Do you know the skills needed to become a great project manager?
With a team of skilled workers and all of the resources already bought, exactly how important is a construction project manager?
A construction project manager will oversee all operations to do with the project and will lead and manage all aspects of the build. Essentially, a construction project manager will (you guessed it), manage a construction project.
It is their job to make sure that the project is completed on time and within the agreed budget, so it’s quite an important one.
All construction projects need a leader to achieve success, but what skills does it take? Here are the 5 essential qualities needed to become a great construction project manager.
Communication skills
First and foremost, one of the most important qualities needed in a successful construction project manager is good communication and the ability to lead a team.
Without a good amount of communication, workers will not be able to complete tasks to the highest quality and the project will suffer because of this. A lack of communication means that nobody knows what they are supposed to be doing and the work either doesn’t get done or is completed by someone without the necessary skills.
Being able to communicate clearly and lead the team efficiently will ensure that everyone is working on the correct areas of the project and you can trust the work that is being carried out.
As with most things, organisation is key.
Ability to delegate
Construction projects are not finished by any one person alone (although some would argue they worked more than others), so you need to be able to delegate tasks to people.
Communication and delegation go hand in hand, and being able to dish out tasks and roles to workers will ensure that everyone knows what they should be working on. Setting clear jobs for each worker will make overseeing the project a lot easier, and you should see a boost in morale.
The ability to delegate different tasks to members of the team is important for ensuring the work is done on schedule, so don’t be afraid to hand out some jobs.
Skills to solve problems
A build without any issues or challenges is a rare one, and we’ve all faced problems during a construction project before.
Problems in construction are often unavoidable, but a great construction project manager should be able to find a way around these problems and come up with a solution to getting everything back on track.
No one can predict what’s going to happen, but the ability to resolves any issues quickly and efficiently is essential for success.
Be able to prioritise & review
Things can often change in an instant, and the construction industry is no exception to that.
Multiple factors can often delay or bring a project to a holt, with poor weather conditions often being the major reason. Having to cease work on a project due to bad weather is a nightmare for any construction project manager, and will likely lead to delays.
In these times, the ability to prioritise resources and review the current project status is needed. If one area of the project is suffering due to the weather, reassign workers to another area instead of delaying the project further.
A great project manager will be able to review the current situation and make changes accordingly.
A team player
As we’ve previously mentioned, construction projects are not completed by a single person, so working alongside a focused team of people is an important key to a successful build.
You may be overseeing the entire project, but nothing is getting built without the workers.
In order to get things moving and completed on time, it’s crucial to encourage a positive working environment and keep up the feeling a “team effort”. Workers who feel disconnected from the senior personnel in charge will often feel detached from the project, and this may show in their quality of work.
A positive outlook can be achieved through the likes of regular team meetings, feedback given and even spending time on the ground with workers. The idea of everyone working together to produce something great will go a long way in keeping things on schedule.
Being a team player and bringing everyone up to your level will get you the respect of the workers, and bringing a bit of passion to the table will only help your project succeed.
Summary
You don’t just become a great construction project manager by showing up everyday and doing the basic job.
Putting the time and energy into creating a positive workforce with passion and mutual respect will ultimately help any project, and will improve your skills as a leader.
Brought in to help take the business to the next level! His role is to improve lead generation and customer satisfaction from over 7,000 registered clients. Jim loves interacting with potential and existing clients and has a wealth of marketing and sales experience through his previous roles at O2, the RAC and TalkTalk. Jim holds a BA (Hons) Business Studies degree majoring in Marketing. A season ticket holder at Liverpool FC and a keen golfer, Jim also loves the gym!