7 Tips for Project Managing a Commercial Building Job

Project managers oversee and supervise build projects to ensure they are done on time and completed within set budgets. Even though a project manager’s tasks and responsibilities will vary from one project to the next, they are generally responsible for hiring subcontractors; working with owners, engineers, and other stakeholders; hiring workers; scheduling and planning work; and ensuring everything the project needs is sourced, purchased and delivered on time. 

Because they have so much to do and manage, they must have techniques and strategies in place to ensure the projects they manage go as expected. Here are some tips that can make you a more efficient project manager while eliminating the challenges often associated with this role.

Learn to Plan and Schedule Effectively

There are so many things that can derail a building project. If this happens, everyone involved is affected, and the budget must also be adjusted to ensure the project stays on track. Proper planning and scheduling can help reduce the probability of this happening.

Project managers should work with their teams to carefully examine and review all plans and specifications and ensure everyone understands the project’s scope and the required work. Once they do this, project managers should put together a plan of everything they need to execute the project and ensure everything remains on schedule.

They should also bring in subcontractors and suppliers to ensure they know what the project entails and to set timetables and timelines. Additionally, project managers should always be prepared to make adjustments to keep the project on track. While some rigidity is required to ensure everything goes as expected and follows the set timeline, some flexibility is necessary to avoid delays and ensure success.

Work with Reliable Contractors

Managing a project becomes much more challenging if you work with contractors who are unprofessional and unreliable. Project managers should ensure that all contractors and subcontractors have a long track record of completing projects to the highest standards, setting schedules and deadlines that they keep, and having a provable positive reputation.

Hiring contractors who pay close attention to the smallest details is also essential. You do not want the client to inspect the project once it is done and say something is wrong. All of these considerations should matter whether you are hiring concrete foundation contractors, electricians, plumbers, or subcontractors for the project you are managing.

Communicate Often, Freely, and Clearly

Effective communication is one of the most important skills a project manager should learn. Doing so is vital because effective communication is critical to avoiding costly misunderstandings, delays, and downtime. 

Every project manager should have both written and oral communication skills. They should also ensure they are clear and always to the point, regardless of whom they communicate with.

It is best to establish a chain of command and communication plan so that everyone understands the forms of communication to be used throughout the project’s run and the circumstances where each is applicable. The chain of command helps everyone know what information needs to be shared and with whom it needs to be shared.

Lastly, all communication should be recorded in project management software. Doing so means that everyone remains on the same page and that there is a documented paper trail that authorized parties can access if the need to do so arises. 

Handle One Thing at a Time

As a project manager, you might manage one or multiple projects simultaneously. For this reason, it is easy to become overwhelmed by everything that requires your attention and the things you need to take care of. Multitasking is not an option for critical projects in the construction industry because handling too many things at once often leads to errors in judgment or mistakes that cost businesses time and money.

Instead of multitasking, project managers should handle one thing at a time. When doing so, finding a strategy that works best for you is best. For example, some people handle tasks that are more difficult, require a lot of attention and effort, or take a long time before tackling those that do not. Some people handle things in the opposite way.

Learn Time Management

This tip is related to the one above. Since project managers are always handling many things at once, managing their limited time is critical. If a project manager cannot manage their time effectively, they will have a hard time managing a single project, let alone multiple ones. Start by determining what needs your immediate attention and those that you can schedule for later. It is best to avoid wasting time on things that are not critical. 

Something that can help project managers manage their time better is delegation. Having the right people in your team means you do not need to micromanage or handle everything. Instead, you can trust your team and keep in constant communication with them to ensure that everything that needs to be done is done on time and to the highest standards.

Automate Wherever Possible

Automation can save you a lot of time and effort as a construction manager. It is now possible to automate repetitive and common tasks that would have required you to handle them personally and manually in the past.

Project managers can also use automation to standardize many processes, leaving them only to oversee a project’s technical aspects and manage the people and companies handling its various parts.

Project managers can use software to automate:

• Sending status reports
• Tracking and reporting incidents
• Updating expense sheets
• Building spreadsheets
• Creating schedules

Learn to Build Positive Relationships

Project managers work with different stakeholders, including clients, contractors, subcontractors, workers, local authorities, and engineers. Maintaining a positive relationship with everyone involved in the project is critical to ensuring the successful completion of the projects they oversee. Start by incorporating them into meetings and ensuring they have access to the information, documents, and materials they need throughout the project.

Project managers oversee the successful completion of build projects through the various roles they play and the responsibilities they handle. Project managers should be as efficient and effective as possible to ensure the best outcomes for everyone involved in the projects they manage.