I often see arguments on LinkedIn and other blog forums as to whether the best construction project managers should have a tertiary qualification or whether they should have worked themselves through the ranks in the industry. Now personally I believe that a relevant tertiary education adds immense value, but I also know that experience is essential. Having said this though, it’s vital that it is the right experience, gained with suitable mentors that teach people the correct way of doing things, get the basics right and inculcate good habits. Unfortunately sometimes young construction project managers are taught the wrong way of doing things which they then carry into their career as managers. Sometimes these bad habits are then even passed onto the next generation again. Now this is probably a topic on its own which can consume much debate.

However, because a construction project manager has learned, both through tertiary education as well as by experience, the basics of construction management, as well as the principles of construction, does this make them a good construction project manager? I would argue that there are certain qualities that successful construction project managers require. The question is can these qualities be learned or acquired? Maybe they are learned in our early education?  Perhaps these are qualities we inherit?

10 Qualities of successful construction managers
What turns an ordinary construction project manager into a great construction manager? I believe the following qualities are important:

1. Conscientious – over the years as a project manager I worked countless hours of overtime, even though I was only paid a fixed monthly salary. We often joked that if we were paid all the hours of overtime we would have been very rich. Many nights I got home late with the family already in bed. These extra hours were often not planned, but were a result of things going wrong on the project – cranes that broke down, concrete that didn’t arrive as ordered, or simply a job that had to get finished. Now I’m certainly not advocating that you should regularly work late - in fact regularly working late may be a sign that you’re disorganised. Rather it’s about getting the job done when you have to. It’s about caring about the project and your team. It’s also about being proud of the quality of your work.
2. Hard working – construction is hard work. There never seems to be enough time. Projects are fast track. Clients are demanding. Paperwork seems endless. We always seem short staffed. Everyday there’s a new problem. If you’re going to do your job properly you have to be prepared to work hard.
3. Observant – it never ceases to amaze me how some construction managers can walk past something on their project that’s obviously wrong and not notice it. Quality problems go unnoticed, unsafe acts are allowed to continue and poor productivity (including people and equipment standing idle) isn’t commented on. A good project manager will immediately notice when things aren’t right, when things start going wrong.
4. Decisive – construction managers have to make decisions on a daily basis. These decisions can sometimes have a dramatic impact on the outcomes of the project. Sometimes not making a decision, or delaying the decision, could have more of an impact than making the wrong decision. Construction managers have to carefully and quickly weigh up the question and the supporting information, then make the best decision understanding the consequences of their decision. Sometimes you have to make hard choices which you can’t shy away from. Undoubtably, sometimes you will make the wrong choice – learn from the experience.
5. Logical – projects have to be built in a logical manner, in the correct sequence of activities. It’s essential to plan the project properly at the start, choosing the most appropriate construction methods and understanding how each activity impacts the other activities. Problems frequently occur in construction and they’re often only solved by logically working through the problem to understand the cause and the best solution to solve it.
6. Resilient – things will go wrong on a project. I’ve worked with difficult and objectionable clients and had projects that no matter how hard we worked we were destined to lose money and finish late. Yet, no matter how bad things are the project has to be completed. There’s nowhere to hide. Get on with the project and don’t let your team see, or have to face, your frustrations. Despondency spreads easily and saps morale, which eats productivity on the project, often exacerbating the situation. Some clients may become abusive, even blaming you for problems or claims they’re responsible for. You can’t make it personal – get on and finish the project.
7. Able to work with people – construction is a team effort and involves working with people from diverse cultural, educational and economic backgrounds. Construction managers will work with difficult people, they will be giving direction to some who are older and have been in construction longer, and they will have to manage these situations to give the best result for the project. Being able to work with people also means understanding them.
8. Willing to learn – you’re never too old to learn something new in construction. Learn from your mistakes, learn from those you’re working with, even learn from other contractors.
9. Able to communicate – managing projects is a people business. You have to be able to communicate verbally and in writing. Your communication must be clear and understandable.
10. Adaptable – each project is different. You work with different clients, a different team, new suppliers and new subcontractors. Every day is different, with varying weather and problems. Your plans will be disrupted. You have to be prepared to adapt to the changed circumstances.

Conclusion
Even construction project managers that have the right training and experience can be poor project managers if they don’t have the above qualities.

What do you think makes a great construction project manager?
What other qualities do you think a good construction project manager should have?
Can these qualities be learned?

​This article is adapted from information in the author’s popular books: 'Successful Construction Project Management: The Practical Guide' and 'Building a Successful Construction Company: The Practical Guide' and 'Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights'
'Construction Claims: A Short Guide for Contractors' is another of Paul's useful books.
Paul has recently published 'Construction Management: From Project Concept to completion'.
These books are available on Amazon and other online book stores.
Paul publishes articles regularly on LinkedIn and his website. 

Paul writes regular articles for other websites, gives lectures, mentors, and is available for podcasts and interviews.
​
© 2018 This article is not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission from the author.

