What Does A Project Manager Do In Construction
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- 16-02-2023
What does a project manager do in construction? Alexander Project Management are self build consultants for Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire And Buckinghamshire. We look at the main roles of a project manager and what qualifications a project manager in construction needs.
What are the main roles of a project manager?
The main responsibility of construction project managers is to deliver their projects on time and within budget. As the name suggests, they are the most vital member of a construction project management team, overseeing all aspects of the work their general contractors are doing on their construction site.
They act as the leaders of construction teams, having the authority to manage everything from the project board to day-to-day operations. Construction projects are typically vast in scale, involving many moving parts, which makes construction management a highly involved role.
Project managers need the qualifications, team leadership abilities and construction experience necessary to control everything during a construction project. Alongside these formal responsibilities of an experienced construction project manager role, liaising and building relationships between the project and the business side of construction is just as vital.
This side of the construction project manager job description is important since the project's business area must be kept up-to-date with the changes they can make thanks to new opportunities made possible by the construction project. Whatever capabilities or innovations can be made thanks to the construction project must be told to the business area so they can quickly realise its benefits. This interface between the two sides of any construction project is vital to the project manager's role.
What qualifications does a successful project manager in construction need?
If you want to work as a project manager in construction, you'll usually need a master's degree in civil engineering. This qualification will give you a better understanding of the drafting process and detailed planning for how construction projects are designed in the initial construction phases.
Other possible qualifications include degrees in building science, which gives you an overview of the construction processes you'll likely use, and business management to understand large-scale teamwork for projects. Some construction businesses and organisations may only require their project managers to have an undergraduate degree in one of these fields.
For smaller companies, a foundational degree in a related field combined with specialised training specific to the company's work, relevant work experience, or intermediate apprenticeships in the construction industry may be sufficient for a construction project management role. Relevant on-the-job experience and education are important for businesses, as they demonstrate you are capable and have the skills necessary to manage projects efficiently.
You will need to demonstrate your understanding of all aspects of a construction project, from the first steps until the final delivered project.
You should also have excellent communication skills, as a large part of the project manager role is advising and delegating tasks throughout the building process, keeping industry best practices in mind at all times.
Given that construction managers must be familiar with all aspects of a construction project, it isn't unusual for companies to require you complete at least sixteen to twenty years of experience at a construction company before considering you for a project manager role.
Alternatively, suppose you've worked in a role similar to a construction project manager position. In that case, they may only require around eight years' experience, so long as you have related qualifications, such as a degree in construction engineering or architecture.
These qualifications are necessary as they demonstrate your expertise to potential employers. Obtaining a membership to a relevant organisation, such as the Association of Planning Engineers (APE) or the Construction Management Association (CMA), allows you to connect with similar specialists in your field and that you are well-versed in the design and drafting process to develop plans.
The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) can also provide the tools and industry knowledge for construction site inspections, allowing you to evaluate the construction process and the methods used. Other qualifications you might consider include a National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety.
This is obtainable from the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH). With this qualification, you can show employers that you can adequately implement health and safety standards while on your construction site, which is another vital part of the project manager's role.
What do project managers do on a daily basis?
Now we've gone over what project managers do during construction projects and what qualifications and experience a project manager must have, but what do they do on a day-to-day basis?
In most cases, being a project manager is fast-paced, with elements of your project constantly evolving. No two days will be the same, and depending on what stage of the project you are in, the construction project manager's responsibilities might include the following:
Liaising with senior staff to determine the overall scale of your project.
Making A Pitch To Your Finance Team To Increase Your Budget.
Generating Risk Assessment Reports.
Outlining A Project's Chartered Status.
Update The Project Calendar To Meet Deadlines Or When Your Timeline Changes.
Check With Your Project Team For Daily Updates And Progress Reports.
Managing Task Delegation To Ensure No One Is Overworked Or Teams Have Adequate Capacity.
Make Sure No Team Members Are Struggling With Their Workload, And If They Are, Check In With Them To See How You Can Fix Any Problems.
Moderate Your Post-Project Meeting And Gather Feedback From All Parties Involved For Future Projects.
Hopefully, this roundup will give you a clearer idea of what a construction project manager can have to deal with on any given day. Since the PM role encompasses the entire project, you could be faced with any number of situations which you are responsible for.
That is why the appropriate qualifications and experience are so important. If you've already worked on construction projects in the past, you're more likely to know how to fix the common issues they run into.
The "Iron Triangle" of Project Management
There are three key factors to any construction project, and it is the project manager's duty to manage these factors to ensure the project is delivered. These three factors are typically referred to as the "Iron Triangle". This includes the following:
Scope
Schedule
Cost
Finding a balance between these three is how you will manage a successful project. For example, "Scope" can involve setting realistic timelines and budgets for your project's size.
"Schedule" might mean overseeing your logistics and time management. "Cost" is mainly resolving fast and cheap solutions against slower and more expensive ones.
Whichever way you look at it, construction project managers must be able to make the right decisions for the project.
While the three elements of the "Iron Triangle" may cover different parts of your project, they are all measured by the same things: a fixed budget, a fixed schedule and a fixed set of expectations.
However, it is a handy visualisation to remember when working on a project.
For example, if an issue arises that affects one of the three elements, you can alter the others to resolve the issue. If you suddenly need to speed up your project timeline, you can resolve this by increasing your costs to buy more resources or reducing the project's overall scope. Sometimes, project managers might oversee several projects at once. Therefore, if there is an issue with one project, they may move resources from another to fix it.
However, they must bear in mind that this will also affect the "Iron Triangle" of the other project, which they will need to rectify down the line, whether that be the scope, schedule or cost. Project management software can help with this to a degree. In some cases, a fourth element of "Quality" is included to turn the triangle into a diamond. You can imagine how the quality control of a project might be impacted by the others already listed. If you cut costs, you'll likely only be able to afford lower-quality materials.
Alternatively, if you rush your project's schedule, your overall work will also be of a lower quality, possibly failing to meet building codes and regulations. Therefore, it's an important factor to bear in mind when discussing your project with clients, construction workers and other construction professionals.
Are you considering construction project management services in Bedfordshire or the surrounding areas? Our chartered civil engineer specialises in project management throughout all stages of the process.
Alexander Project Management work with construction companies and individual home builders throughout Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Contact us by following the link below.