Project management is essential to the successful completion of every large construction project. A project manager must possess a variety of competencies and skills to effectively navigate through a project and develop functional connections with the project teams. While it’s critical to meet deadlines and complete a project within the estimated budget, a project management team has to deal with the continuous need for alterations and unexpected circumstances. Simply put, project managers have to guide a project to success.
The role of a project manager
Since project managers oversee all the important aspects of building processes from planning and budgeting to execution and final delivery, they work closely with contractors and architects to establish project timelines and determine costs. The main goal is to complete a project on budget and within scope. Progress measurement, hiring employees, creating benchmarks, budgeting, and keeping a project up to code are also key responsibilities of a project manager. If you’re looking to complete your project in a cost and time-efficient manner, make sure you hire a competent team of project managers. Here is a list of the prime roles of construction project managers:
- Developing deliverable schedules as a roadmap for the construction team
- Reviewing the project in-depth to determine if everything is done according to plan
- Cost estimation
- Setting achievable goals
- Monitoring the project so it doesn’t go above the budget
- Coordinating with the team and stakeholders
- Managing risks
Let’s take a look at some of the key phases of a construction project and the responsibilities of a management team:
Planning
Construction planning can be a comprehensive process which set directions and strategies based on project requirements. Planning also ensures compliance with the current building codes and regulatory requirements. A project can involve many stages and each stage must be given due attention during planning. Detailed project plans can be used as benchmarks to track and evaluate the overall progress. Without developing a comprehensive plan of action, you can end up facing delays and budgetary issues.
Time management
Time management is one of the most crucial skills of a project manager. Setting a realistic timeline and consistently meeting deadlines and quality standards are important when it comes to delivering a project on time. A project manager is required to estimate the duration of each step of the project to avoid human error and delays. When a project enters the execution stage, many unexpected factors make it necessary to make ongoing changes and adjust the schedule as per new circumstances.
Risk management
The ability of the management team to deal with risks plays a decisive role in the completion of a project. It’s recommended to have a contingency plan to deal with risks. When setting the timeline for a project, it’s helpful to have some flexibility in terms of time allocation. Having some extra time to complete an activity can help manage risk. It’s not recommended to follow a reactive approach when it comes down to time and risks. A project manager who incorporates risks into their overall plan is likely to deliver the final project without breaking deadlines and cost restrictions.
About Quality Millwright
As a full-service millwright company in Edmonton, we also provide construction & project management services. For more details, please contact us!
