Construction manager Jamil Soucar publishes guide to impart principles and insights from real-life experiences

Jamil Soucar’s background is steep in construction and management and has extended to teaching and publication of his book “Real Life: Construction Management Guide from A-Z” (Dorrance Publishing; 2017).
 
The author truly lives out the title of his book. “I have been managing construction projects since 1983,” Soucar said. “I studied books in college and read several of them afterwards to improve my Construction Management knowledge and skills.
 
“I learned a lot from these books, but what those books did not teach me was the real-life challenges in implementing these principles, what works and what doesn’t work.”
 
So, in “Real Life: Construction Management Guide from A-Z,” the author shares the lessons he learned the hard way. His book is a practical guide, a complete manual that dispenses the best practices in becoming a construction manager.
 
As the book’s title suggests, the book takes readers through all phases of a project from its inception through design, all the way to completion of construction. The book moves logically from phase 1 of a project, planning and scoping, all the way to construction completion explaining the real-life pitfalls at each phase and how to best manage them.  

“Real Life: Construction Management Guide from A-Z” covers cover about all typical issues that one needs to know and will face working as a construction manager, whether they be managing projects as an owner’s representative, for a contractor, if they are an architect or an owner who wishes to understand all aspects of projects.

“Whether you just started or already a practicing professional, this book will benefit you,” said the author.
 
The guide has received positive reviews from various book review publications.
 
Rachel Dehning, writing for Seattle Book Review, gave the book 5 stars. In her piece, she said:
 
Many times informational books will be written like a textbook, whereas Soucar gives examples from his experiences working with and alongside various people. This is very helpful in order to learn from others’ mistakes. Soucar stresses the most important do’s and don’ts in the business for the reader to get a glimpse into the world of construction and to learn the proper way to engage in human interaction while on the job.
 
Kristi Elizabeth of Manhattan Book Review found “Real Life: Construction Management Guide from A-Z” to be full of useful information that takes the construction manager through every step of a project. She said:
 
“The author does a thorough job of describing each step, how it fits into the big picture, who the key players are, and what happens if one of the steps goes terribly wrong. He gives examples of each stage and the different options he has experienced. He includes what to do and what not to do and even gives examples of notes from the California Public Contract Code and urges the reader to look up the codes for his/her own state since the laws may vary. Another positive point of the book is that the author includes examples of spreadsheets needed for each phase. This would be useful to a construction manager who is just starting out and does not realize he/she will need something like an ‘Application and Certificate For Payment.‘”
 
Tulsa Book Review’s Haley Lewis also praised the book for exactly what it says it is. “This text is geared towards those looking for a deeper understanding of the profession,” said Lewis, “something more than mere theories and concepts.
 
“Indeed, the author focuses on what he terms ‘the undisclosed factors’ that go into managing construction projects. These factors are the personalities of all the individuals involved in the project, those individuals’ motivations, and the interpersonal relationships that must be built to ensure the construction project is brought to a successful completion.”
 
Jamil Soucar’s “Real Life: Construction Management Guide from A-Z” is available on Amazon and the author’s website http://www.reallifeconstructionmanagementguide.com/
 
  
 
Real Life: Construction Management Guide from A-Z
Author | Jamil Soucar
Publisher | Dorrance Publishing
Published date | October 2, 2017
Paperback price | $39.90
 
About the Author
 
Jamil Soucar has passionately worked in the construction industry since 1983. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering; a Certificate in Engineering Management for Construction from UCLA; and is licensed as a B-General Contractor. He has a construction management consulting business in Los Angeles, through which he consults to general contractors, owners and architects, and provides expert witness service to construction attorneys. Jamil has overseen over 500 projects from inception to closeout. He has worked as a superintendent, a project manager for contractors, and a construction manager consulting to owners. He has worked in civil engineering design and drafting surveys. Jamil was inspired to write this book after teaching construction management at night to working adults. He realized the need for construction management taught from the perspective of real-life experiences.
 
 

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