Construction Project Management: What is It? And What's Involved?

What is construction project management? 

Construction project management is similar to project management in a wide variety of industries, but it has its own complexities, processes, and procedures specific to the construction industry. Another important aspect of construction project management is the use of construction document management as it involves managing all documents related to a construction project, such as design plans, contracts, specifications, standards, drawings, models, and test reports. It helps ensure that documents are available and up-to-date for all project tasks, stakeholders, and regulatory compliance. Construction project managers must learn to be detailed, and thorough to keep on top of their projects.

Typically there is a wide variety of constraints specific to the design and build of projects. Construction project management interacts with a variety of disciplines, from planning to architecture to engineering, construction project managers have a lot on their hands. With big budgets, lots of touchpoints, stakeholders, and deadlines, construction project management is complex and crucial to making sure buildings are completed up to code and on time.

Construction project management typically resides in one of the following verticals.

Whether it's residential, commercial, industrial, instructional, or engineering - construction project management is similar across the types of construction projects. While each vertical has its own variables and challenges, there is a similarity in workflow across these projects.

So, what does a construction project manager do?

As mentioned above, there is a lot that goes into construction project management. This is where construction project managers come in hand. Construction project managers are there to manage the state of a project all the way until the build is completed and the keys are passed on to the new owners.

On a day to day basis, you’ll see a construction manager doing some of the following items:

What are the four stages of construction project management?

There are four main stages of construction project management: design, pre-construction, procurement, and completion. Here’s a quick snippet of what happens in each phase:

Design stage: In the design stage, it's important for the project manager to make sure the design matches the code, collect client information, plus pull everything together for construction. Here is where the concept will be conceptualized, the schematic design built, and research begins. Everything from the size and style of each room, to the materials, floorplans, and local building codes will be taken into place here. Once everything is ready on the design end the final drawing and specs will be compiled and contracts will be put together for outside contractors to bid on the job.

Preconstruction stage: Once the contracts are out, and bids start coming back, you've reached the procurement stage of the process. In this stage of the process, you will determine the rest of the personnel. A superintendent, field engineer, and entry-level position to help with paperwork are usually hired at this stage in the process. This is also the point where the site must be investigated to make sure the site is ready for construction and doesn't have any environmental concerns.

Procurement stage: You have the plan, and the people for the job. In the procurement stage, you must purchase materials and equipment. In this stage, you will work with purchase orders between the buyer and seller and get everything ready for the final phase.

Construction stage: Now you are ready to get started! In this stage, you will have a meeting to set up work hours, storage of material, site access, quality control, and get your teams up and ready to go. Make sure you have a schedule and process to deliver payments to employees, and you have a system to manage your work orders. Once the project is complete, you can pat yourself on the back and say good job to its completion!

What is a construction project management software? And how does it help during the process?

Construction management software is a software system that allows you to manage all stages of your construction build. You'll need a solution for work orders, tasks, tracking materials, and keeping stakeholders in on the details. Having a proper project management system can help you make sure nothing gets lost, off-track, or off-budget in your next project build.

Picking a construction management software that will fill all the needs for your projects is critical. At Workast, we've helped hundreds of construction project managers manage their projects from concept to completion. With the ability to hold and store all information right in one Board, plus add followers to projects, the ability to survey clients, and more - Workast is a great solution for construction project management.

Have you used Workast for your construction project management needs? We'd love to hear your story. Send us a line or drop us a tweet for a chance to get featured on our blog! Here's to happy building!