Construction project management requires a number of skills. It involves dealing with the project owner, stakeholders, customers, and teams. The manager also must manage workload and resources.
He or she must organize regular meetings and report frequently throughout the execution phase. Here are some of the most essential skills to learn in order to become a successful construction project manager.
Schematic design
A schematic design should clearly define the relationship between the parts of a building or a project. It should also settle on the scale of the project. Once the client approves the schematic design, the next step is to refine the concept with more specifications and details.
A schematic design process is often a learning experience. As ideas are discussed and assumptions are challenged, the original client’s intention and vision may change. It may be necessary to delay schematic design until a shared understanding is achieved.
Organization
The organization of construction project management is crucial to the successful completion of a construction project. The proper organizational structure ensures that the project is completed on time and within budget.
It is crucial to assign responsibility for cost control and scheduling and to ensure that working-level teams are carrying out work in sequential order and to specifications.
The best organizational structure will allow team members to make decisions on technical aspects of the work while acting within the constraints of the project.
Project teams need to maintain project logs to record their daily activities and observations. These logs can help project managers in the event of a dispute. They are also useful evidence in the event of legal action against the project team.
Scheduling
Scheduling in construction project management involves the allocation of resources and activities. Allocating work is often difficult, especially if there are multiple subcontractors.
In order to avoid confusion, it is helpful to color-code tasks and teams, and to create detailed profiles of each team member.
This way, you can quickly identify who is working on what at any given time. You should also have an accurate estimate of how long tasks will take each team member, and a project management tool should alert you when tasks are due.
Scheduling is an important part of construction project management because it allows teams to track costs and transparency at each stage. When used properly, construction schedules can help the team understand the costs of project activities and ensure that all tasks are completed within budget.
The Line of Balance (LOB) method, for instance, can help you make an accurate schedule, especially if your project is cyclical.
This method uses a graph with time on the x-axis and project phases on the y-axis. By using this graph, teams can gauge how much time is required to complete each phase, and how much labor and resources are required.
Stakeholder involvement
Stakeholder involvement is an increasingly important part of construction project management. It provides a structure to ensure that project stakeholders are aware of important issues and are involved in the construction process.
There are many ways to engage stakeholders in a construction project, from conducting a stakeholder analysis at the planning stage to involving stakeholders in the construction process.
The involvement of stakeholders is important for several reasons. It minimizes the risk of poor design decisions, improves construction operations, and reduces scrap and waste. It also results in higher customer satisfaction and efficiency.
Cost control
One of the key elements of successful construction project management is cost control.
It involves making accurate estimates and monitoring project costs. Without cost control, projects can quickly run over budget, leaving construction companies with little profit and in some cases, even losses.
While this skill isn’t easy to master, there are concrete steps construction companies can take to improve their cost control with the help of construction job costing software.
First of all, construction managers should closely monitor costs and schedule data on a daily basis. This constant monitoring will help to minimize unexpected changes in the overall budget.
They should also keep detailed daily reports, with information on man-hours, equipment, materials, and other costs.