Taylor Ryan, Head of Marketing, GenieBelt
As a project manager, you need to ensure that the construction projectat hand is successful. As you manage the ongoing project, there are employees under your watch to ensure completion in the set timelines without affecting the quality at any point. Even with consistency and hard work, you will experience backlogs at different stages of the construction. Commonly referred to as bottleneck, when not handled well, they can affect the project at hand and affect your chances of landing future projects. Below are five major bottlenecks you may experience as a project manager and how to effectively manage the same to ease them and keep the work going as per the schedule;
Waiting for the client response
It is important to communicate with your client at different stages of the project as it progresses. What happens if they are taking long to get back to you with their feedback? If you are communicating via email, then it is time to come up with a way that will make them respond fast because your work will be on holdas you wait for a go ahead, a clarification or their input. In the email, let them know that you would appreciate their response in a certain timeline as per your schedule. Consider categorizing your emails as; of high, low or medium priority. That one will make them understand how urgent you need that response.
Organization
Several tasks are carried out on a typical day at the construction site. There is a sequence of how the tasks are to be handled that will require you to determine how the order will flow. That is why you need to be organized. Any clutter and disorganization automatically reduce productivity since confusion starts from the first task and to the subsequent ones throughout the day.
Weigh every action you take to determine if it adds value to the project or not. Let the cost-benefit analysis favor you at all times
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Inaccurate estimates
Any project manager takes over a project after calculating the costs involved in the development and the profit margin likely to be realized from the same. For those handling the first project, it can be hard to come up with accurate estimates. Due to trends in the market and inflations, the prices for materials you set in the begin may go up and stretch your earlier budgets. This may occur in your first project, but you should learn from it when you take up other projects in future to avoid falling in such problem.
Consider the project’s budget and timelines to decide its worthiness. Even if it pays well but takes long it is not worth it. Shorter projects with a good pay are okay since you will do several in the timeframe you will be carrying one full of challenges.
Low priority distractions
The sure way to get work done is keeping distractions a bay. That is, however, impossible since you are the focal point of the construction project and you need to communicate and handle different players at the site. From dealing with the employees, the client, suppliers, local authorities, etc. consider tackling distractions with minimum time possible to focus on important aspects of the day. Answer important emails of the day, calls and confirm crucial issues on the day’s schedule. Take such duties while during the break or attend to them immediately depending on the urgency. That is why you need to be organized to know your schedule the first in the morning.
The email
Finally, checking the email is the first thing in the morning. This is overwhelming especially if you receive tons of them overnight and the day. Pointing out important emails from the many received is hard. You might consider hiring an assistant to help you go through them, or rather create folders to help you sort such emails. The best option currently is the use of Gmail because it has such feature. If they need responses, train someone to make the replies. The assistant will only feed you with the information contained in them and seek clarification regarding some responses.
Experiencing the above bottlenecks and utilizing the recommended tips will ensure your project remain on course up to the end. Weigh every action you take to determine if it adds value to the project or not. Let the cost-benefit analysis favor you at all times.
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