Soft Skills vs. Data Mining in Project Controls

No matter the background they came from, folks in the project controls world are usually known for being analytical, quick on their feet, and right at home in overwhelming amounts of numbers. You might picture someone with a headset, hard at work in front of an intimidating desktop set up, completely tuning out the world and parsing through the data.  Sometimes project controls work does look like that! However, those who excel in the industry also have strong soft skills and don’t see data and people skills as being at odds. Both are critical – and holding space for both can take some practice. 

Data mining mindset 

There’s no getting around it-project controls work requires the ability to review, understand, and consider spreadsheets and numbers of high complexity. While there are a few tools on the market like The Hammer Solutions that take out some of the menial work involved, a project controls analyst must still be able to pull apart the threads to find the patterns. A data mining mindset involves critical thinking and the drive to poke and prod at things that might seem small on the surface. For example, if a monthly report looks good overall but shows the project is slightly underbudget, it can be useful to do some data mining and analysis. Under budget is great; however, does that indicate some resources haven’t been used yet when they should? How does the timeline look? Prodding at those numbers can reveal information that helps head off issues down the road. 

Soft skill specialties  

Dealing with challenges is a major place where soft skills come in for analysts, but it’s not the only one. Behind each of the numbers in a spread sheet is a story involving multiple people working on a project. They all have backgrounds, roles, hopes, and challenges that affect what the numbers turn out to be. And ultimately, any project will impact people and hopefully be something that contributes to net good. Analysts need communication, empathy, and listening skills when sharing reports, brainstorming in a team meeting, or discussing a project challenge. Project analysts must be people specialists.  

Combining the two 

Combining both data and soft skill sets is the sweet spot where project controls pros thrive. Poke at the patterns and use your understanding of the people and team involved to add context. Consider how people receive and understand data and design your reports with that in mind. Collaborate with the team to uncover the stories underneath both positive and negative data. The numbers move in the right direction when people are cared for and doing well in their project work.  

If you’re looking for a consultant to help your team better balance these two skill types, reach out to us today.