This is a guest post by Githal Pathirana.
Managing projects in any industry is a challenge. Project managers must have the ability to listen thoroughly, think quickly, and delegate properly, all while
tracking results and making necessary adjustments. To say it requires a level-headed person capable of organized multi-tasking is an understatement. A project manager in the engineering industry has the extra challenges of dealing with creative minds that tend to wander as well as those who aren’t necessarily creative, the minds that can get specific jobs done on time but don’t always think outside the box. A successful project manager in the engineering industry will tell you there are five requirements for success in the field. This are especially important to understand and start to implement for those of you currently experiencing a design engineer to manager transition.
PLAN
Without a solid plan, nothing gets started, much less done. Determine the overall goal, and then break that goal down into parts. Study and research each element, including cost, of each part of the plan. After all, the ultimate goal is a plan that will lead to a finished project on time and within budget. List materials needed and look into what skilled expertise will be required for each step in the process, again including cost, from A to Z.
SCHEDULE
After laying out a plan, a good project manager will set that plan on a schedule. Of course, most projects take longer than expected due to an incredible number of issues, but a project manager who understands the parts of the plan will be able to craft a reasonable schedule that shouldn’t leave the project running too absurdly late. A project manager constantly unable to meet reasonable goals won’t be a project manager very long. [Read more…] about Five Must Do’s as a Project Manager in the Engineering Industry