Hiring the Best Construction Manager for the Job: Qualities To Look for in a Professional

Finding a great construction manager is critical to the success of your commercial real estate building project. They are the backbone of your construction, managing all aspects of the project, including supervising staff, monitoring expenses, and managing inventory. Finding an effective team leader is your core function as a manager. The best project leader moves your project forward to success. Here are some key traits to consider when hiring for this position.

Uses Available Resources

An effective construction project management team uses resources and tools efficiently. Look for a team that uses online project management tools. These tools help you track the project status. In addition, all team members submit documentation and reports to the application. Project managers can easily manage local and remote operations.

Possesses Strong Communication Skills

Strong communication skills are mandatory at all levels of your organization, especially your construction management team. Managers must communicate with all team members. They must understand and explain the importance of safety, efficiency, and reliability. In addition, your team must monitor the project and ensure timelines are met. They must identify and communicate issues that could negatively impact the timeline or budget.

Remains Calm Under Pressure

Over 65% of construction projects fail to meet deadlines or remain on budget. Often these deadlines are missed because smaller projects are not completed on time. Your project manager must be able to analyze situations. They must discuss the necessity of keeping the project on schedule or budget. This requires a calm demeanor with the entire team, from the laborers to management.

Embraces Challenges

Problem-solving is a daily responsibility of your construction manager management team. Each individual must understand how operations impact the overall success of the project. Great team leaders build an environment of trust and open communication. They take the time to brainstorm several scenarios before committing to a solution. They take calculated risks to get a project back on schedule. Finally, they should enjoy the challenges and look forward to solving them.

Delegates Effectively

Delegation involves moving the responsibility for completing a task from one person to another. This is typically a senior employee to a junior employee. Construction management may include shifting responsibilities to a subcontractor. Effective delegators know they must give the authority and responsibility to complete the project. The most important considerations for delegating are:

• Identify the task and deadline
• Provide detailed instructions to the person to whom you are delegating
• Establish a review process to ensure the task remains on schedule
• Give the individual the appropriate authority to complete the task
• Follow up upon completion to make sure the project was handled appropriately

Manages Project Timelines

Project managers that fail to meet deadlines must be held accountable. Fortunately, most professional construction managers can manage deadlines effectively. They make sure the small projects and milestones are accomplished on time. If a deadline is in danger of being missed, they analyze the impact it can have on the other project components. They may be able to reschedule subcontractors, hire additional crews, or request a budget increase. Most importantly, effective project managers know when to communicate to team leaders if a project is in danger of missing a deadline or being over budget.

Negotiates Skillfully

Your construction management project requires the art of a skillful negotiator. They are negotiating contracts with subcontractors. They must make sure they receive the best team for the best price. In addition, they must hire a team will ensure the project is completed on time. Without dynamic negotiation skills, your project can come in over budget.

Maintains Professional Contacts

Deadlines can be impacted by several factors – weather, government, or labor. A professional network is the backbone of many construction project managers. They have an established support system. This group of individuals can provide them with trusted recommendations for support during challenging events. For example, a project manager can contact a peer requesting a referral for additional roofing teams capable of completing a project if potentially damaging storms are forecasted. In addition, professional networks provide support or information if someone experiences challenges obtaining the necessary local building permits or occupancy permits.

With these key personality traits in place, your project manager can move forward to create a successful construction project.