What This Resource Is

 The PM ↔ Superintendent Rules of Engagement exists to define how these two roles work together when pressure is high, information is incomplete, and outcomes are on the line.

This is not about hierarchy.
It’s about alignment.

This guide is a practical doctrine for how Project Managers and Superintendents make decisions together, not in parallel.

It defines:

• How decisions should be made before cost, schedule, or risk is affected

• How field concerns are treated as early warnings, not resistance

• How urgency is handled without ignoring reality

• How disagreements are handled privately while alignment remains public

• How control is maintained between roles, even under pressure

The focus is not process — it’s behavior.

What This Resource Is Not

This is not:

• A job description

• A personality guide

• A conflict-resolution manual

• A checklist of meetings

It does not attempt to make PMs act like Superintendents or Superintendents act like PMs.

It defines how each role stays in its lane while sharing responsibility for outcomes.

Why This Relationship Matters

The PM controls long-term exposure:
contracts, cost, schedule, downstream risk.

The Superintendent controls execution:
sequencing, manpower, access, inspections, daily reality.

Individually, both perspectives are incomplete.
Together, they create control.

When alignment breaks down:

• Problems surface late

• Risk compounds quietly

• Decisions look right individually and fail collectively

This guide exists to prevent that drift.

How to Use This Guide

Use it:

• At project kickoff

• When roles are newly paired

• When pressure increases

• When friction starts to appear

• When decisions feel rushed or misaligned

The rules provide a shared language for decision-making before issues escalate.

Who This Resource Is For

This guide is designed for:

• Project Managers responsible for cost, contracts, and risk

• Superintendents responsible for execution and sequencing

• PM–Superintendent pairs starting a new project together

• Leaders who want fewer surprises and more predictability

It is especially valuable early in a project,  before patterns are set.