When you were four, what did you want to be when you grew up? Maybe it was a doctor, an artist or a firefighter. For many of us in construction, we’ve always known deep down what we love and what we wanted to be: a builder. While construction might not have been all of our childhood career aspirations, the majority of those who work in the industry today share a love of building. It’s amazing to see parts become wholes, to watch a humming construction site transform into a beautiful high-rise, hospital, office building or campus. Even better than participating in the construction process is working as a construction project manager and getting to help direct the organized chaos that eventually produces a cohesive product.
But paving your path in this industry can prove challenging, particularly in construction project management. Our goal? To make that path just a little bit easier.
To help guide your career in construction project management, we’re here to provide some career tips for project managers. Whether you’re looking to make the transition from Project Engineer to Project Manager (PM), excel in your current role as PM or set goals while you make your way to becoming a Senior Project Manager or Project Executive, here’s our guide to success.
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To understand the role of a construction project manager, it's important to first understand the basic principles of project management. Construction project management is the process of monitoring and coordinating all aspects of construction activities, including the project schedule, quality, and costs.
Construction project management involves activities throughout the entire lifecycle of a project. The ultimate goal of project management is to generate a successful and high-quality project for the owner that stays on or ahead of schedule and generates an acceptable profit margin for the general contractor.
The role of a construction project manager is to lead teams and keep projects on budget and time.
Project managers also assess the site to ensure it meets health and safety requirements, interface with the customer and report on progress, and serve as a resource for the other construction workers they manage.
In short, the job description of a construction PM includes a massive amount of responsibility and pressure. While a project manager role sounds great on paper to many – offering good money and significant career development – not everyone is meant to be a PM. It requires essential skills in leadership, communication, time management, coordination, problem-solving, accountability, and project planning.
Moreover, owners are quick to blame when things go wrong, so project managers working for general contractors need to handle the pressure that comes with the job gracefully. To truly excel in a PM role, it takes someone with a strong mind and willpower to take ownership and problem solve when needed. If that’s not for you, that’s okay. Just ask yourself if you’re dedicated to pursuing this as a career versus just continuing this because it’s the next logical step to take.
You may be wondering the difference between a construction project manager and a construction manager. While both roles are intended to oversee key processes throughout the construction phase, the scope of the work can be very different. Generally speaking, a construction manager is more focused on managing the construction build itself, while the construction project manager oversees the process more broadly. The project manager will also be involved in preconstruction, budgeting, vendor management, change orders, and more.
Now for another common question, what's the difference between a project manager and a construction superintendent. A super typically manages the day-to-day site and operational activities in the field. On the other hand, a project manager for holistic planning and execution. So for example, a project manager will typically manage financial, scope, and schedule activities. Superintendents will oversee workers on site, daily field tasks and issues, and construction safety management.
Today, a project manager is expected to receive a competitive salary. The national average salary for a construction project manager in the United States is $104,900 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, there appears to be positive growth for a career in construction project management in years to come. The position is expected to growth 8% through 2031, faster than your average job role.
In today’s world, it has become much more common for construction project managers to have a college degree, usually bachelor’s, though associate’s and master’s degrees aren’t uncommon either. Understand that having a degree, may improve your salary potential, at least for the short term start of your career. But degrees range widely in the technical and scientific fields, primarily including:
If you choose not to pursue a degree, an apprenticeship is a smart route to gain initial construction industry knowledge and experience. Even if you do get a degree, apprenticeships can provide extra exposure to help make your resume stand out when the job-hunting time rolls around. Similarly, even gaining basic field experience such as working part-time at a construction site as a summer job will help provide insight into what a jobsite is really like. It’s essential to accept small steps and roles along the way to get to that bigger picture. Even the smallest amount of experience will get you one step closer to the PM role you desire.
Does it seem like you’re waiting in limbo for a promotion? If you’ve been working in construction for a while as an estimator, project engineer or in another role, but you’re itching to make the move up to PM, here are a few steps to help get over the edge.
You can’t expect to make one career jump to the next instantaneously, and impatience will do nothing but turn your superiors off. There is value in proving you know how to wait. Nevertheless, ensure your career goals and plan are clearly stated to your manager to set expectations. Also, once again, accept small responsibilities or promotions, such as a move to assistant project manager or senior project manager, as wins towards your end goal, whatever that may be.
Beyond a commitment to your day-to-day job duties, one smart way to showcase your value in construction is by jumping in to improve processes and productivity. If you see something that can be changed or improved, make suggestions for how to enhance workflows, bring new ideas to your bosses and other stakeholders and play an active role in getting others’ suggestions heard.
If you keep on pushing, but your lack of experience or a formal degree in construction project management is still holding you back from your desired promotion, consider getting serious about education. Even if you don’t want to pursue a formal degree, even taking an online course or short boot camp program can give you a leg up in the long-run.
You have many resources at your disposal on the jobsite, but don’t underestimate the power of building relationships. Find a mentor you admire or develop a professional bond with your boss to learn how they got where they are. Their experience may prove invaluable to you.
Kara Hermann, Project Manager at Sprig Electric, shares more about the benefits of speaking with a mentor when she was in a time of indecisiveness. She says,
“When I was looking to get out of engineering, I had somebody who’s a mentor to me say, ‘I think you should look at being a project manager in construction.’ Even though I didn’t know construction, he told me, ‘Don’t worry. They’ll teach you.’”
