PM

PM (Pour Mémoire): what the project manager needs to know about this observation status to avoid leaving an open point without an owner

In a site meeting, you read “PM” in the Obs. column of a tracking table. Is this just a note to file away, or a request that carries your liability? The difference isn’t in the acronym — it’s in what you do in the 72 hours that follow.

1. Operational definition + common mistake

In a French site meeting report (compte rendu de chantier, or “CR”), PM stands for Pour Mémoire (“for the record” / “noted”). This status flags that a point has been logged, that it remains open, and that an action or response is expected by a coming deadline. PM is the default status for an observation still being processed: neither closed (FAIT — “done”), nor urgent enough to be a REMINDER (“reminder”), nor simply informational (INFO).

Its use is operational: the person drafting the CR (the project manager — MOE — or the scheduling coordinator — OPC) places a PM on every action line that hasn’t yet received a response or whose completion hasn’t yet been verified on site. At the next meeting, the PM either becomes FAIT or REMINDER.

Many assume that “Pour Mémoire” means the point is secondary or optional — in reality, a PM is an open point whose recipient is expected to respond. Failing to respond before the next meeting means risking escalation to a REMINDER, then a REMINDER 2, then a formal notice (mise en demeure).

2. Where it appears

In a site meeting report — under each work package’s section, in the “Obs.” or “Observations” column. The MOE uses it on ongoing actions whose completion hasn’t yet been confirmed on site: supplying a document, confirming a measurement, sending a technical response, fulfilling a site obligation. Example from the analyzed CR:

“This trade confirms to the MOE that the diaphragm walls will be finished by end of July 2026” → PM
“Bringing the site signage panel back into compliance” → PM
“Technical trades’ coordination meetings (synthèses) to be rescheduled after new consultation” → PM

3. How to read this entry in the CR

If you’re the recipient of a PM → identify the action expected of you, ask yourself “can I close this point before the next CR?” and prioritize it if the answer is yes.

If you’re the person drafting the CR → check at every cycle that all your PMs have an identified owner and a deadline. A PM with no owner and no date is an orphaned observation.

If a PM turns into a REMINDER → the action is late and this is now documented. If that PM concerns a technical point (drawing, inspection body opinion, geotechnical validation), the delay can block a phase of the works.

4. Who does what

5. What this changes in practice

A project manager who manages their PMs correctly can demonstrate at any time the real state of progress on open points and anticipate blockages before they become contractual. A project manager who lets PMs age without requalifying them (to FAIT or REMINDER) risks being unable to prove the traceability of their requests in the event of a dispute or a contractor’s claim.

Failure scenario: the MOE places a PM on “supply the health & safety plan (PPSPS) and joint site inspection report (VIC) to the site safety coordinator (CSPS),” the contractor doesn’t respond, the PM stays a PM for 9 weeks. Work starts on that trade, an incident occurs. The contractor has no validated PPSPS: the MOE cannot prove they formally followed up (there are only PMs, no REMINDER).

6. Example of real wording

“As a preventive step, send your PPSPS and VIC to the CSPS for validation” — Obs.: REMINDER 9

“Site installation compliant with municipal orders — Maintain the signage proposed and approved by [local authority] until further notice” — Obs.: PM

7. Points of caution

• A PM is not a closed observation: as long as it hasn’t moved to FAIT, it stays active.

• A PM is not a request to handle “someday”: it’s meant to evolve at the next cycle.

• A PM doesn’t replace a formal instruction (ordre de service): if the requested action has a contractual impact (time, cost), a formal instruction is needed, not just a PM in the CR.

• A PM doesn’t mean the point is minor: some of the most sensitive PMs concern blocking technical opinions (inspection body, geotechnical engineer) whose non-handling suspends the works.

• A PM with no identified recipient is an editorial anomaly in the CR: the MOE must always specify who the point is addressed to (“FROM” and “TO” columns).

8. Not to be confused with

9. Related terms

Same phase (execution): Numbered REMINDER · INFO · FAIT · RAS · Site shutdown (arrêt de chantier) · Defaulting company (entreprise défaillante)

Same actor (MOE/OPC): Site meeting report (compte rendu de chantier) · Formal instruction (ordre de service) · Tracking dashboard