A project manager's job is to ensure that a project is finished on time and on budget. Keeping a project running sounds easy, but it is probably one of the most challenging jobs. For projects like ours, so many moving parts and details need to be worked out it would be very easy to watch a project slip its timeline and run over budget. Whether we are building a new retail space or a single room in a private residence, our project managers oversee the whole project, help resolve issues and mitigate the impact when things happen outside our control.
Very few projects go off without issues, and it takes skilled project managers to see that the problems are accounted for and do not impact the timeline or budget. When the timeline and budget are affected, we fully communicate with the client, so there are no surprises.
When it comes to project management, there are some common situations, and as experienced project managers, we are aware of the things that can happen and how they are to be handled or avoided.
Acquisition of Materials
During the pandemic, one of the most significant issues most companies were dealing with was the delay in the global supply chain. This issue impacted everyone. The benefit of being a small business is that we are dynamic and find alternative solutions when plan A doesn't look like it will work. It is vital to be flexible and know your industry well enough to know where to turn when materials are unavailable from one source.
Issues with Project Requirements
Any project manager will tell you that it is impossible to start a project when you don't have a complete set of requirements. Your requirements are vital to creating a project plan. If a project manager has work start before the requirements are set, you risk high costs and significant delays if the final requirements do not match the work that has already been done. Therefore, we ensure that all project requirements are set before work starts.
It is common for requirements to change, so when they do, we can evaluate the situation and let the client know what the changes will do to the timeline and budget and if we need to either back out of any completed work or acquire additional materials. Keeping on top of changes is an essential part of project management.
Scope Changes also called Scope Creep
Scope Creep is one of the most significant risks associated with any project. Scope Creep is when the requirements of a project are extended beyond the original plan. There are several reasons why scope creep may become a problem in a project.
Ambiguous requirements
Ignoring project management best practices
Poor processes, such as sidestepping the chain of command and making changes without letting the project manager know.
Multiple stakeholders with conflicting goals
There are times when the project scope can change due to unforeseen issues that must be resolved before the project can continue. In other cases, the project manager is requested to add more requirements after the project has already begun. As project managers, we are responsible for managing these requests and understanding which requests can be approved and which would put the overall project at risk.
Scope creep can cause timelines and budgets to be missed and add levels of risk that are unacceptable to the client.
Allocation of Resources
This is a fancy way to say that you have to have the right people doing the right job with the right equipment. If your resources are not properly allocated, it can cause material shortages or cause certain project parts to take longer than planned, putting the timeline at risk.
Communication
One of the essential parts of a project is proper communication between all the teams, stakeholders, vendors, and crews. Not everyone needs to have all of the information, but everyone needs the information vital to them. If people do not have the information they need, it can cause severe problems throughout the project and ultimately cause the project to fail.
These are only a few problems a project manager can encounter and will need to resolve to keep a project moving forward. Of course, as experienced project managers, some issues can be anticipated and even mitigated before they happen. Still, there will always be issues that need to be resolved. The difference between a successful project and one that goes over budget and falls behind schedule is who is at the helm.
Our project management team can identify and tackle issues, streamline efficiency, and help save project budgets.
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