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Maduka Nweke, [email protected] 08034207864, 08118879331
Managers are people with extensive knowledge of what they are to manage. One whose knowledge is highly concentrated in surveying land may not be technically endowed to manage construction sites. Although, these days, people claim knowledge of every aspect of construction in order not to allow a dime shift out from the bulk money, the system is wrong because you should be able to master what you do. This jack of all trades and ‘master’ of none technicians are seen as the root causes of many building collapse in the country. The economists already demarcated different segments of job through specialization. This specialization is what creates the division of labour and masters of each trade. This also helps to creates the managers of the various segments of the construction industry. This is from where you get the project managers of real estate and construction projects.
The role of a project manager on real estate and construction projects can vary from one project to another. The consistent responsibility of a project manager is to ensure for an on-time and on-budget end result. Before construction begins, the project manager maybe responsible for site selection and due diligence, securing zoning and entitlements, selecting project team members, and creating a schedule and budget which will lay the foundation for the rest of the project. Once the project is underway, the project manager is the owner’s representative on-site, and it is their job to ensure the project is being built to the owner’s specifications. As the project progresses from planning to execution, the project manager will shift their focus to scheduling contractors, processing payments and managing change orders. While some organizations seek a team of multiple managers with various experiences and project responsibilities, others may go in for a singular project manager. Construction and real estate projects require the expertise of managers who have complete knowledge about the real estate and construction process, recent and relevant experience as well as the ability to work in teams.
These certified professionals should have excellent interpersonal and communication skills because they will be called on to make tough decisions. For the smooth execution and completion of any construction project, it is very important for project managers to understand how to handle the different stages of the project accordingly. In his ability to handle the various stages of the project, it the manager is not one who is versed in the job he is doing, then the creation of defects for the building to collapse in no distance period would have been made possible. This is usually, why project managers should be thorough in the field he is managing. Because, the project manager is expected to be on top of his game, he is expected to know the time frame a project must take, the amount of labour force needed, the const of construction and the required building materials required for each segments of the construction. This will give the owner of the building the confidence to relax with the belief that work goes on as he specified. The role of a project manager during real estate and construction projects is to ensure the successful completion of the project is on time and within budget. Although the project scopes, size and location may change, one thing is consistent and that is ensuring the timely and cost effective completion of projects as programmed. Although, there are different kinds of project managers, the goal of each of them is variously the same.
We have the ideologue kind who are the ardent believers of a methodology. They attach tenaciously to that method where they believe everyone else is wrong and the wrath shall fall upon them in the event of changes. They are fanatical to it. In project management sense, these are the project managers that catch a specific methodology and way of working and stick to it come hell or high water. They are not one to be shy on telling everyone why they are correct in their ways and everyone else is wrong. They are not particularly interested in hearing any conflicting ideas and have no appetite for discussions. They already know it, no-one else gets it. Just like fundamentalists, there is not much you can influence with this type of project manager. You can only pray that you get a team that fits to their style. There are the zealots, a slightly considerate version of the ideologue.
They are firm believers nonetheless, who is willing to acknowledge contrary views exist, but considers his views the most appropriate and sniggers at all others. In a religious context, this group could be related to the clergy. In a project management sense, these are the ones that adopt a particular methodology really strongly. While accepting other schools of thought exist, they give little credence to the usefulness of those and look down upon others that do not hold similar views. This is probably a redeemable quality. You may one day be able to get them to accept an alternate point of view. In any experience, most project managers fall in this category.
There is another group called the practitioners that is more concerned about the practicalities, rather than a particular belief. From a religious context, one equates this group to the general followers of a religion. They are not concerned about all methodologies going around. While they may specialize in a particular methodology, they are not shy in adjusting it to the situation and if necessary borrowing from other methodologies to make it work. This would be the ideal project manager in contextual view. However, project managers being of strong wills and of a mind to control most things, it is hard to get to this space. The secular is another group that is not particularly concerned about methodologies.
They are happy to go along with any methodology and let others get on with whatever they choose. From a religious context, one equates this group to the believers of sort that, kind of understand the basics, but is not particularly worried about the customs of the religion. From a project management sense, these are people that are yet to develop an attachment to a particular methodology. Usually these people are new to the field and looking for the correct guidance. They are the group that can be converted to the practitioners easily.
There is also the non-aligned group. The group that feels little or no need for methodologies. From a religious context you can equate this group as atheists. From a project management perspective this is highly dangerous, and possibly do not see the value in investing in this discipline. The only thing you can guarantee with this approach is inconsistency. Making it up from the seat of your pants is not as exciting from a strategic view as it is sometimes from a technical view. Unfortunately, I have seen a few too many IT projects that fall into this category.
