4 Strategies Of Successful Construction Project Managers
The project manager role is one of the most vital positions on any construction project. They handle the day-to-day operations, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and on schedule. From managing budgets and timelines to coordinating workers and suppliers, there’s always something to keep you busy. That’s why it’s important to have the right tools and resources at your disposal, so you can stay ahead of the curve.
Construction management is the art of planning, handling and executing construction projects. The environment is constantly shifting, bringing new challenges along the way, and it’s essential to have a technical, strategic approach. Aside from bringing projects to life, the benefits of effective construction project management include future infrastructure opportunities, reduced costs and conflict, and greater economic benefits. For all these reasons and more, managing a project requires a high level of understanding and leadership.
This blog will outline four key strategies of successful construction project managers.
Let’s get started.
1. Make planning your strength
Every stage of the building process will be affected by how well you plan. As the project manager, you must establish a clear scope of work and timelines at the beginning of the project.
The key areas that require extensive planning are design, preconstruction and procurement. You must make projections about budgets, timelines and labour resources and equipment requirements and keep revising them as each stage is completed. It’s also vital to give extra attention to construction quality, environmental hazards and health and safety.
However, creating plans is only one piece of the puzzle. Sharing your plans must also be carried out in a way that keeps stakeholders aware of any updates, and able to respond if necessary.
Construction projects are complex undertakings, so delays and equipment failures can’t all be prevented. Your job as PM is to reduce risk factors and their potential impact on the project schedule by developing and refining plans ad hoc and communicating any changes to relevant parties. Digital construction software enables you to do this.
2. Create a flow of communication
Communication flow is the key to making construction projects a success. As construction projects become more dynamic, having a method to keep track of everything in real-time bridges the gaps in communication and collaboration.
With a centralised communication module, project managers can effectively communicate with team members and other stakeholders, including subcontractors, suppliers and clients. Projects thrive when synergy is created between project managers, architects, contractors and suppliers.
A dedicated platform will ensure that comments, photos, documents and schedules are located in a central place where all interactions can be tracked. This translates into greater transparency and lowers the amount of time you’ll need to spend answering questions via email or phone call.
This results in increased productivity and accountability throughout the delivery of the project.
3. Mitigate risk across projects
Construction project management is a risky business, and there are plenty of hazards that can mitigate a project if they’re not handled effectively.
Construction projects often go over budget due to unforeseen challenges that arise during the course of the project. With the right tools up your sleeve, you can work to mitigate risk across projects and limit their impact.
The data dashboards provided by construction software provide instant insights on potential hazards, defects and the status of their repair among other statistics. Contractors can be assigned tasks with all the necessary information via mobile, tablet or laptop and notify managers upon completion through the same system.
This provides a clear pathway for ameliorating issues as they occur with an efficient, smooth design.
4. Take a proactive approach to cost management
If you’re a construction project manager, you know how difficult it is to keep track of all the costs associated with a project. There are budget fluctuations associated with permits, wages, materials and equipment that’s exchanged between vendors and financial sources.
Construction PMs are charged with tracking and monitoring all expenditures throughout the bidding procedure and project delivery. With so many invoices being exchanged it can be overwhelming trying to keep up with everything.
By taking a proactive approach to cost management, such as applying a software solution to track budgets, you can streamline the process of managing multiple contracts in real-time.
A digital cost management tool can also provide data and analytical insights that show you what’s most important. This allows you to forecast accurately to avoid delays and remedy them should they occur.
Become A Successful Construction Project Manager With iTWO cx
Successful construction project managers are empowered by the tools and strategies they employ.
iTWO cx is a cloud-based software that was designed specifically for construction projects. It helps you track project costs, schedule, and performance so you can make better decisions about where to allocate your resources.
Contact us today to learn more about how our software can help you. Our team will explain how our innovative modules can uncover value across your entire project lifecycle.