Construction Managers
If you search Google for the most beautiful buildings in the world, you'll see photos of thousands of stunning structures across different countries, and you might wonder how they were built in such an amazing way. We see photos of towering skyscrapers with dozens of floors, massive soccer stadiums that hold thousands of fans, and giant roads and bridges connecting hundreds of cities to each other - we even see buildings constructed on top of mountains and out in seas and oceans. Some construction and building projects can take years of hard work and hundreds of workers to complete. Many specialists take part in building them - engineers, contractors, craftsmen, technicians, and others. One of the most important experts working on any construction project is the "construction manager," known in some countries as a "site manager." This person oversees all the operations carried out during the project, organizes the work of laborers, contractors, and craftsmen, and monitors their performance and how well they stick to their assigned tasks.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Confer with supervisory personnel, owners, contractors, or design professionals to discuss and resolve matters, such as work procedures, complaints, or construction problems.
- Plan, organize, or direct activities concerned with the construction or maintenance of structures, facilities, or systems.
- Determine labor requirements for dispatching workers to construction sites.
- Inspect or review projects to monitor compliance with building and safety codes or other regulations.
- Study job specifications to determine appropriate construction methods.
- Requisition supplies or materials to complete construction projects.
- Prepare and submit budget estimates, progress reports, or cost tracking reports.
- Develop or implement quality control programs.
- Develop or implement environmental protection programs.
- Implement training programs on environmentally responsible building topics to update employee skills and knowledge.
- Inspect or review projects to monitor compliance with environmental regulations.
- Perform, or contract others to perform, pre-building assessments, such as conceptual cost estimating, rough order of magnitude estimating, feasibility, or energy efficiency, environmental, and sustainability assessments.
- Secure third-party verification from sources, such as Leadership in Energy Efficient Design (LEED), to ensure responsible design and building activities or to achieve favorable LEED ratings for building projects.
- Plan, schedule, or coordinate construction project activities to meet deadlines.
- Investigate damage, accidents, or delays at construction sites to ensure that proper construction procedures are being followed.
- Prepare contracts or negotiate revisions to contractual agreements with architects, consultants, clients, suppliers, or subcontractors.
- Implement new or modified plans in response to delays, bad weather, or construction site emergencies.
- Interpret and explain plans and contract terms to representatives of the owner or developer, including administrative staff, workers, or clients.
- Apply for and obtain all necessary permits or licenses.
- Evaluate construction methods and determine cost-effectiveness of plans, using computer models.
- Contract or oversee craft work, such as painting or plumbing.
- Direct and supervise construction or related workers.