A career as a construction manager is rewarding. As a project manager, you’re directly impacting the construction of the buildings we learn, live, work, and heal in. While it’s an exciting job, it is also a challenging one. We’re taking a look at the key success factors of a construction manager.

Delegate. The best project managers are good at delegating. It’s not enough to just simply assign tasks to people. You want to be clear about the task and make sure the employee understands what is expected of them. Check in and be available to support your team.

Communicate. To be a good construction manager, you have to have good communication skills. You need to communicate with the foremen, your office personnel and other contractors on the project. For a project to run smoothly, everyone needs to be on the same page. Ongoing communication will keep the project on track and on budget.

*Pro tip: Get to know the crew on a personal level. Ask your team and other contractors you’re working with about their families or weekend plans. People are motivated to work harder for someone they respect and consider a friend as opposed to just a boss.

Be Onsite. As a project manager, you have meetings and a desk at the office. While it’s important to spend some time at the office, you need to be onsite as much as possible. It’s hard to effectively manage a construction project when you’re not there! Being onsite allows for more face-to-face communication and real-time problem solving.

Manage Closely. There are a lot of moving parts on every project that need to be managed but the schedule and the budget are two of the most important parts to your customer. Detailed time and budget management are crucial to successful project execution.

Be Flexible. With construction, it’s inevitable that there will be changes. Weather, revised plans, employee illness, and unforeseen problems are all part of the job. While it’s your job to manage as much as you can, be willing to be flexible with contractors and your crew from time to time.