Michael DeSafey | Executive Recruiter and HR Professional
3 Strategies that Successful Project Managers Utilize in their Daily Activities
Project managers are highly coveted positions and for good reason. According to BLS, a PM in heavy and civil engineering construction, for instance, earns a median annual wage of $95,630. Unfortunately, working as a project manager is no small feat. Whether in construction, environmental or engineering industry, you’ll have to take charge in every stage of the project from initiation, execution, performance, monitoring to closure. You’re accountable for the entire project scope, resources, project team, and most importantly, the success or failure of the project. Therefore, you’ll need to be more strategic
and thoughtful to meet your responsibilities and ensure project timelines remain on schedule and within budget. Thankfully, utilizing these project management tips can help you reduce the risk of failure and deliver projects more efficiently.
Plan Strategically
Strategic planning is among the most important elements of project management. It helps you and everyone involved to know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. When planning out a project, you’ll have to identify deliverables – establish project milestones, determine required labor as well as equipment. Planning strategically will go a long way in maximizing efficiency.
Establish a Flow of Communication
Effective communication is essential for successful project completion. In fact, 59 percent of the US workers believe that communication is their team’s major obstacle to success. Therefore, as a PM you’ll need to establish a flow of communication with the stakeholders and suppliers as well as other team members on the ground. Good and bad news alike will need to circulate in a timely manner. Failure to do so will lead to delays, misunderstandings and other problems in the long run.
The contract documents, including the drawings, progress records, request for information (RFI), and change order forms establish the basis for all communication in any project. Thus, it’s vital that any direct communication that’s not stated in these documents be acknowledged, documented and reported via the right channels; this flow of communication will make preparation and implementation smoother.
For large and more complicated projects, tools such as Collaborative Work Management (CWM) will come in handy. Such tools will dramatically improve communication by syncing attachments, comments, news, budgets, and calendars and enhance real-time scheduling of changes. As a result, it will allow you more time to coordinate work at the site and direct your efforts towards success.
Form a Habit of Monitoring Progress and Making Adjustments
Managing a project requires integrated effort and more attention. A good PM should be an essential part of the project, working closely and figuratively alongside others. You’ll have to carefully analyze daily progress reports as well as keep an eye on schedule and budget. Many are the times you will need to actually see an issue in person before you can resolve it. In case the set timelines start to slip, you’ll need to identify the possible root cause and discuss ways to bring the project back on track.
In conclusion, the key to a successful project completion is being firm but flexible. Always ensure you’re looking ahead to understand the risks involved in the project and try to mitigate them before they become big problems.
If you are looking for a career as a project manager, Webuild Staffing is here to help. That’s what we do best every day – find exceptional professonals, exceptional jobs!
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing www.webuildstaffing.com . To learn more about Michael or to follow his blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com