Project managers, if you’ve been in the industry for any amount of time, you’ll understand the components of a big project. It needs to be compartmentalised, broken down into actionable sections that the project team can move through.
Tasks must be assigned to appropriate people, under the guidance of a project manager. It all starts with the exploration of a problem, then choosing the best course of action and mapping out the plan. Given that construction project managers have, on average, 120 responsibilities to juggle on any given job – planning, budgeting, time management, quality checks, safety, and overseeing contracts are a few of these tasks.
This makes the role of a project manager integral to its success. The challenges that are bound to arise during the lifespan of a job requires both analytical and creative ways to overcome them. The project manager is as much an innovator as they are an engineer.
The problem-solution cycle, to boost construction productivity in Adelaide.
As a project manager, you encounter various problems that constantly require attention. Here’s a process that should help you continue to evaluate the efficiency of your projects.
- Get clear on the issues that created the problem
- Understand everyone’s interests and how they intersect to reach a solution
- List all possible ideas. Be creative and consider every conceivable outcome.
- Evaluate the solutions and assess them using a mark sheet. Select the best option.
- Write down the best option with all the details and implications.
- Make contingency plans. Reduce the possible knock-on effect on any change. Be sure to have it considered, and ideally covered.
- And, most importantly, take action.
Take the time to familiarise yourself with technical software and data analysis. Learn how to interpret information, so you can convey it to engineers. As project managers work under immense pressure, do what you can to minimise information delays, from the engineers, clients, and the construction team. Take the time to construct a system that touches on security procedures and legal contingencies.
Some problems are small and can be solved quickly. Other problems, however, are in-depth and require multiple touchpoints to come to a solution. This is where having a systematic approach is not only necessary but essential. As Joseph Juran says, “a project is a problem scheduled for solution.”
Adelaide construction management service experts.
Systematic problem solving improves construction productivity in Adelaide. As structural engineers, we see this first-hand in the residential and commercial construction projects we undertake.
Whether it’s a home extension or construction project, a commercial renovation, civil or mining work, systematic problem solving enables us to live our ethos; doing it right the first time.
Book a free 20-minute consultation to pick our engineering brain. We’re here to help.#
