Expert Practices for Construction Management

Project management is the core task confronting every general contractor on multi-trade jobs and every specialty contractor on limited scope work. Many contractors became business owners after first mastering the art and skill of a specialty trade. Unfortunately, the artisan skills required to complete a meticulous job do not equate to project management skills to organize and control the cost, quality and scheduling of every phase of the work. The reputation of the highest rated construction providers is rooted in their adept ability to forecast, control and communicate costs, quality and timing.

As a forty year veteran of this industry, I started out building cabinets and furniture and soon progressed to general construction of custom homes and commercial facilities. I quickly learned that it was not enough to be an accomplished craftsman; the project owners were also looking at a larger pallet of business management tools and services. Skills that I did not possess nor even realized that I needed.

As I traveled the standard career path of a contractor, I began to develop the kind of reporting materials that my customers were always demanding. What I learned was: Keeping track of a budget and a schedule is not a complicated task, but it does require some sophisticated record keeping tools. As I developed my project reports, I noticed that the relationships I had with my customers gradually improved as my record keeping and reporting improved. I no longer had to wrestle over each and every invoice and especially the last one.

I will be posting video tips on this site to share these methods with you.