Career Futures: Employability Skills
The importance for the role of project manager is increasing day by day. I want to be a project manager as I love this job profile and I think I have the capability to manage my team members as well as complete the project on time within the allocated budget.
In this study I will discuss the reasons behind my desire to be a project manager in the construction sector. In addition, I will talks about the way I go for developing my personal skills as well as my professional skills.
I want to be a project manager. Some reasons are there behind my goal to be a project manager. Such as:
- Requirements and future outlook: I perceived that the demand for PM specialists is high. Due to the new requirement of the Project manager’s job, the need for these skilled PM staff will increase. Therefore, choosing this job profile for my career will give me many career opportunities.
- Rewards: professionals of project manager receive attractive awards. They have the ability to handle difficult situations. According to the PMI’s “Project Management Payroll Survey-Tenth Edition” report, the average salary of US PM specialists is $ 122.3 and in India it is between $ 25,000 and $ 26,000. The report also mentions the annual increase in wages in the role of the Project Manager.
- People orientation: I want to be surrounded by many people. In addition, I am good enough to manage people. It is required for the project manager to be good at getting stakeholders to manage and execute projects (Mossalam and Arafa 2016).
- Travel internationally: I love to travel around the world and this is why I choose the job of project manager as my career. Then PM-related profiles provide this opportunity. I can travel around the world and lead multiple projects.
- Flexibility of working: even though project managers are assumed to perform extensively on a project in a hand, every so often they gain the flexibility so that they can be able to work as per their own way. As good work life balance can be maintained by this profession, I choose this as my profession.
- Various industries and fields: The work of the Project Manager is not limited to any specific sector or industry. In addition, I can be able to get the privilege for working in several industries and environments as well. Eventually it increasesmy prospects in landing a job in industries of my choice.
7.Risk Manager: Managing several risks is the main role of project manager. I can be able to manage the risks by thinking critically and I as well able to assist the companies byrecognising probable risks at the time of conducting a new project. That way, the chances of project failing can be greatly reduced.
- Get training at the CEO level: The responsibility along with the exposure of the project manager and CEO are very similar as both of them are responsible for managing people. Moreover, bothof them are focused on financial results. They sometimes take initiative to achieve their goals. Both communicate goals and team expectations. Thus, the role of PM can be considered as a kind of specialist training for future CEO roles.
- Learning Opportunity: The role of the Project manager gives me the opportunity to learn something new every day. The project manager has a clear set of knowledge. And always communicate with companies and people to ensure success. They know how to obtain and manage the knowledge to make future projects successful (Hodgson and Paton 2016).
I want to be a project manager of the construction sector. In case the project manager is in charge of the managed project, it may seem as important as managing the project. Moreover, project managers are accountable for overseeing the project from start to finish.
Generally,the role of accounting, forming, executing and programingthe whole construction project are included in these. This is the reason I want to be the project manager of construction industry.
In addition, I perceived that Project managers not only work for themselves but also for subcontractors, for the general contractors and for many others. None but project managers are accountable for the accounting, forming, executing and programing the whole construction project. I can as well be able to select the team of the construction for instances crews, subcontractors along with foremen.
The role of the project manager
I perceived that the exact role of the project manager in any project depends on the project. A large project can have multiple project managers. Along with that, every project manager can work on individual projects and I can also be able to work on different projects.
For example, electric subcontractors and HVAC subcontractors may have different project managers. In these examples, they work under the project manager who coordinates their efforts.
The best construction manager is responsible for the overall health and well-being of the project, but leaves one with small but important details.Project managers may have different skills and construction backgrounds than other projects. While there are simple ways to be a construction manager, this does not mean that there is only one road one.
After all, I observed that working experience of an individual is the ultimate thing that is valued by most companies. As I want to be a project manager of construction sector, I want to work at the urban sector of the UK, as there are more opportunities of job than any other part of the country (Bredillet,et al.2015).
In order to be a project manager of the construction sector I perceived that I must develop my personal and professional skills. So, I work hard to develop my skills such as:
- Timeline planning
The manager of the project is contemplated as the keepers of the calendar because he/ she is responsible for setting the milestones and deadlines when mapping the project timeline.
To do this effectively, I need to understand my organization’s general workflow and work and resource dependency to plan accordingly. It is also helpful to understand some general project management plans, such as the critical path approach, which makes it very easy to plan realistic project calendars (Englund and Bucero 2019).
