Assignment on Professional Development

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Professional Development

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Key person specification and skills requirements......................................................................3
Contributing learning events......................................................................................................4
Link between current and future role.........................................................................................5
Personal development plan........................................................................................................6
Close gaps in skills and competencies.......................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................10
Appendix..................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
The objective of this report is to evaluate the skills and competency required to become a
project manager in a construction company and the role of the manager in the organisation.
The key personal specifications and skills which are required for the job role will be
identified in this report to understand how to become a successful project manager. Various
learning events will be analysed in this report which assists in contributing to the skills
development and competencies which are necessary to identify future career plan. Based on
this analysis, links will be identified between skills and competencies in the current role and
the skills and competencies which are required for the future rule. A personal development
plan will be used in this report to highlight the gaps in skills and competencies. This report
will evaluate different ways which can be used to close gaps in skills and competencies for
future rule by leveraging newly acquired skills and competencies for future career
opportunities.

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Key person specification and skills requirements
In order to become successful project manager in Bechtel Global Corporation (BGC), it is
important to understand what are the key specifications and skills required for the job. The
project manager deals with timeline, budget issues, workers, and how the corporation should
growth in the particular field (Buvik and Rolfsen, 2015). The key skill which is necessary for
these jobs is employee relationship. The project manager must have positive and secure
employee relationships which assist them in identifying and resolving the concerns which are
faced by employees. It also assists them in establishing a satisfying work environment in the
workplace which is important in construction sector. In the construction sector, employee
turnover is a major issue for companies due to negative working conditions. The project
manager has the skill of on-boarding to hire new employees and make their transition process
smother to ensure that they remain in the organisation for a longer period of time (Hwang and
Ng, 2013). The project manager must have the ability to manage conflict between employees
to ensure that employees are not busy fighting with each other. Effective communication and
interpersonal skills are crucial for the project managers to ensure that they understand the
issues faced by employees and resolve them within appropriate timeframe to meet the
construction project within appropriate deadline.
Without proper communication skills, the project manager will not be able to understand the
issues of the employees. He/she must be able to understand how to interact with employees
so that they did not face any issues while working in the organisation (Madter, Bower and
Aritua, 2012). Many times the employees are not able to share their queries with the project
manager; therefore, it is the role of the project manager to make them comfortable to ensure
that they are able to disclose their issues which assist them in resolving them. The project
manager must know how to negotiate with employees in terms of remuneration, conflicts and

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others aspects to promote a positive working environment. Remuneration must be decided
within the budget allocated for the construction project. As a project manager, it is important
that he/she must know how to compromise in places and where not to compromise to ensure
that the employees did not take unfair advantage of the friendly nature of the project manager
(Alzahrani and Emsley, 2013). The project manager must act with honesty and integrity to
ensure that employees are able to trust the manager. Compliance with ethical principles is
necessary to ensure that the project manager maintains confidentiality regarding the private
data of employees.
Contributing learning events
There are various learning events in which assist in contributing to developing my skills and
competencies towards identifying future career plans. I have always been good with people
because I am able to understand their issues and I prefer to listen to them before making any
contribution. Communication is a key skill which project managers have to develop during
their career to become effective (Lauring and Klitmoller, 2015). Due to effective
communication skills, I have many friends who come to me for advice. I have acquired many
skills during my academic career which are required for the role of project manager. While
studying for MBA, I have made many friends. I learned a lot while working in groups with
other students. I always engaged with other students to learn new topics together and I also
guide them to achieve our academic goals. During construction projects, collaborative
between employees is important to ensure that employees work towards achieving common
objectives and finish the work within given deadline. During my academic career, I learned
how to manage time which will assist me in completing construction related projects within
reasonable time which are usually delayed by the management.

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While studying for my MBA degree, I learned about new topics relating to how to manage
employees and deal with them. I also learned about challenges faced by modern construction
corporations relating to retention of employees. It is important to understand how project
managers can use different ways to influence the decision of employees in order to negotiate
with them (Zhang and Fang, 2013). While working in groups for study, I also use
psychological skills to understand the issues of my peers in order to avoid conflicts between
them. All these factors encouraged me to become a project manager in BGC to use my skills
to build strong relationship with employees and complete the projects within given deadlines.
Link between current and future role
Following is my personal SWOT to evaluate my current skills and competencies to link them
with my future role’s skills and competencies.
Strengths
 Strong communication skills
 Good presentation skills
 Good time management skills
 Integrity
Weaknesses
 Lack of experience in the field
 No leading experience
 Self-doubt
Opportunities
 MBA degree
 Developing skills through online
courses
 Better career growth options
Threats
 Job uncertainty
 Competition from others having same
qualification
 Difference in knowledge and
interview questions
Currently, I am a student, and I want to become a project manager at BGC. There are various
links between my current skills and competencies and the skills and competencies which are
need for my future role. For instance, I have to communicate with other students during the
learning process in order to understand various topics which I am not able to understand
through lectures. I also need budget management skills to ensure that I am able to finish the

