A construction project manager is the main person responsible for any construction project. They’re responsible for planning, setting goals, and ensuring everything’s done within the budget. The construction project manager has an executive role, and their work is vital not only for that particular building but also for the future of the company.
In this article, we’ll go through the 10 roles and responsibilities of these professionals. Their work is of the utmost importance for the success of the building and the safety of the future tenants. This is why the position is usually reserved for proficient, responsible veterans.
1. Planning the Project
Basically, construction project managers assign roles and responsibilities to each member of the team. They make forecasts and provide an outline as to how the project should be executed. Perhaps the most important role is setting the budget and estimating the costs of materials, salaries, and other variables.
When creating a roadmap, they put emphasis on schedules and task sequences. Managers ensure everything’s done in a specific order to maximize daily productivity. Depending on the situation in the field, they might also work as supervisors. Once the construction project is over, they’ll go over things to determine if everything’s done according to plan and legal standards.
2. Determine Goals
Determining project goals is usually one of the more overlooked parts of the process. In most cases, managers consider it self-explanatory (such as creating a building), so they don’t take extra time to properly define it.
Setting goals is vital for stakeholders as it gives them a better insight into the situation in the field. Some of the things that a manager has to determine are setting the project standards, assessing work precision, and handling basic requirements. By setting goals, you’ll also define how many employees and materials you need for a successful project.
3. Supervise the Staff
Construction project managers are the most important people on the site. Their job is to oversee the daily work and put employees in their place. Among other things, they are the shot callers when it comes to hiring and firing.
Most importantly, they have the necessary technical knowledge to determine if someone is the right person for the job. If that professional doesn’t meet the project’s standards, they can change their role on the site or decide to terminate the contract.
4. Managing Timeliness
Construction projects are notorious for often breaching deadlines. This makes sense, given all the moving parts that managers have to take into account. Even a small change can delay the delivery by several days, which is why planning is so important in this industry.
A manager has to understand all these constraints and plan around them. Experience is critical at this point, as it can tell you how much time you’d need for certain tasks. By doing everything according to schedule, site veterans avoid massive delay penalties. Managers also use a portable time clock for construction to get their team in line.
5. Monitor Budget Spending
Proper use of the budget is vital for the project’s financial feasibility. So, while you should always put emphasis on the project’s quality and safety, you should never forget that this is, first and foremost, a commercial endeavor.
Most managers nowadays use software to plan their budgets and make changes on the fly. The great news is that you can introduce new entries whenever something changes, thus adjusting to the ever-increasing expenses.
6. Inform Stakeholders
One of the managers’ jobs is to communicate with stakeholders on a daily basis. As someone who is in the field every day, they have the best insight into how things are going. As such, their responsibility is to communicate with the investor and other entities and keep them in the loop.
Not informing peers about changes, especially bottlenecks, can deteriorate trust between parties. A construction project manager should notify the investor about equipment and material status and anything else worth mentioning. That way, investors can change their expected delivery times.
7. Manage Disputes
A manager has to get everyone on the same page as a way of increasing productivity while avoiding delays. Their responsibility is to settle disputes between subcontractors, clients, workers, and anyone else who has their hands on the project.
Even if there’s no compromise to be made, a person in charge has to create a temporary agreement that will suit both sides. The most important thing to remember is that the project shouldn’t be delayed because of small disagreements.
8. Create Contracts
A draft contract is a vital document in the construction business, outlining tasks and responsibilities during a project. Basically, it determines what has to be done, how quickly it needs to be finished, and how much the expert will be compensated.
Draft contracts explain the work that has to be done by suppliers, architects, subcontractors, and other third-party entities. These contracts are also an important basis for investors’ and construction project managers’ relationships.
9. Handle Risks
Every construction project has its fair share of risks. Whether we’re talking about employee safety, financial hazards, or environmental factors, managers need to minimize negative effects.
With the software, they assess the odds of something happening and how much it would affect the project. By outlining these hazards, investors, and managers can make a contingency plan that would determine how everyone should behave in the worst-case scenario.
10. Tackle Other Issues
Aside from these responsibilities, project managers have to address numerous other tasks on and off the construction yard. For example, they need to arrange visits from potential clients. They provide staff with training and introduce professional software to the site.
Conclusion
Being a project manager in construction is an extremely demanding job. Not only do you require a certain level of civil engineering expertise, but you also have to be a good communicator.
A perfect construction project manager is punctual, tidy, and pays attention to detail. These professionals are able to multitask efficiently, ensuring maximum productivity on the site.