Why hire a Project Manager?

– A valuable component: A PM ensures your project runs smoothly from start to finish

– Hiring a PM doesn’t mean added costs: a savvy PM has strong vendor relationships and direct industry experience that will ensure money is well spent

– Meet your goals: A PM works with you to establish your business goals even after the project is over

A project manager leads and integrates all elements of a building project to maximise overall results. This is conducted from planning to design and engineering through to construction and commissioning. Although hiring a project manager is often considered as an added expense, they frequently deliver significant cost savings through improved processes, timely coordination and integration of all project contributors. They become the trusted advisor who are solely responsible for coordinating the project and driving performance throughout the process. 

CS2’s Top 3 Steps To Finding The Right Project Manager 

How to find the right Project Manager for you?

1. First, ask yourself who you would trust with your project. 

Whether your project is £50,000 or £5 million, entrusting a project manager can be daunting when you may have strict budgets, timescales and stakeholders to impress. 

So why should you use an external professional Project Manager?

1. They are involved from a project’s inception and therefore can develop a clear vision and strategy.

2. They are capable of determining priorities, decision making hierarchies and a schedule, based on your objectives.

3. The project manager takes a holistic approach assuming responsibility for coordinating all of the diverse services and activities to deliver the project successfully.

4. An in-house project manager can be cost effective and have a great understanding of company culture however, may lead to reduced focus as they take on multiple projects.

5. Architects and contractors are extremely knowledgeable within their own area of expertise but may lack objectivity and strategy perspective due to their limited exposure to one aspect of a project.

6. Freelance project managers can work confidently and independently due to working for themselves and are cost effective as they are paid per project. However, they may have less experience from working alone rather than the collective experience of a company.

2. Next, assess the skill set you would want your Project Manager to have. 

It’s clear that strong Project Managers are proficient in areas such as math and analysis, communication, coordination and delegation. However, outstanding project managers will usually possess these work style traits: 

• Assertiveness
• Composure
• Decisiveness
• Confidence 
• Risk tolerance

It is key for project managers to be fully flexible and adapt to different scenarios where unexpected problems can arise. The ability to problem solve quickly, whilst remaining composed to clients and stakeholders, shows professionalism and will help to keep the project on track for completion, whilst remaining on budget and schedule. 

3. Lastly, find a PM that has experience overcoming challenging situations. Without a Project Manager, building projects can spiral out of control! 

Scenario: A retailer aimed to establish 12 new stores in London within one year, but was only able to complete 5. Poor quality, late openings and insufficient program coordination disappointed both internal and external stakeholders. 

Solution: Hiring the right professional PM from the start, with the right skill set, could have established processes and procedures that not only build the new stores on schedule, but could liaise with stakeholders to keep them informed of the progress whilst utilising their expert knowledge to ensure the quality of new stores were to an exceptional standard. 

CS2 have extensive experience project managing in a range of sectors from retail and office, to industrial and logistical. To find out more about CS2’s Project and Development Services, check out our services here, or contact us today.