’s brief, a list of priorities and how he or she will use the boat, which sounds obvious but is not always the case. This is important because you can then distill from that brief four or five sentences that you can use as almost a war cry to keep the project on track. If you’re going to manage client expectations it stands to reason that you need to know where their priorities lie. It may be quality, it may be family, it may be value for money, or it may be time. If it’s about money, for example, there are certain yards to choose from; if it’s about quality, there are other obvious places to go; if it’s about time, it will depend on the availability of a build slot, and so on. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/258782/image/large-900e8234f14ee40691e711d9c29aaf76.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/258782">In terms of team building, if a client has already had a good experience with a certain designer or shipyard, that’s a good place to start, but it also makes sense not to be too conditioned and look at alternatives. I’ve often been brought into projects in the middle and then it’s more about assessing where we are with the scope of work, the schedule and the financials, but two considerations that are often overlooked are communication and the team itself. Communication is also about process, such as how you share documentation and conduct meetings; and building a team is also about trust, matching capabilities and covering all the bases. Sometimes somebody is dysfunctional, or the team is dysfunctional, and you have to take a harsh decision and remove somebody from their position, which is never a fun thing to do.Is it the same process for a refit as it is for a new-build?In principle, it is the same: you determine a scope, you negotiate the scope, you do the build, adjust where necessary, quality control, commissioning, and after-sales. However, with refit you're squeezing it all into a much shorter time period, which is fun, actually! There is no time for uncertainties in refit, so you need to be very focused. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/346274/image/large-bc95e6832691c1e376a2de81fc439514.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/346274">But the very nature of refit can throw up uncertainties and sometimes you don't discover things until you start digging down.You usually have a pretty good idea of the level of uncertainty of a refit before you start. So in that respect, you also have to manage you client’s expectations and manage the shipyard based on the client’s priority as a mix of scope, cost and time. Again, a lot of the job of a project manager is to think ahead and ask the questions not yet asked, whether it’s a new-build or a refit. When something unexpected happens in a refit, you find out what is most important: getting the job done, or getting it done on time. If it's the latter then you need to have a frank conversation with the client and say ‘OK, this means the job can’t be done within your time constraint of time and we need to plan for it next time’.Something that can throw up delays are late change orders. How do advise your clients on those?&nbsp;Everyone prefers to avoid change orders, the shipyard especially, but not all change orders are necessarily disruptive. It's our job as part of the owner’s team – and I include the designers and shipyards in that group – to ask the right questions at the right time to make sure there are as few change orders as possible. There’s usually a good reason why clients want to make a change: it may something they saw they weren’t aware of before, or perhaps they want a new technology. But the presentation has to be very clear: what are the pros, what are the cons, and what are the trade-offs in terms of cost and delay? The crux usually happens before the change order, but when it does happen you have to be well prepared to keep the client happy while minimising any inconvenience for the build or refit process. <img src="https://photo-assets.superyachttimes.com/photo/346273/image/large-1dbb22859dd3d276d2eb7bab9533435a.jpg" data-gid="gid://syiq/Photo/346273">You say the challenges associated with refits can be fun; what is it you most enjoy about your job?&nbsp;Using everybody's knowledge and experience to build something exceptional. If the guys at the shipyard are really proud of what they’re doing, they will do a good job. I am 100 percent sure that when people like their jobs and stand behind what they're doing, they will deliver the best product possible. So that's one side of it, and the other is making it enjoyable for the client. This very much depends on individuals as some are more involved than others, but if a client visits the yard and leaves with a smile, I find that very rewarding.This article was featured in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.superyachttimes.com/magazine/how-to-build-it-issue-6" target="_blank">Issue 6 of How To Build It.</a>&nbsp;You can read all the articles from this edition&nbsp;<a href="https://www.superyachttimes.com/magazine/how-to-build-it-issue-6" target="_blank">here</a>, and stay up-to-date with all previous editions&nbsp;<a href="https://www.superyachttimes.com/magazine" target="_blank">here</a>.

 JPMarine's Jan Pieter Braam interview 

Jan Pieter Braam, who founded JPMarine in 2017, talks project managing iconic new-build and refit projects to hands-on line management roles. 