IQSSL GMQE study guide
IQSSL GMQE · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The IQSSL GMQE - the General Managerial Qualification Examination associated with the Institute of Quantity Surveyors Sri Lanka - is a professional-level assessment of general management competence. It is designed for quantity surveyors and construction-sector professionals moving into managerial, team-leadership or business-unit roles, and for those who want evidence of managerial capability beyond technical quantity surveying practice. The IQSSL GMQE study guide has 7 sections and about 2,600 words.
01General Management and Organizational Leadership
This domain tests whether you can plan, organise, lead and control a professional quantity surveying practice or project team, and whether you can choose a leadership approach that fits the situation rather than your personality. The management cycle is planning, organising, leading and controlling (POLC).
365 words, about 2 min02Strategic Planning and Business Development
This domain tests whether you can set direction for a construction professional firm, analyse its environment, choose where to compete, and convert strategy into business development action with realistic resourcing. Strategy has levels: vision and mission, corporate objectives, business-unit strategy, then functional and project plans.
398 words, about 2 min03Human Resource Management and Labour Relations
This domain tests whether you can staff and manage a practice lawfully and fairly, and whether you understand the Sri Lankan labour relations framework that constrains disciplinary and termination decisions. Job analysis produces a job description (duties, reporting, conditions) and a person specification (qualifications, experience, competencies).
381 words, about 2 min04Financial Management and Cost Control
This domain tests whether you can read a firm's financial position, manage working capital, budget, and control project cost using variances rather than intuition. Accrual accounting records revenue when earned and cost when incurred; cash flow records movement of money.
354 words, about 2 min05Operations, Quality and Productivity Management
This domain tests whether you can design and control delivery processes, measure productivity honestly, and distinguish quality assurance from inspection. Operations transform inputs (labour, materials, information) into outputs through a process; performance is judged on cost, quality, speed, dependability and flexibility.
371 words, about 2 min06Marketing and Customer Relationship Management
This domain tests whether you can market an intangible professional service, segment clients sensibly, and manage relationships so that satisfaction turns into repeat and referred work. Marketing is a value-creation system; selling is one output of it.
356 words, about 2 min07Business Law, Ethics and Regulatory Compliance
This domain tests whether you can apply contract and regulatory rules to construction transactions, respect notice and time-bar requirements, and recognise ethical duties that go beyond mere legality. A binding contract needs offer, acceptance, consideration, intention to create legal relations, capacity and legality.
375 words, about 2 min