3 Key Skills of a Project Controls Manager
A successful project is both cost-effective and profitable, and it often falls to the project controls manager to ensure that it’s completed on time and within budget.
Also known as a project planning manager or a project control and oversight manager, the project controls manager oversees project controls, working with cost accounting managers (CAMs) to manage day-to-day operations of the EVMS. That means that he or she is responsible for project planning and scheduling, cost estimating and monitoring, budget and transfer management, and quality review.
In practice, that involves balancing a high-level view with a deep-drive into details in order to provide guidance to project managers. The project controls manager is also charged with developing or updating standard operating procedures for team communication, safety and risk mitigation. In larger organizations or on larger projects, the project controls manager typically leads a team of people focused on all aspects of project and cost controls support activity.
To do this effectively requires three key skills:
Decision-making and analysis: Team members turn to the project controls manager to resolve issues that escalate during the project. They rely on this person to analyze complex data, identify project risk and develop mitigation plans, and support them in making critical decisions based on the best available data and forecasts. A good project controls manager is also comfortable with change and able to help keep the project teams moving forward if a major change of scope takes place during the project’s lifecycle.
Collaboration: The ability to work together is critical in any project, with collaborative teams reporting higher engagement levels, lower fatigue and higher success rates, and EVMS is no different. The project controls manager works closely with other departments, including project managers, crew leaders, superintendents and engineering teams, while working on the project, and this requires the ability to bring people together. Project controls managers excel at encouraging others to collaborate effectively.
Communication: The project controls manager needs to interact with people from multiple departments, making good communication a key skill. Teams rely on the project controls manager to not only analyze bottlenecks, trends and critical paths but also deliver clear and concise messages so that team can act on information and leverage lessons learned in future projects. To succeed in this role, the project control manager needs to be able to express complex technical concepts effectively, both verbally and in writing, to a wide variety of stakeholders. He or she often serves as a liaison between project managers and the finance team.
If you’re a project controls professional with a passion for effectively planning and monitoring projects while getting below the surface to understand what’s really going on, the project controls manager role may be a good fit as you progress in your career. By honing your decision-making and analysis, collaboration and communication skills, you can position yourself to play a critical role in the success of EVM projects.