Successfully delivering a construction project requires extensive project management skills and experience. The role of a construction project manager is incredibly demanding — they steer the entire project from start to finish.
They have multifaceted responsibilities ranging from dealing with different stakeholders to managing project budgets. Plus, a project manager needs to have a complete picture of the status of the project, as well as how everything is progressing, at all times.
Let’s discuss the top five challenges every project manager faces and how they can overcome them.
1. Project Planning
The first challenge for a construction project manager is planning the project. Once the drawings have been received after the contract has been awarded, project planning is essential for kicking off the work.
The scope of work needs to be understood clearly by everyone involved. The project’s responsibilities get divided between the contractor and the owner.
Primary construction materials such as steel and FFE (furniture, fixture, and equipment) are planned at the start of the project. Sometimes the owner may decide to provide them, but the construction project manager will communicate the quantity needed and the required delivery time.
This is designed to help run the project smoothly.
The next step is to make an accurate project schedule to define the project deadlines and manage resource allocation. Normally, planning engineers help out at this stage to assist with mapping out milestones and make resource planning easier. The materials and labor required during all phases of the project phases will be aligned to this schedule.
2. Cost Overrun
For a project to be successful, the construction project manager must complete everything within scope by the final deadline and initial budget.
Cost overrun is one of the most formidable challenges in construction work. Most construction project managers fail to keep the project within budget. Sometimes these factors are out of the manager's control. For example, the prices of the materials might have risen throughout the project.
Other reasons for cost overrun include a change in work scope by the client, errors in the bill of quantities, or poor labor productivity.
It’s the responsibility of a construction manager to keep all these factors in mind as the project progresses.
How can a skillful project manager control these cost overruns?
A savvy construction project manager will try to transfer any financial risks to the client at the pre-construction stage. Such as adding a clause in the contract to raise an escalation claim if the price of the materials increase.
Experienced construction managers will also use past data to accurately estimate significant items like concrete, steel, and masonry works. They can compare the BOQs generated by the quantity surveyors to get an idea if there might be an error in the initial cost estimates.
Cost increases due to poor labor productivity can be controlled using a labor productivity analysis and estimating the number of workers required for a particular task. Labor efficiency can also be improved by offering them incentives for completing a milestone.
3. Resource Allocation
Effectively managing resources is a key aspect of the construction project manager’s responsibilities. On a big project, the project manager divides the project into smaller parts and assigns a Project Incharge (someone to supervise the work) to each area.
In this case, resources will have to be shared between different areas. Those resources will have to be allocated to each area based on their requirements. Sometimes, this becomes very challenging for the project manager when a resource is required simultaneously at two places.
For example, a concrete pour may be ready at Areas A and B, but the project manager must whether it should go to Area A or Area B first. This can lead to clashes between different project incharges and cause delays in the project.
In such cases, the best way is to hire additional resources. Heavy construction equipment like excavators, loaders, or articulated trucks can be hired from places such as Rent1 USA when additional equipment is needed on short notice or for a brief period of time.
4. Risk Management
Construction projects are full of risks due to their scale and many moving parts. A project's success often depends on how skillfully the construction project manager can plan for, mitigate, or address these risks.
Any risks with severe impact and high probability of occurrence should be dealt with carefully. The list of risks is extensive but for the sake of brevity we’ll just stick to those risks that require the highest level of attention:

• Safety Risks


• Equipment Breakdowns


• Material Shortages

The project manager has to either mitigate risk, avoid it, or transfer it to another stakeholder.
A project manager must finish a project safely (without accidents or injuries) so it’s important to ensure all safety measures per OSHA/CCOHS requirements are followed. These risks can be mitigated by providing strict safety measures by on-site safety engineers.
The equipment breakdown is also a significant risk for construction activities. It can badly hamper a project's progress. Doing your own repairs using online tutorials for minor issues like changing a filter or replacing boom lights on an excavator can help keep costs and downtime at a minimum. Otherwise, the construction project manager might keep extra equipment on site or have rental equipment companies on board to provide equipment in case of machinery breakdown.
Material shortages are a severe problem in construction projects. A construction project manager shouldn’t rely on a single supplier to supply materials. Using multiple suppliers can help mitigate or avoid any material shortages or supply chain issues. It's always a good idea to order materials well ahead of when they’ll be needed so there are no delays.
5. Stakeholder Management
Stakeholder management is a critical part of construction project management. Stakeholders include clients, consultants, subcontractors, architects, project employees, and government authorities.
Satisfying all the stakeholders is a difficult job. The clients might want to make changes to the project frequently, but it’s not always possible to incorporate those changes. A project manager needs to be capable of keeping the client focused on what’s in the scope of the project and what’s not.
Project managers also need to address any issues related to subcontractors. Providing them with the resources they need to do their work and make payments on time.
Finally, a project manager must also inform upper management about how to project is progressing. Keeping them satisfied the project is moving along according to plan and will be completed within budget.
Conclusion
A construction project manager is the cornerstone of any construction project. It’s a demanding role with some challenging responsibilities. The successful completion of a project depends on how skillfully the manager deals with them. Knowing these challenges beforehand can help any beginner or seasoned project manager to overcome them.