In construction, the best way to learn something is through experience. Don’t be afraid to get your boots dirty and be more active in the field. Take on more experiences and roles to continue learning through first-hand experience.
According to Grace Link, Project Manager at Link Construction Group, “Ask as many questions as you can about how things are put together. The people you ask love to talk about their work and don’t mind explaining things to you. You’d be amazed at how much knowledge you can gain from your field guys, supers and subcontractors.”
Congrats! You finally landed the coveted role as a construction project manager.
Whether you want to simply excel in this job or grow into your next position, we’ll provide some ways to help you find success.
Consider your career in construction project management a passion, not a job. If you want to be successful, you need to love what you do – it’s the only way you’ll find the motivation to grow in your career. Beyond taking care of your well-being and mental health and family obligations, immersing yourself fully in a career you love is the only way you’ll find long-term achievement and happiness.
Today’s modern construction PMs need to be willing to embrace new technologies. In addition to construction project management tools and platforms, stay abreast with tech in the field, such as construction project management software. Even if you’re not using these platforms yourself, playing a leading role in getting tech to your teams will pay off big on how communication is done on your construction projects.
Take it from Michael Storer, PM at Shimmick Construction Company,
“Don’t be afraid to try to innovate and suggest new things to a peer that has been doing it the exact same way for the last twenty years. Construction is a collaborative environment. There are new technologies out there emerging every year, month and day. Speaking up and suggesting new things is the only way that this industry is going to progress and become safer, faster and easier. The more we innovate, the better this industry will become.”
Poor communication has a high cost in construction project management, but luckily, it’s a skill that can be enhanced and refined over time. Hone your communication styles, including your emotional intelligence, which will allow you to better understand and connect with your team.
To keep plans in place, construction managers need to be organized. Practice and refine your organizational skills and use technology and tools where applicable.
Keeping your team safe and happy is essential to your success in construction project management. Grow relationships with your team over time and listen to them when they have issues or need help. It’s critical you stay dependable because this is one of the easiest ways to reduce turnover and keep your team around for the long haul.
Henry Escobar, Project Manager at Tellepsen Builders recently reflected on how he has prioritized his team throughout his career.
“People are ultimately more important than the tasks I have to do, even though I have to do them. But there’s always time to listen to whatever they may be going through,” he comments.
If you want to stay successful in your path as a construction project manager – and especially if you’re thinking about a career as a project executive down the road – keep setting goals for yourself. Do routine check-ins to see how you are progressing and adapt when necessary. Moreover, make sure you get feedback from your managers and team members to learn how you can improve.
As a project manager, your reputation within and outside your company and construction project is critical. Make sure you always prioritize communications and interactions with your project owner, so they know what’s going on, feel comfortable and trust the work you’re doing and eventually sing your praises from the rooftops.
Budgeting is another essential skill of a successful project manager, but not everyone has an automatic feel for it. Take the time to improve your budgeting skills with a study of cost control, monitoring and accounting. Knowing how you are spending and what you can cut, when necessary, can help keep your projects on track and signal to your client/owner that you are doing everything you can to make your project budget on target.
You can learn about every construction method and tool in the book, but the only effective ones are those that work best for you and your team/project. Take the time you need to work out kinks, learn what you need to know and practice skills, and you’ll land on your feet sooner than later.
Not all construction project managers make the career jump to a director of construction or project executive. However, a person with a genuine ambition take their career to the next level can accomplish their goal with steady hard work and persistence.
If it’s your ultimate construction career goal and you keep focus and determination, you’ll put yourself in an excellent position for a promotion one day. While all the above tips will help position you to succeed in your role as PM and beyond, focusing on strategy and remaining patient will help get you to that next level.
First, the strategy. If you don’t have a strategic point of view, you’ll find yourself overwhelmed and falling behind your construction project management peers. A strategic focus is critical for thinking beyond the day to day tasks that will overwhelm you if you’re not careful. Use each project as an excuse to showcase your facility with risk assessment, management and overall strategy.
Second, find patience. It takes time and experience to make the leap from project manager to director of construction or project executive. Some roles require more than a decade of on-the-job skill development, while others may require significantly less if it’s the right timing and opportunity. If you really want the job, the best thing you can do is resist the urge to rush your time as a PM. There’s so much you can learn in the office and field during that time, and it’s a shame to waste those opportunities simply holding your breath for the next higher position.
Another opportunity of which it’s smart to avail yourself? Engaging with the right career resources.
Even veteran project managers must keep learning to stay at the top of their game. Luckily, there are tons of career resources out there for construction professionals. If you’re looking for a guiding hand to take your career game to the next level, here are a few of our go-to resources:
Looking for more resources? Check out our blog post listing skills and resources for construction project managers.
Construction project management necessitates an aerial view, and this is just as true figuratively as it is literally. It takes a lot of skill and confidence to keep so many moving parts and people synced up, to transition those parts into a well-oiled whole that stays on schedule and budget.
In addition to taking advantage of resources, utilizing new technologies, enhancing communication wherever possible, educating yourself and more, it’s critical you give yourself the time and support (yes, even self-support) you need to get into a groove. Get enough sleep, ask questions, engage with people you admire and, if it’s not too much to ask, enjoy the journey along the way. Just remember, from the perspective of many four-year-olds in this world, you’re truly living the dream.
