The project manager position at any company or organization is an important role for a variety of different reasons. Becoming a project manager isn’t easy because not only are you managing the success of a project, but you’re also managing the success of all of the various components of the project. Specifically, in the commercial real estate industry project managers can be found doing a variety of different tasks. Some of these include doing work outside in the field and other tasks are office-based.
TAKE COMPREHENSIVE NOTES
One basic, but effective way to increase your skills as a project manager is to always have a notebook and writing utensil on you. This is so you can take notes at any time. It might seem basic, but project managers are constantly handling a lot of moving parts and keeping track of small tasks that will add up to complete bigger tasks. For example, if you have a commercial development client call you and make a request and then another client who isn’t in commercial real estate calls, you need to be able to take notes on the outcomes of both of those calls. You will need to be able to track everything on paper and reference back to it later. Project managers are always prepared and a solid notebook is the first step.
SET GOALS FOR PROJECTS
Another important step that every project manager needs to recognize is how to set individual goals for each project. Each of these goals needs to be broken down into smaller, individual goals that can be accomplished. One important step that every project manager needs to remember is that these goals should be on a timeline and should have actual completion dates. The completion dates will equal the final completion date of the overall project. These dates that go with each task should be hard deadlines to ensure that the project is completed on time.
DIVIDE WORK EVENLY
Most project managers will be working with a team to make sure that each piece of the project is successfully covered. A good project manager is able to divide and conquer, especially in the commercial real estate industry. Commercial real estate is different for many project managers because it sometimes requires them to be in different places at the same time for clients. The best project managers know the strengths and weaknesses of their team and are able to delegate the members of the team based on who brings what to the table. For example, if it’s a more important client or task, it would be wiser to send out one of the more experienced members of the team or even make the decision to go yourself. However, if it’s a lower priority that shouldn’t take up a lot of time, it would be better to send a member of the team who is less experienced so that they can comfortably gain experience and grow.
BE DETAILED AND ORGANIZED
The last tip in becoming a better project manager is to be as detailed as possible. The more detailed and specific a project manager is, the better communicative they can be with their team and the quicker and more efficient tasks will get done. Clear and concise communication is an extremely important skill for every project manager to possess.