In order to develop this skill, I must do enough practice;as the ancient saying goes, the practice would be perfect. So I should start planning my project timeline (even personal ones). At the time of developing this skill I must be able to identify areas for improvement.
The project calendar is my responsibility, but I do not have to provide a complete overview. I should ask my team members abouttheir thoughts on how long it will take to finish a particular task, especially if I haven’t done it before.
This helps to get a more realistic understanding of the time needed to calculate. Finally, I can perform an independent study on the concept of popular planning (hereinafter called critical path approach) as I know how to apply these tools and best practices (Blaskovics, 2016).
- Budget of the project
Project managers need to deliver projects on time, as well as on-budget (or budget below). I do not have to be a financial expert; I just need to make sure that I have enough money to make my project a success.
Understand basic budgeting and financial planning is the most important skills of the project manager. According to the Project Management Institute’s 2017 pulse survey, inadequate funding was one of the reasons for the failure of the project.
In order to develop this skill I must be able to comprehend the scope of the project thoroughly. It is important that I do not take this step quickly and do not spend enough time; energy and research to choose everything that will include my project.
Lastly, I should make this a habit of comprising a contingency so I will be accounting for surprises. If everything goes well, I will be under budget in case of a surprise (Sadeghi,et al.2014).
- Data analysis and reporting
Another important responsibility of the project manager is to monitor and report on the progress and effectiveness of the project team, end clients and other stakeholders.
This can present a unique challenge. Project managers need to be creative but have an analytical mind that can summarize, summarize and present important information.
I must develop this skill and this is why I choose to take the online courses on data analysis. SkillShare offers many data analysis courses using a variety of tools.
Even with elementary education, data analysis can be intimidating. Along with that I as well look for different data filtering and reporting views to challenge me to identify new trends or themes, and view weekly (W), monthly (wax) and year over year (YoY) comparison.
Also, it can be useful to begin the analysis process with existing questions about my project and use that data to search for my answers. This will help me to focus on analytics and reports of the most important information along with the best way to present it (Keil,et al.2013).
- Meeting facilitation
From project wrapping to status update meetings, project managers need the convenience of multiple meetings. We all had bad conventions that were good at coordinating conversations and knowing our own abilities (ironically, 37% of conferences are considered catalysts).
Thus, project managers should make better plans and meetings rather than frustrating valuable work time, a productive use of their time.
In order to develop this skill I should always have references and orientations ready for a brief and straightforward meeting. That way, the conference is probably a great catch-up session and I don’t have to. When attending meetings, I should be aware of success and frustration. That way, these lessons can improve my own sit-downs.
- Project management tools and resources
From collaboration management software to analytics tools, project managers need to be familiar with different platforms and resources. However, the exact tools I need to master will depend on the type my organization.Most digital tools and platforms offer in-depth tutorials, tours or training to help me to get the most out of every feature.
As I work with these resources, I can come up with software and features to create experimental projects and become familiarize with them before using them in my sown projects (Medina and Medina 2014).
Recently, I had to make a huge decision that would affect the next few years of my life. I have found that it is very difficult to make the best decisions and feel comfortable after making a decision. Effective decision making is one of the daily soft skills of many project managers, so I think it’s worth sharing some good practices and tips.
According to the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK), effective decision making involves the ability to influence and influence a company and its project management team to negotiate. some guidelines are there for making decisions, such as:
- Focus on a specific goal
- Follow the decision making process
- Study the environmental issues
- Analyse the available data
- The team inspires creativity
- Risk management
Decision making style
Place an order to do things.
I perceived that Commands are more autocratic style and appropriate in many situations, but not so much in the context of a project if there are no security issues (González, et al.2013).
Discuss with team members
It is advisable to consult with a team member while following the correct decision making process which will probably lead to the best outcome.At the end of the decision-making process, the team member and the public should agree on the most likely decision.
However, there are four key factors by means of which my decision-making style can be influenced.
- Time constraints
- Trust
- Quality
- Recognition
Decision making model
1 Problem Definition
When faced with an important decision, it is very important for me to thoroughly investigate, clarify and define the matter. I should see it from all angles, not just from my own perspectives.
2 Generation of Troubleshooting
Here is the part where I don’t make premature decisions without knowing multiple solutions.
