The Ultimate Guide to Construction Project Management

The first stage in how to plan construction management projects is initiating the process. In this first phase, the project manager is assigned to work on a particular construction, providing them with a full scope of the project’s intention. From there, the project manager can use their knowledge and skills to prepare the project and workflow for stakeholders, laying out the entirety of the project in rough order to provide a timeline and top-down look at how the project will be conducted.

During this stage, project managers may also define the project’s scope and set initial goals for specific outcomes. This rough version of the final plan provides other professionals with insight into when certain things will happen and how long certain elements will take.

Once the initial scope and goals of the project have been decided, the next step is to move on to the planning phase. This process is often the first stage people see, outside the immediate project team. During planning, the workflow of the project is finalised, and the resources and materials requirements are defined, providing preparation ahead of implementation.

During this stage, the budget for each project area is also assigned. Through involvement in the budget, construction managers can more easily monitor workflows’ progress, identify overspending areas and prevent projects from going significantly over their allocated budget. Project managers may work on this budget alongside financial professionals and individual teams or as solo professionals.

Following planning, the construction project is implemented in line with the created workflow and timeline. Project managers support teams in coordinating and tracking ongoing work, adjusting timelines and ensuring projects run in ways that are logical and practical. In many cases, project managers act as enforcers to keep the construction in line, utilising their knowledge and skill to prevent workers from going off track or teams failing to deliver.

During implementation, project managers work with all of the different teams and groups assigned to work on the project to set start dates and completion dates and execute plans in line with the pre-defined strategies and methods decided during planning. This role is also often the go-between for stakeholders and senior teams involved in construction, providing feedback and sharing information between the two groups.

Once a project is up and running and well underway, project managers continue to be involved and active in the workflow, ensuring everything lines up and work is completed on schedule. Monitoring can include communication with the leader of different teams to gather up-to-date information. This information is then utilised to create progress reports and update workflows and timelines, ensuring everything remains aligned.

If something throws a project off track, such as delays in materials or complications in specific processes, project managers ensure they know as quickly as possible with continual monitoring. Suppose things need to be adjusted or timelines altered. In that case, they use this information to make decisions autonomously or advise a decision-maker, ensuring the project workflow is accurate to the current process on site.