Level up: Hone your project management skills

Project manager is one of the most sought-after roles in the sector right now. Effective construction project managers are adept at applying project management principles to developments of various sizes and complexity. And this ultimately helps clients to save time and money across the entire project lifecycle, from start to finish.

Competency in managing the development process – from working with clients on their requirements, through the design, procurement and construction stages, to final handover – will enhance your skill set as a construction professional and raise your firm’s reputation for ensuring a successful project completion. Keeping up to date with the latest methods in construction project management was a key reason for Fiona Hull MRICS, director at Construction Q Chartered Quantity Surveyors in Stockport, and her team to undertake the Certificate in Construction Project Management.

“We are increasingly being asked to project manage,” says Hull. “So, although it’s something we’ve generally been doing for years, we felt it was important to keep up to date with the latest legislation and methods of working. The online course seemed the ideal way to refresh our skill set, and the number of CPD hours involved was a bonus.”

Some deadlines came during busy periods at work. “It took a bit of juggling, but I liked that you have to work independently,” she adds. “To get the best out of the course, you have to invest the time into the exercises and research. The webinars also give a really useful summary of each section, and it is helpful to interact online with others taking the course.”

Tim Jones FRICS, immediate past board member of the Project Management Global Board at RICS, founded the course in 2015. He says that as well as general project management skills, a good project manager should also be able to constantly audit, question and learn about a project and take that knowledge to the next job. “In the past few years we’ve seen employers from the client side, consultants and contractors signing up more of their key staff to the course, to repeatedly reap the cost-saving benefits of effectively managing valuable construction projects,” he says.

• This article originally appeared in the March Issue of Modus