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What qualities does Freddie Edwards believe make a good construction project manager?
A good construction project manager must first win the client's trust and understand how they make decisions — nothing else works without that foundation. From there, the role demands total clarity with the team on what needs to happen and when, the firmness to hold the line, and the willingness to have difficult conversations. Above all, it requires the ability to communicate across every level: from a financial director in a boardroom to tradespeople on site. Freddie Edwards calls this "the art of communication."
Winning the client's trust before anything else
Edwards is unambiguous on this point: understanding the client's decision-making process is not a nice-to-have — it is the prerequisite. Without it, every other skill a project manager brings becomes less effective.
This philosophy is reflected directly in how Dragonfly Projects operates. As Edwards explains in the Pegasus Radio episode, the consultancy deliberately tailors its scope of service to what clients actually need, not to what the firm thinks they need. That distinction matters enormously in construction, where client expectations and project realities frequently diverge.
Edwards also emphasises availability and flexibility as part of building that trust — working evenings, weekends, whenever and wherever the client requires. In a market where Dragonfly has grown primarily through referrals, that client-first orientation is not incidental. It is the business model.
Firmness, difficult conversations, and "the art of communication"
Once trust is established, the project manager's job becomes one of consistent leadership. Edwards describes being very clear with the team about what needs to happen and when — and being firm enough to hold that line even when it is uncomfortable.
The ability to have difficult conversations is named explicitly. In construction, where timelines, budgets, and stakeholder expectations collide daily, avoiding conflict is not an option. Edwards frames this not as a personality trait but as a professional discipline — something a PM must be able to do, not merely willing to do.
The phrase he uses to tie it all together — "the art of communication" — captures the breadth of the challenge. A PM on a complex commercial or residential project moves between a boardroom conversation about financials and a site conversation with tradespeople, sometimes within the same day. The register, language, and approach must shift completely each time. Edwards sees this range as the defining skill of the role, and it is explored in depth in this episode of Pegasus Radio.
"Dealing with a boardroom in one moment and then guys on the tools in the next. It's all about the art of communication."
Freddie Edwards — Founder & Director, Dragonfly Projects.
Edwards founded Dragonfly Projects in 2022 after nearly eight years at Quartz Project Services, where he progressed from graduate to senior project manager. His path into construction was unconventional: he studied French at the University of Leeds, initially considered teaching, and only entered the industry through a work experience placement connected via a mutual sailing club acquaintance. He spent time working on building sites as a teenager, giving him an early understanding of the trade environment he would later need to communicate with as a PM. Since founding Dragonfly, he has built a business focused exclusively on the commercial occupier and residential developer markets, growing from sole trader to a team of four — with the £3 million turnover mark set as the five-year target.
That breadth of background — from academic study to manual site work, from graduate role to business founder — gives Edwards a perspective on construction project management that goes beyond technical delivery. His view of what makes a great PM is shaped by experience at every level of the hierarchy, which is precisely why Pegasus Radio devoted a full episode to his story.
See also
How did Freddie Edwards get into construction project management without a construction degree?
Freddie Edwards studied French at the University of Leeds and initially considered becoming a teacher before realising it was not the right fit. He found his way into construction project management through a work experience placement arranged via a mutual sailing club connection — an entry route as unconventional as it was decisive.
What is Freddie Edwards's five-year revenue target for Dragonfly Projects?
Freddie Edwards has stated that in five years' time he would like Dragonfly Projects to sit at a turnover of £3 million. The business is currently in a deliberate growth phase, having spent its first three years as a sole-trader operation before hiring its first employees in August of its fourth year of trading.
Why did Dragonfly Projects hire Louisa Whittaker from Gardner and Theobald and what was the hiring approach?
Freddie Edwards deliberately hired someone more senior and more experienced than himself, with different strengths and weaknesses — describing it as the "slightly uncomfortable thing to do." Louisa Whittaker joined from Gardner and Theobald, bringing approximately 12 to 13 years of occupier office experience, and the full hiring process was completed within two weeks.
Key takeaways
- Winning the client's trust and understanding their decision-making process is the non-negotiable first step — everything else depends on it.
- Good project managers are firm and consistent: they make expectations explicit, hold the team to them, and do not shy away from difficult conversations.
- Communicating effectively across all levels — from boardroom to building site — is what Edwards identifies as "the art of communication" and the defining skill of the role.
- Edwards's own career, spanning manual site work, a French degree, and eight years at Quartz Project Services, shaped a view of PM excellence that is as much about people as it is about process — a perspective detailed further in the full Pegasus Radio episode.