What exactly does a project manager do for a corporate client? First, let’s define. A project manager, of any type, is the point person for a company’s goals to help implement plans and manage the teams charged with completing the project. As a company grows, it may find itself in need of diverse types of project managers, including:
Financial Project Manager – manages the financial initiatives and compliance with financial regulations.
Marketing Project Manager – the focus is on planning and executing marketing and sales campaigns.
Healthcare Project Manager – the emphasis is on implementing healthcare initiatives, in addition to compliance with local/state/federal regulations.
Research Project Manager – oversees scientific or academic research projects, coordinates research activities, data collection, and analysis.
Event Project Manager – organizes and executes events. Oversees coordination, budgets, schedules, and vendors.
IT Project Manager – manages any technology related projects, including software development, system/infrastructure upgrades, and deployments.
Architectural Project Manager – effort is leading architectural projects from budgeting through implementation.
Construction/Facility Project Manager – emphasis is on building projects, including new-builds, renovations, upgrades to building systems, and facility-related projects.
Although each of them has an esoteric knowledge base for their scope of work, there are shared traits as well.
Today, we are going to concentrate on the key responsibilities of a Construction/Facility Project Manager:
Communication – most importantly, the project manager acts as the main point of contact between the client and the project team. They listen to the clients’ needs, expectations, and concerns. Good news or bad, communication is essential to align project outcomes with expectations. Clear and honest communication allows the team to react in a positive manner to clear any hurdles that may arise.
Planning and Scope Definition – the project manager needs to collaborate with the client to define project scope, goals, and deliverables. Creation of a detailed plan, including timelines, milestones, and resource allocations are essential to the success of the project. Scope changes or adjustments become easier to manage when they are laid out and discussed with the client/team.
Resource Management – the project manager ensures that the right resources are available (team members, tools, and materials). Allocation of tasks to team members based on their skills and availability will help to keep costs under control and the project on schedule.
Risk Assessment and Mitigation – the project manager handles finding potential risks and developing strategies to mitigate those risks. The project manager should collaborate with the client to address those challenges and provide a successful result.
Quality Assurance and Client Satisfaction – the project manager checks the progress of all parties and ensures that quality standards are met. They provide regular updates through weekly team meetings and ask for feedback from the client and team members.
Budget and Cost Control – The project manager tracks budget and expenses, and discusses any deviations with team members and clients. Transparency is especially important to keep respect and faith of the client.
Conflict Resolution – if there are any conflicts or disagreements, the project manager handles mitigating the resolutions. This is important to keep a positive relationship with the client. The project manager advocates for both the client and the team, ensuring positive outcomes that help provide a successful project.
As a company expands, or even shrinks, project managers are essential to oversee the myriad tasks related to that growth or shrinkage. Orderly transitions can contribute to the success of the project. Having a competent project manager can help in aiding those endeavors. Typically, a company would hire directly or contract for services and imbed that project manager into the company culture, often having them on-site daily and providing workspace for them, helping to understand processes and organizational dynamics.
Information and data come in from diverse sources: client, architect, general contractor, and various vendors. It is up to the project manager to collect, interpret, and issue the information to the various team members, as necessary. Managing communications, expectations, and deliverables are essential to meeting the project goals. An effective project manager keeps a balance between meeting client needs and delivering project efficiency.