Construction project management is a challenging profession that incorporates various tools, and requires collaboration with a variety of stakeholders. A good project manager can focus on important factors that will make a project successful. As with any other type of profession, there are some terms that are an essential part of the project manager’s vocabulary. They often guide the work process, and understanding them influences this professionals ability to carry out important tasks.
- Every project needs a stated and clearly understood objective. A project’s goal must be time relevant, realistic, and most importantly, it should be easy to measure the results.
- This term includes labor, capital, equipment and the building site. It is the responsibility of this professional to pinpoint these resources, and to determine the best way to use them in the most efficient manner.
- Decision making. The project manager will not be only one making decisions as a construction project moves forward. However, it is up to this individual to ensure that the right individuals are chosen for this. It is also necessary to limit the number of decision makers to prevent confusion.
- It is always important to keep a watchful eye the most important day to day aspects of the construction process. The level of importance of factors may change as the work moves forward. This will lead to changes that members of the team should be able to respond to in order to keep things running smoothly.
- Everyone involved should have a clear understanding of their roles. Team members should also understand the implications of failing to meet deadlines or inability to deal with problems. This enhances collaboration and communication during construction.
- Team members should be aware of their individual responsibilities, but they should also understand the consequences of not carrying out their functions effectively. As the construction project manager monitors the process and evaluates targets, it may be necessary to hold people accountable for failures.
These terms are often used in various other fields, even though the processes and goals may be different. It is the job of the project manager to communicate with the different teams, and to develop communication between the stakeholders. While the terms are used in everyday life, for a construction project manager they take on more importance. Fully understanding them helps these professionals to guide massive and complex construction projects from start to finish.