We make decisions every day about where and what to buy. Where will we buy our groceries, which stores do we visit for new furniture, what computer and phone should we get, what internet search engines we use, what styles of clothing we wear and where we purchase them from, what beer we drink, what brands of construction equipment we use. Many of these decisions are influenced by price, but even so, our starting point is to go with the brands we trust. So it is with customers and clients in the construction industry. Sure, they all want the cheapest price, but their starting point is to approach contractors who they have worked with before, or contractors recommended by friends or colleagues. Invariably clients or customers will avoid using contractors that have been in the media for the wrong reasons – their projects were finished late, there were quality problems or their projects ended in protracted legal disputes.

A company’s brand is very important. In fact, Forbes values the worth of Apple’s brand as $170 billion, Google at $102 billion, Microsoft at $87 billion, Coca-Cola at $54 billion, Toyota at $41 billion and McDonald’s at $40 billion. What this means is that even if you had Coca Cola’s secret recipe and could sell the exact same drink for half the price you would battle to compete against Coca-Cola because the majority of people would choose to drink Coca-Cola rather than the replica you are selling for half the price. Why? Well simply because most people go with the company they believe they can trust, and with the drink, they are used to consuming.

In construction it is often much the same – who will we call to price the project? It will usually be the well-known contractors and the ones we have successfully worked with before.

What influences a contractor’s brand?
A contractor’s brand is influenced by:

1. The quality of the product they deliver. No one wants a poor quality product – no matter how cheap.
2. Ease of doing business with them. Clients and customers want the least problems possible on their projects.
3. After service – a contractor can deliver a successful project, but if problems occur after project completion which the contractor doesn’t resolve then clients quickly forget the successful construction phase and only remember the problem which hasn’t been resolved, a problem which could even be relatively minor in the whole project scope.
4. Protracted legal battles and numerous variation claims.
5. The project not meeting the client’s expectations. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the contractor’s fault since the client may have had unreasonable expectations, or the problem may even be due to the design (often done by others) which delivers a project below expectation.
6. Poor safety record. Accidents attract negative media attention. Accidents may get the project closed down by the authorities until they are investigated and problems fixed. Accidents often involve the client’s team in the investigation. Clients hate accidents.
7. Industrial relations incidents and work stoppages or protests attract negative media attention. They disrupt the project, causing delays. They can also spill over and impact the client’s workers and operations.
8. Clients believing they haven’t received value for money, or worse suspecting that the contractor has deceived them by submitting false and excessive claims. Often this is a misconception and is due to clients not understanding the true cost of what they demanded of the contractor.
9. The contractor’s reliability for delivering projects on time.
10. The contractor’s employees. Poor behavior of personnel on the project and surrounding the project, in company branded vehicles, or by employees wearing company branded clothing is a poor reflection of the company. Company branded vehicles being driven badly or disobeying the road rules aren’t good advertisements.

How can contractor’s protect their brand?

1. Contractors need to be consistent with advertising and branding. You don’t see Coca-Cola or Apple using different logos or changing colors and taglines.
2. People are an important aspect of a construction company’s brand. Ensure all your employees understand how their service, attitude, and behaviour impact the company’s brand – both positively and negatively.
3. Instil a culture of delivering quality products.
4. Ensure that you can meet your client’s expectations. If they have unrealistic expectations or expectations that your company cannot achieve explain why their expectations can’t be met. Don’t execute projects where the company can’t meet the client’s expectations – it will almost surely end in a disappointed client.
5. Constantly communicate with clients.
6. ....Continue Reading....

​This article was first published on the ClockShark website. To visit this website and continue reading the article click on the link above.
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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'
'Construction Claims: A Short Guide for Contractors'
'Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights'
​'Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion'
'Construction Book reviews'
To read more about the author visit the page 'Paul Netscher'
Want to contact Paul Netscher please enter your details on 'Contacts'
Find out how Paul Netscher can help you

A project construction schedule should be drawn up for every project, and used to establish the quickest, most effective method for constructing the project. The schedule can take the form of a simple hand-drawn bar chart, or be an intricate, detailed schedule, using a proprietary software package, linking and resourcing the activities.

The schedule can be prepared by the project manager, or it may be delegated to a member of the team, who could be an experienced planner. It’s important, however, that the project manager controls the process, and ensures that the schedule not only meets the contract milestones but is also achievable with the available resources, that it reflects the chosen construction methods, it satisfies the client’s requirements, and that the project can be constructed in the safest and most economical manner without sacrificing quality standards.
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The Good

