The Project Management Institute defines project management as:
“The art of managing and coordinating human resources throughout the lifecycle of a project using modern management techniques to achieve predetermined goals of scope, cost, quality, and participation. ”
A construction project manager is a combination of traditional project managers and the industry expertise. A construction PM must deal with the diversity of the projects and the teams.
Basics of Project Management
Project management is a set of principles and processes that are universal across projects.
PMI (Project Management Institute), defines five phases in project management.
Initiation
Planning
Execution
Performance Monitoring
Closure
To determine project feasibility, the project manager creates and evaluates a business case. Together with the stakeholder, a project charter is created.
Planning involves creating a plan for everyone to follow. The PM creates a formal document called the project management plan (PMP). This document guides execution and control of a project. It includes the scope, cost and schedule baselines, as well as documentation and a scope statement. This document lists the objectives, deliverables, key milestones, and other information.
The plan also includes the work breakdown structure (WBS), communication plan, as well as the risk management plan.
The work begins when execution is complete. The project team will assign resources, carry out tasks and plans, create tracking systems, and keep the schedule current. This is where records management, contract administration, and contract procurement are located.
Execution is often accompanied by monitoring and performance. To ensure that the project is on track, progress and performance are monitored.
Closure is when the project is completed. The PM may conduct a post-mortem, and the team creates an itemized list of items that need to be completed. The project report is derived from this.
It’s all wrong
The project manager must work with the team to overcome common obstacles to project completion.
Undefined Goals
To avoid unclear goals, the project manager must ask the right questions to establish and communicate clear goals from the beginning.
Scope changes
This is also known as “scope creep” and refers to the expansion of the scope beyond the original goals. The changes are often not planned and cause delays. They also cost money that isn’t in the budget. The PM is responsible for evaluating change requests and deciding whether or not to implement them. The PM then informs all stakeholders about the impact of the change on the budget and/or schedule.
Inadequately skilled personnel
The PM assesses available employees and determines which competencies are required. Training can be recommended if necessary. Outsourcing the job or hiring additional workers can also be options.
Accountability is lacking
If team members don’t take responsibility for their activities and goals, the PM should direct them towards the goal.
Improper Risk Management
A PM must be able to accept risk. The PM must learn to get input from the team, build trust, and be able to predict which parts of the project will diverge.
Ambiguous Contingency Plans
Part of the PM’s planning is to know what to do in case things don’t go according to plan. These contingencies must be planned for in advance. A good PM knows how to ask others for help in identifying potential problems.
Poor Communication
Poor communication is a killer of morale and a delay mechanism for the first order. It is up the PM to keep everyone on the same page.
