Construction Project Management Services and Construction Books
  • Construction Home
  • About Paul Netscher
  • +Construction Books
    • Successful Construction Project Management
    • Building a Successful Construction Company
    • Construction Claims
    • Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights
    • Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion
    • An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses
    • The Successful Construction Supervisor and Foreman
    • Designing your ideal home
  • Construction Management Services
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact
  • Blog | Construction Management
  • Site Map
  • Blog | Home Improvement
  • Index of construction articles
  • Useful Links
  • Index Home Improvement

10 habits of successful construction project managers

7/9/2016

9 Comments

 
PictureImage courtesy of kdshutterman at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
The other day while talking to construction management students I was asked what a construction manager should do to become successful. My answer was that they need to have knowledge and experience of the industry, but as important is to master many of the soft skills that are often not taught at college or university such as being able to communicate, negotiate and delegate.
In this article I discuss important habits that successful construction managers should master.

10 habits of successful construction managers

Good construction project managers:
  1. Plan – project managers and construction managers must be able to plan. By this I don’t mean they should only know how to prepare and follow a construction schedule or programme. Rather, the construction manager must also be able to plan what must happen today on their project, what must happen tomorrow and how what they do today will impact what happens tomorrow. They should know what needs to happen next week and next month and how what they do today will impact whether they achieve what must be achieved next week and next month. This planning entails ensuring that the project has the required people, materials and equipment on time. Planning is about ensuring that the work is coordinated and organised and not completed in a haphazard approach. Following a construction schedule is a good start, but it’s how we get the tasks completed on time that’s most important. Far too many construction managers lurch from crisis to crisis because they haven’t planned the work properly. These problems include forgetting to order materials, not having sufficient resources or having resources standing because there’s no access.
  2. Communicate – construction is a people’s business. Construction managers have to communicate from morning to night. Written communication is as important as verbal communication. The communication must be clear and understood by the person receiving it. In construction we encounter people from diverse educational, economic and cultural backgrounds and communication must be adapted to the situation as well as to the person. Communication should be polite and refrain from being personal. Poor communication can lead to mistakes, disagreements and detract from the message. Communication includes providing constructive criticism and telling someone when their work doesn’t meet the required standards. It’s also complimenting someone for good work and saying thank you.
  3. Delegate – construction isn’t achieved by one person. It’s impossible for a construction manager to build a project on their own. The art of delegation is essential. Delegation isn’t just about telling someone what to do, but rather it’s about ensuring the person has the knowledge (or can obtain the knowledge) and is capable of carrying out the task, then, ensuring they understand what’s required, and finally following up to ensure the task has been completed. All too often managers delegate tasks to people who don’t have the necessary authority or don’t have the knowledge to carry out the task. Poor delegation is asking a junior to negotiate an important item with the customer, or telling a senior manager to carry out menial tasks which could be done by others. Asking someone to make you tea every day isn’t delegation, especially if it’s not that person’s responsibility to make tea. Also, when tasks are assigned to someone and then there’s no follow-up to ensure the tasks are completed, isn’t good delegation. Of course micro managing someone to ensure the task given to them is executed precisely as you want it completed is also poor delegation.
  4. Negotiate – construction managers must be able to negotiate and persuade people. This may include the customer, suppliers, subcontractors and their own team. Every day is about convincing people that your proposal is correct and that your proposed path of action is best. It could be negotiating with a customer for a new project, negotiating a variation claim or negotiating the best price from a supplier or subcontractor.
  5. Manage their time – construction managers are being bombarded by multiple problems and people all the time. If they aren’t careful they can be swamped and important issues may be forgotten or left until it’s too late. Managing time is about being organised, ensuring that everything is filed correctly where it’s easily accessible. It’s also about ensuring that important issues are prioritised and tasks aren’t forgotten.
  6. Get to the work site – projects can’t be only managed from the office. Going through the project site enables the construction manager to assess the quality, safety and productivity on the project. They can better understand problems, even foreseeing potential problems before they develop into full-blown problems. They can interact with their team and understand the mood of employees. No report can take the place of physically being on the project at the ‘coal-face’ where the work is happening.
  7. Understand the contract document – unfortunately some construction managers don’t read their contract document until the project is in trouble – by then it’s too late. It’s important to understand the contract document to ensure that both the contractor and the customer meet their obligations under the contract and that the project conforms to the scope of works and specifications. Understanding the contract documents can minimise conflicts and arguments and ensure the contractor claims what they are due.
  8. Understand costs – construction managers should understand what materials, equipment, people and processes cost. This doesn’t mean that they have to always know exactly what everything costs, but they should at least understand the various cost components of an activity. Working for a time in the estimating department provides valuable experience and insights into the cost makeup of the various tasks on a project. Understanding value and costs provides an essential component for deciding methods and materials and for improving productivity.
  9. Make timely and informed decisions – construction managers have to make decisions on a daily basis. The wrong decision could possibly cost the company millions or even put someone’s life in jeopardy. Yet to not make a decision can sometimes be more harmful than making the wrong decision. Construction managers have to carefully weigh their decisions to ensure they are the best decisions made with the available information and considering alternative options.
  10. Understand they are responsible for people’s lives – accidents can happen suddenly and can be devastating for the people involved and seriously damage the company’s reputation. Good construction managers do not put progress or dollars before people’s safety. Unfortunately we still see people’s lives disrupted when buildings collapse due to faulty workmanship. Workers and members of the public are frequently injured during construction. Taking a short cut, not checking that bracing is correctly installed, using faulty equipment or allowing poor safety habits all lead to accidents. Good construction managers take safety seriously and ensure their team also does so. They understand the consequences of their actions (or lack of action) and they lead safety by example.
Conclusion
There are many who think that a degree or college course can make them a construction manager. There are others who may have years of construction experience yet are still ill equipped to be a good construction manager. Yet much of what’s in the above list isn’t included in university and college curriculum. Good construction project managers mentor people that work with them so they can be the next successful construction managers.