3 ideas to Action
I need to set the criteria for evaluation. Then there are many tools available to help me with the strengths and weaknesses of the best solution options, such as the “Multi-Standard Calculator” that I can download from Project Management.com.
4 Solution Action Plan
After making a decision it is advisable to conduct a subsequent analysis to evaluate the decision and to recognize the lessons learned (Sunindijo 2015).
5 Assessing Results
The final step in the process is to determine how well the problem was resolved and whether the project goals were met.
Blaskovics, B., 2016. The impact of project manager on project success—The case of ICT sector. Society and Economy. In Central and Eastern Europe ǀ Journal of the Corvinus University of Budapest, 38(2), pp.261-281.
Bredillet, C., Tywoniak, S. and Dwivedula, R., 2015. What is a good project manager? An Aristotelian perspective. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), pp.254-266.
Englund, R. and Bucero, A., 2019. The complete project manager: Integrating people, organizational, and technical skills. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
González, G.E.G., Casas, G.H.P. and Coronado, C.A.L., 2013. Project manager profile characterization in the construction sector in Bogotá, Colombia. Project Management Journal, 44(6), pp.68-93.
Hodgson, D.E. and Paton, S., 2016. Understanding the professional project manager: Cosmopolitans, locals and identity work. International Journal of Project Management, 34(2), pp.352-364.
Keil, M., Lee, H.K. and Deng, T., 2013. Understanding the most critical skills for managing IT projects: A Delphi study of IT project managers. Information & management, 50(7), pp.398-414.
Medina, R. and Medina, A., 2014. The project manager and the organisation’s long-term competence goal. International Journal of Project Management, 32(8), pp.1459-1470.
Mossalam, A. and Arafa, M., 2016. The role of project manager in benefits realization management as a project constraint/driver. HBRC journal, 12(3), pp.305-315.
Sadeghi, H., Mousakhani, M., Yazdani, M. and Delavari, M., 2014. Evaluating project managers by an interval decision-making method based on a new project manager competency model. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, 39(2), pp.1417-1430.
Sunindijo, R.Y., 2015. Project manager skills for improving project performance. International Journal of Business Performance Management, 16(1), pp.67-83.
In order to be the project manager of the construction industry I focus on my personal strength and weakness and also make an attempt to develop my personal skills to be suitable enough for this post.
- Collaboration
I am not working on a project alone. I should be able to manage project teams of different skills and personality types. Working with them is not only my job, they also ensure that they all work together to make my project a success.
This is an important responsibility if 97% of employees and executives believe that a lack of coordination between teams will affect the outcome of their work or project.
I should develop this skill and I should Start a team-wide operation to do Personality Assessment (DSC Assessment, Energy Searcher, Myers-Briggs Type Index, etc.) to better understand what motivates one another.
The general team should seek feedback on common collaboration challenges and frustrations and how they can be overcome, and do not diminish the capabilities of the seek-and-real-time collaboration tools.
- Communication
I work with the entire project team but I am the ship’s crew. It is up to me to talk about my project goals, opportunities, expectations and timelines. So communication systems (yes, both verbal and written) are very important as project managers.
The Project Management Institute (PMI) survey of project management skills and capabilities identified verbal communication as one of the top five most important skills.
One of the best ways to learn how to interact with different people is to put myself in a new situation.
- Organization
The project manager must be very consistent and an uptime manager to keep the project off track. If it does not, it means that I am spending a lot of time looking for the information and resources I need to keep the project going, and the risk of navigating the configured timeline is very high.
It takes a lot of time and energy to reinstall the wheel. If I haven’t already done so, I can reuse templates, procedures, and standard workflows at the beginning of each new project And finally, I should find the project management software that works for me and my own team.
As the process is more standard and everyone has the same tools, everything is easier to equip.
There was lot of expectation in the week one. Class was started with the introduction of the module by means of which all of us were able to recognize the way type of the competition that is prevalent in the world of business.
The way to face these challenges was also learned by us in this week. In the second session of the module we gain the clarty about the hard work to acquire our job. With the help of this session I was able to recognize my personal weakness and strengths.
Due to the outbreak of COVID 19 from week three we were assigned for virtual classes and I gain the knowledge about the employment opportunity in this session. I learn the way to frame my CV so that I can be able to gain the attraction of the employer was learned by me in the fourth session.
