Five important traits of the Project Manager in Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering

Looking for a project manager? Then here are 5 traits you should keep your eye out for!

Every project needs leadership. Someone who can organise, plan and see the idea through to completion. And it’s no easy task being that person. They need to have certain traits that set them apart from the rest.

Here we’re going to look at those traits so that when you’re next looking for a project manager, you know what to keep your eye out for.

Command – Probably the most important trait any ‘manager’ can have is the ability to command authority naturally. You don’t want your project manager to rely on other people to get the message across. They’re born leaders and everyone knows it.

They know the business – It’s important that they have a complete understanding of the industry and project they’re managing. So if it’s urban regeneration, they should know everything there is to know in case a member of the team has a question. And if it’s drainage, the same goes.

It’s all well and good that they can lead, but if they don’t know a thing about what’s going on within the project they’re going to be useless.

Quickly adapt – Anyone who has worked on any type of project will know that things can go wrong, and quickly. It could be a contractor doesn’t turn up; a material is delayed in delivery. The project manager should be able to assess the situation and propose a solution fast.

Without this ability these little mishaps could ruin the timescale of a project.

Communication – Whilst being able to lead a project they should be able to take in any suggestions team members have too. If they can’t communicate clearly to their team, or to stakeholders then there’s bound to be an issue.

Mixed messages aren’t what you need onsite.

Motivators – Let’s face it, some days, work isn’t a place you want to be. A team leader needs to be able to turn those days around and motivate a team to get the job done.

If they can’t motivate they have no place as leaders of a project.

Team leading is about more than organisation. It requires personality, knowledge and authority, without these things they’ll struggle to take the helm of a project

Civil Engineering