Construction project managers need to get the basics right. They should understand the principles of construction but as important is to understand the principles of management and master the softer skills of people management.

What do you think makes a good construction project manager?

To read more about the author’s books and find out where you can purchase them visit the pages on this website by clicking the links below:
'Successful Construction Project Management: The Practical Guide'
'Building a Successful Construction Company: The Practical Guide'

© 2016 This article is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission from the author.

Picture
Available from Amazon
Picture
Available from Amazon
Picture
Available from Amazon
construction management construction project management
9 Comments
Amy Winters link
21/8/2018 12:49:53 am

https://www.californiaprofessionalmanagement.com/service/construction-management/

Reply
Amy Winters link
21/8/2018 12:50:28 am

Thanks for pointing out that a good construction project manager will be able to make timely and informed decisions. My husband and I are planning to have a house built and we're currently looking for someone to manage the construction. I appreciate you pointing out that making decisions well is an important factor that will influence the quality of the project. I'll definitely take this into consideration as we continue looking for a project manager.

Reply
Paul
21/8/2018 09:27:19 am

Thank you Amy for your comments.
You may consider reading my new book - 'Build and Renovate Your Home with Your Eyes Wide Open'. It has lots of useful information, including what to consider when hiring a project manager.

Reply
Hazel Owens link
30/11/2018 10:46:49 am

You make a good point that when a manager delegates that they need to make sure the person understands and can accomplish the task themselves instead of just telling them what to do. This is definitely important in construction as you want to make sure the people working on the building can do the tasks accurately and can notice when problems arise. It would be good to find a construction manager that will delegate and clearly explain tasks to workers so you won't run into problems later.

Reply
paul
30/11/2018 12:18:06 pm

Thanks Hazel, effective delegation is vital to the development of people. Construction is a team effort and it's impossible to do everything yourself.
Regards

Reply
Caden Dahl link
9/1/2019 10:50:01 am

Come the spring, I'm going to be doing some major home remodeling work and I know that I'll have to get the help of someone. Of the things you said here, I do think that having a manager that communicates well is one of the bigger things. Everyone needs to be on the same page as everyone else. That and they should be able to let people know if something is wrong in a polite manner to avoid conflict.

Reply
Paul
9/1/2019 11:40:53 am

Hi Caden, thanks for reading and commenting on this article. You're absolutely correct when you say that everyone needs to be on the same page. This is particularly important when remodelling your house - you need to engage a designer and builder that you can talk to and that understand your vision. Sure they will also have some good ideas and steer you away from making bad decisions, but it's all about being able to listen, share ideas and not one party going off in a completely different direction.

I recommend you read my latest book: 'Build and Renovate Your Home With Your Eyes Wide Open'. It takes you through all the steps of remodelling your home so you can decide what help you require and who you should employ. It tells you what you should consider when designing your new home. The book is available on Amazon in paper or ebook.
Good luck with remodelling your home - I wish you every success. Regards, Paul

Reply
Peter Thomson link
2/4/2019 03:20:27 pm

You were doing a great job such an excellent article with creative tips. I am so thankful for you and your blog. Thanks for sharing such a informative post to us.

Reply
Paul
2/4/2019 03:33:46 pm

Hello Peter, thanks for the feedback. It's always good to know that I'm helping. Please share the article on your social media platforms.
Regards
Paul

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    June 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    September 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    March 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    ​Note: We welcome genuine comments, especially comments that add additional information to the subject matter in the article. We however reserve the right to remove inappropriate comments, which includes comments that have nothing to do with the subject, comments that include inappropriate language, and comments that are an advertisement for a product or company, or which include an advertising link. Comments must be in English. We will not enter into discussion on why a particular comment was removed.

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Copyright 2016 - The attached articles cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes without the consent of the author.
    The opinions expressed in the attached articles are those of the writer. It should be noted that projects are varied and different laws and restrictions apply which depend on the location of the contractor and the project. It's important that the reader uses the supplied information taking cognisance of their particular circumstances. The writer assumes no responsibility or liability for any loss of any kind arising from the reader using the information or advice contained herein.
    Picture
    "I have what I consider some of the best books on construction management."

    Books are available from:
    Amazon.com
    Amazon.co.uk
    takealot.com

    kalahari.com
    Amazon.in
    Amazon.de
    Amazon.fr
    Amazon.it
    Amazon.com.au
    Powell's
    Fishpond
    uread
    bokus
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.es
    Other retail stores

    Available in paperback or on Kindle
    Picture
    ​"28 YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE, DEVELOPING SUCCESSFUL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGERS AND BUILDING SUCCESSFUL CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES"
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

Construction Books

Successful Construction Project management
Building a Successful Construction Company
Construction Claims: A Short Guide for Contractors
Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion
Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights
​
Build and Renovate Your Home With Your Eyes Wide Open
Book Reviews

Construction services

Construction Management Services
Paul Netscher
Construction Management Blog
​Home Improvement Blog

Contact
Developing Successful Construction Project Managers.

Building Successful Construction Companies.
30 years of construction project management experience
  • Construction Home
  • About Paul Netscher
  • +Construction Books
    • Successful Construction Project Management
    • Building a Successful Construction Company
    • Construction Claims
    • Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights
    • Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion
    • An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses
    • The Successful Construction Supervisor and Foreman
    • Designing your ideal home
  • Construction Management Services
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact
  • Blog | Construction Management
  • Site Map
  • Blog | Home Improvement
  • Index of construction articles
  • Useful Links
  • Index Home Improvement