Project management right now? Being able to effectively communicate is probably the most important skill a construction project manager needs to learn. A good construction project manager should be adept at both written and oral communication. All communication should be clear and concise. Sometimes a quick email or text is all that’s needed to convey your message while other instances may require you to pick up the phone or schedule a quick face-to-face meeting. Establish a communication plan to determine what type of communications should be used for different circumstances and a chain of command for what information gets shared and who that information is shared with. For example, items like RFIs and change orders should always be done through some form of written communication to establish a paper trail. When meeting with stakeholders and members of the project team it’s a good idea to take notes, and follow up with an email to ensure everyone is on the same page.
How do project managers spend their time? Many in the workforce agree that email occupies a significant amount of time spent during the workday. This article from Huffington Post found that workers spend 3.2 hours on average on work emails per day. The construction project managers we interviewed fell in line with this finding. Of the 17 project managers who responded to the question “How many hours per day do you spend on emails to and from your team?”, the average response was 3.02 hours. The median response was 3 hours flat. Talking numbers, this adds up to an average of 72 emails per day, with a median of 50. So, if you find yourself spending significantly more than three hours clearing out your inbox on a daily basis, you may want to explore methods to cut back on the number of emails you’re sending to your team.
More than ever, most companies, large and small, national, or international, are under increasing commercial pressure. The reduction in income for many due to the recent pandemic and various levels of lockdowns has meant that budgets have been cut, internal resources reduced and the timescales to complete a project are becoming ever more challenging; yet still, an increase in productivity is demanded. Today’s businesses cannot always provide the focus and time to deliver projects effectively when the day to day need to concentrate on the supply chain, production issues, and profitability of the business are clearly more important. Businesses are struggling to find the right expertise and skill base at the right stage of a project, and as a consequence, suffer additional and unplanned costs, delays, and technical problems on projects through poor conception, planning, purchasing and project delivery. See additional information on project management services.
The Principal Designer will usually be an organisation or, on smaller projects, an individual with: Technical knowledge of the construction industry, relevant to the project; Understanding of how health and safety is managed through the design process; Skills to be able to oversee health and safety during the pre-construction phase of the project ans the ongoing design. The Principal Designer needs to have good relationships with the Client and Principal Contractor and it is also essential for them to establish good relationships with other designers working on the project. This is the arrangement for the majority of projects. The Client is not required to appoint a Principal Designer or Principal Contractor if there is only one contractor engaged on the project.
Our systems and processes underpin our operational effectiveness. Over the years we have developed a unique and robust Information Management System (IMS) that we use to both run our business and to execute projects on behalf of our clients. As well as being at the heart of our ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certifications, our IMS has been audited by a number of our blue-chip clients and has always been highly commended. We operate from two offices in the UK, (Warrington and Edinburgh). Both offices provide a full range of Engineering Design and Project Management services across all of our market sectors. This is our Head Office located close to Manchester and the midst of the North West manufacturing cluster. This office services England, Wales, Ireland, N.I and Western Europe, as well as supporting the Edinburgh Office to service its clients. This office houses the full spectrum of Engineering Design and Project Delivery personnel. Read extra information at https://www.projen.co.uk/.