5 Best Practices for Construction Project Management
What does a Construction Project Manager do?
A construction project manager leads and facilitates all aspects of construction projects, throughout the lifecycle of the project. They plan, direct, and manage the project, ensuring that the project is completed on time within the predetermined budget. They are also in charge of regular compliance, quality control, and safety checks on the job site, so it’s safe to say that these people play an important role on the job site – always best to have a good captain at the helm!
Best Practices for Project Management
Qualified and professional construction project managers are expected to create a project management plan for the construction projects. This plan will provide their clients, contractors, and other stakeholders with an overview of the building process, budget, any legal and zoning information, and a projected timeline for completion. Here are a few ways to set yourself up for success, as a construction project manager:
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Develop a solid project plan
Start with the larger goal you and your team are seeking to achieve. Then develop specific steps and stages for your project, to get you that goal. The five phases of project management typically are: initiation, planning, launch, performance, and closure. Build out specific deliverables and benchmarks based on each stage of your project, to track your success. These can include budget and schedule targets, quality control, and code/regulation compliance checks.
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Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
One of the top 5 reasons that construction projects fail or fall behind schedule is poor communication. Builders, clients, and contractors will often all have different expectations of how the project should play out and what the outcome will be. Keep in constant communication with your team and clients, manage expectations, and provide any relevant documentation throughout the process, to show that everything is going as planned.
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Document EVERYTHING
Another mistake project managers make is not keeping proper documentation organized and handy throughout the project’s lifecycle. Even with the best project management processes in place, sometimes projects experience unforeseen delays or stray from the original budget. It’s important to track and document these events so you can provide appropriate documentation to clients, builders, and any local government entities who are overseeing the project. Having these documents signed and on hand will also help create a paper trail protecting you from potential audits or legal issues.
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Use up-to-date resources and tools
A great way to stay organized is to use a project-focused software that tracks and shares every aspect of a project’s life-cycle in real time. Softwares like Zoho Projects and Procore can take your project plan from post-it notes on your computer screen into an organized, systematic workflow that your whole team can access. These tools can also help you track your project toward your predetermined goals and benchmarks, so that you can focus on hitting those goals, as well as changing course if you are not on track to meet your goals.
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Hire your dream team
Having a group of dedicated, hard working people on your team is one of the best ways to ensure that your construction project is successful. You can create solid project plans and stay organized, but if your team isn’t completing their work on time, or are being sloppy on the job site and creating hazards, then you can run into trouble. Hire a team of hard workers, train them well, give them the tools and resources they need, and you’ll be set up for success.
No matter what your specific project management process is, make sure that you stay organized and communicate with all the stakeholders involved in the project. If everyone is on the same page, and you have a solid game plan to work from, then your construction project is ready for take-off!
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From take-off to the finish line, U.S. Bridge is here to help your construction project become a success. Our team of experts has served communities around the country by building durable, reliable bridges quickly and efficiently.
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