1. The schedule shows the team the goals/targets/milestones and when they must be met. It then shows the route that the team must follow – kind of like following a map to get to your destination. It provides the sequence of tasks to guide project managers and supervisors as to which activities they need to be working on, and which are the next ones they should be planning for. Without this map or schedule, you may find individuals in the team pulling and working in different directions, maybe even not knowing when the target must be achieved.
2. They provide the dates of when construction materials are required on the project site.
3. A resourced construction schedule allows you to plan the mobilisation of resourcessuch as equipment and personnel. You know how many of which type of resource you need and when. I’ve walked onto many projects and found that they either had too few, or too many, resources because the project manager didn’t understand, or wasn’t using, the project schedule.
4. Many contractors see the schedule as an opportunity for the client to use it to bash and penalise them. I see it as an opportunity to ensure that the client meets their obligations (such as providing access and information) timeously. An approved project construction schedule is a valuable aid when preparing delay claims.
5. They can be used to monitor the progress of subcontractors and suppliers.
6. Including the project schedule with the subcontractor request to price documents and in subcontractor contract documents ensures that the subcontractor can have the necessary resources on the project at the required times and that they allow in their price for any specified interruptions and discontinuities in their work. It reduces opportunities for them to misunderstand the construction project durations or resources required. This can avoid many of the reasons for variation claims and excuses for schedule slippage from our subcontractors.
7. Importantly, the schedule provides feedback on whether the construction work is proceeding according to schedule and whether the project will be completed in time. When it’s detected that progress is slipping action can be taken to recover the slippage, which may include bringing on additional resources or working extended shifts.
8. Understanding that the project is slipping against the schedule and knowing why may give us a warning to other underlying problems which are costing the project money.

​The Bad
The one thing that’s worse than not having a construction schedule is having a schedule that is incorrect. Yet, many construction schedules aren’t correct. Here are a few common mistakes.

1. The schedule isn’t resourced correctly, or doesn’t take into account the available resources, or that the resources are required elsewhere on the project at the same time. It’s amazing how some planners don’t consider how you fit all the required resources into the available space, or whether the contractor or their subcontractor has the resources available.
2. The schedule doesn’t take cognisance of the client’s constraints, such as; drawing issue dates, restricted working hours and the access to work areas. I have seen schedules with a start date that ignored when we would have site access or receive construction drawings. We have often had to interrupt our work-flow while the owner’s processes took priority. Processes which we knew before we prepared the schedule would occur. Processes and restraints that were outlined in the project contract document.
3. The schedule doesn’t allow for mobilisation times – on some projects, there is a lengthy process to get resources to the site and inducted onto the project. I’ve had projects where the client’s mobilisation process could take several weeks to negotiate before people were allowed onto the project. Anyway, people aren’t always simply available, ‘on a shelf’, when we need them.
4. Not taking into account the impact of the normal expected weather conditions. Wind, extreme heat, freezing temperatures, and rain can severely impact productivity and progress. The schedule should allow for the normal weather conditions which occur at that particular time in that region.
5. Allowing insufficient time for procurement and manufacturing lead times. Sometimes additional time needs to be allowed for the design of these items, design approval, drawing preparation and drawing approval. Some items could take weeks or even months to procure.
6. Failure to take account of the impact of adjacent structures on the schedule – these impacts include cutting off access while the structure is being constructed, or structures that must be completed first because they are deeper or impact the structure in other ways. It could also include how access scaffolding or cranes on one structure impacts the neighbouring structure. Service and utility trenches, in particular, can have a major impact, particularly if they are deeper than structures, or pass underneath, or need to be connected to the structure.
7. Disregarding contractual completion dates. This seems obvious but is sometimes ignored.
8. Not allowing time for commissioning. Commissioning of some facilities can be lengthy and complex and depend on various sections of the work to be complete, as well as the completion and connection of the utilities.
9. Not including all the requirements to have an operational facility – which may include connections of utilities such as power, water, and gas. It also includes obtaining all permits and permissions.
10. Not allowing for inspections and testing. These tests could delay the progress of the construction. In addition, the facility may not be occupied or used if the test results aren’t available or various approvals haven’t been obtained.
11. Failing to allow for design and drawing approvals. Sometimes the client or their team has to approve the design, drawings or even shop drawings. There should be adequate time in the schedule for this process, including time for the required corrections and re-submissions when required.
12. The construction schedule isn’t approved by the client in writing. The schedule forms a vital part to substantiate delay claims. However, if the schedule is not approved it is worthless. Some clients will avoid approving the construction schedule when they aren’t ready for the contractor and know that the approved schedule will support a delay claim against them.
13. The schedule isn’t communicated to the construction team. Sometimes this communication is done poorly and the project manager just dumps the complete schedule (sometimes with thousands of activities) for the whole project on the supervisor’s desk. Supervisors usually are only concerned with what must happen in their section of works for the next few weeks.
14. ...Continue Reading....

​This article was first published on the ClockShark website. To visit this website and continue reading the article click on the link above.
Please share this post
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'
'Construction Claims: A Short Guide for Contractors'
'Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights'
​'Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion'
'Construction Book reviews'
To read more about the author visit the page 'Paul Netscher'
Want to contact Paul Netscher please enter your details on 'Contacts'
Find out how Paul Netscher can help you