MY WEEK Peter Scaife

By oastley

MONDAY

Back to work after a busy weekend. An early start from my home in Sheffield to the Derby office so I can catch up on any e-mails before the office opens and prioritise my week's activities – a fundamental part of my role as project manager for projects on behalf of clients such as Derby College and Cedar House Investments. I catch up with my fellow directors on any news and opportunities and liaise with my colleagues on any particular burning issues. I review the progress of our new website with my colleagues Duncan and Laura to make sure any outstanding points can be tidied up.

TUESDAY

After an early breakfast to get to the office before the A38 traffic jams, I prepare a draft agenda for Thursday's meeting for the Roundhouse re-development for Derby College – it's very rewarding to be involved in the regeneration of such an historic Derby landmark. Then it's back to my desk to deal with the usual plethora of e-mails. I often wonder how we all managed in the pre-IT era. Later on, I liaise with a colleague over our various projects for St Benedict Catholic School in Darley Abbey, including their new changing facilities block which incorporates sustainable energy features such as solar roof panels, ground source heat pumps and a small wind turbine which will be linked to the school's IT network to generate free electricity.

WEDNESDAY

After a project meeting for St Benedict's School regarding the construction of a new all-weather hockey pitch and athletics facilities, it's off to a meeting with our PR agency to review our business development and marketing programme. I'm really interested in raising the profile of Armsons and increasing awareness of who we are and exactly what we do. I play tennis in the evening to relieve the stresses of the day.

THURSDAY

I meet with the Roundhouse project team at 9am for an in-depth review of the scheme's progress. We're aiming to have the project finished by March 2009 so it's really useful to have regular meetings to discuss any issues that may have arisen to keep the project on track. It's a project I'm really enjoying. Later on in the day, I speak to colleagues to confirm the date of our inter-office five-a-side revenge fixture against the Sheffield office's all-stars team.

FRIDAY

I'm at our Sheffield office in the morning to help with an urgent project for Sheffield University that has to be completed prior to Christmas. This is a great opportunity to work more closely with our Sheffield office and get to know their clients better. A quick trip back to Derby in the afternoon for more meetings regarding a new office development in Ashby and then it's time for home. I make sure I'm set up for Monday morning, put in a call to my wife, Sandra, to plan a meal and a bottle of nice red, then I'm back in the car on my way home.

SATURDAY

Sandra has enjoyed the past few Saturdays taking me to look for furnishings and fittings for our new house and consequently there are various handyman tasks that have been lined up for me to do today. We go out to see friends for a relaxing meal and a few drinks in the evening.

SUNDAY

After an early start to make Sandra a cup of tea and wash the cars, we're off for a walk in the Peak District, which is just on our doorstep. It's great reminder of what a wonderful part of the country we live in and helps us work up an appetite for our Sunday roast.