Skilled building project managers earn excellent salaries and work under tremendous pressure. If you are considering a career as a project manager, you need these three skills to get ahead.
The role of project manager is as important to the construction site as the architect’s plans. This is the professional builder who oversees the building project, from start to finish. A project manager is a specific role within the construction trade which could represent a lucrative career opportunity for you. Even so, the occasional home or landowner still tries to take on the position themselves.
What do Professional Project Managers Do?
There are jobs that anyone can do, and there are jobs for which you must train. The combination of industry-backed knowledge plus the health and safety expertise you need for this job does not come easily to everyone. A project manager is a role you have to train for, and that training involves all aspects of a construction site.
This role requires in-depth knowledge of the construction project management phases. A project manager plans the project through the design stages. They perform feasibility studies and define the parameters of the job. They procure land and resources and decide on subcontractors.
Professional project managers supervise the project through the pre-construction stage, obtaining permits and conducting site surveys. When all the planning is in place and the site is prepared, they then oversee the flow of construction to ensure smooth running.
If you think you have it in you to oversee all the above, then project management might be for you.
The 3 Skills Pro Project Managers Require
Think construction project management is the right role for you? Here are three key skills you will need if you want to stand out from the crowd.
1. Great Communication and Leadership Skills
You will go far in any job if you have the gift of the gab. If you back that gift for great engagement with impressive knowledge of the construction industry, you get a winning formula for success. A construction project manager should lead a project with a style that works best for their team. Agile management styles are still flavor of the month in most circles.
2. Risk Management Skills
According to Forbes, one of the key skills any great project manager has is in risk management. The process of risk management starts from the onset of any project. Most of the risk management takes place during the planning stages. It is when defining the project that the construction project manager should highlight the risks involved in the process.
Risk management means evaluating, planning for, and mitigating risks on the construction site. It must start with planning and continue throughout the project.
3. Budgeting Skills
As in any area of business, construction project planning focuses on budget. A great manager knows to allocate project spending wisely. They also know to leave a little extra in the pot because something is bound to go wrong. Shipment delays, suppliers bringing materials off-schedule, and harsh weather, can all set your project back. A sound budget can help protect your project against coming to a standstill.
Construction Work is Evergreen
We will always require builders, construction subcontractors, and project managers, to keep us housed. A career in this industry means you will have no shortage of work.