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project within the given deadline and without exceeding the set budget. Similarly, a project
manager has to deal with employees and other members of the project management team
because one person cannot manage the entire construction project (Zhang and Fan, 2013).
Currently, I have to communicate with others to learn new topics and improve my skills.
Similarly, communication is a key skill for project manager to ensure that the manager is able
to communicate with employees in order to understand their issue and resolve the problems
faced by them to finish the construction project within given deadline. However, many times
I did not prefer to talk with others or listen to them while I am upset or tired. Effective
leadership skills are important for a project manager to lead a team of talented individuals.
However, I face self-doubts regarding my skills due to lack of experience in this field.
During my academic career, I need the skill to make presentations and present them in front
of the entire team. I have to make sense charts made on budgets and give by estimations
regarding the money spent on the project. Similarly, I have to make presentation as a project
manager to my team in order to bring them on a single page. There is job uncertainty in this
field due to which the competition has increased between individuals. Many people with
similar qualifications are looking for job in this field which makes it difficult to find a decent
job. The interview questions asked in the job might be different from the knowledge which I
have acquired in my academic career which makes it more challenging for me to get a job.
However, my MBA degree will assist me in applying in BGC based on which I will be able
to get the job. I also rely on only courses to develop my skills in order to become better in
area such as leadership, self-confidence, budget management, and others. Improvement in
these areas will assist me in becoming a better student. There are also better career options
available in this field which will assist me in quickly achieve growth in this market.

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Personal development plan
Following is a personal development plan which will assist me in covering various gaps in
my current skills and competencies and future role skills and competencies.
Skills and competencies Specific mechanism Anticipated outcomes
Improved leadership skills Engagement with other
successful leaders which I
know and learn books
regarding this topic.
Within a period of 3 to 6
months, I will develop
specific leadership traits of
successful leaders.
Build confidence Push myself outside my
comfort zone and try new
things every day which
challenges me to build
confidence and avoid self-
doubt.
It is an on-going process
which I will continue
throughout my career.
Positive attitude I will collect feedback from
my friends and family
members to learn about
negative issues with my
attitude to improve them.
It is an on-going process
which will continue till I
improve my attitude to
achieve my goals.
Close gaps in skills and competencies
Based on the above analysis, there are various gaps in my current skills and competencies
which can stop me from achieving my career goals. In order to close these gaps, there are
various strategies which can be implemented by me to develop my skills and competencies.
In order to improve my leadership skills, I will practice discipline to develop habits which are
important for me to lead a team. I will have to take on more projects in my academic career to
push myself out of my comfort zone. I will also learn to follow others and improve my
listening skills. I will learn about leadership trait of other successful leaders to develop these
traits in myself. Situational awareness is important for a leader that assists in developing

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strategies (She and Li, 2017). I will develop this skill to ensure that I am able to analyse the
current situations by becoming aware regarding the same.
I will improve my ability to inspire others and resolve conflicts. This can only be achieved by
improving my overall personal and become a better version of myself. I will improve my
budget management skills as well to ensure that I am able to complete the project with the
given deadline without exceeding the budget. I have to ensure that I maintain a positive
attitude while dealing with others to avoid negative vibes. It will assist people in trusting my
judgement, and they are more likely to trust my decisions which will assist me in negotiating
between parties and resolving their conflicts. I also have to develop my listening skills which
are crucial for me to ensure that I am able to understand the issues of employees before
giving them advice or resolving their dispute. These skills will assist me be becoming a good
leader who listens to the employees’ problems while giving them advice to resolve their
issues. It will also assist me in passing the interviews for the job and achieve my career goals.

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Conclusion
Based on the above analysis, it can be concluded that there are various skills and
competencies which are needed to become a successful project manager in BGC. The project
manager communicates with employees and the team to resolve their queries and disputes to
retain employees in the workplace for a longer period of time. The project manager is also a
good listener and a confident person who did not fear to get out of his/her comfort zone.
Effective management of budget of the construction project is also important to ensure that
the project did not exceed the set budget and it is finished within the given deadline.
Although I have various skills and competencies which are necessary to become a successful
project manager, however, there are still gaps between them which I can achieve based on the
personal development plan. I have to avoid self-doubt and improve my confidence to ensure
that I did not fear while dealing with difficult situations. I also have to improve my leadership
skills and positively influence my attitude to ensure that I achieve my career goals. Various
strategies are discussed in this report which can assist me in developing my skills and
competencies which are necessary for me to become a project manager.

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References
Alzahrani, J.I. and Emsley, M.W. (2013) The impact of contractors’ attributes on
construction project success: A post construction evaluation. International Journal of Project
Management, 31(2), pp.313-322.
Bechtel. (2018) Project Manager - NPMO. [Online] Available from:
https://jobs.bechtel.com/job/Riyadh-Project-Manager-NPMO-NA/504252500/ [Accessed on
29th November 2018].
Buvik, M.P. and Rolfsen, M. (2015) Prior ties and trust development in project teams–A case
study from the construction industry. International Journal of Project Management, 33(7),
pp.1484-1494.
Hwang, B.G. and Ng, W.J. (2013) Project management knowledge and skills for green
construction: Overcoming challenges. International Journal of Project Management, 31(2),
pp.272-284.
Lauring, J. and Klitmoller, A. (2015) Corporate language-based communication avoidance in
MNCs: A multi-sited ethnography approach. Journal of World Business, 50(1), pp.46-55.
Madter, N., Bower, D.A. and Aritua, B. (2012) Projects and personalities: A framework for
individualising project management career development in the construction
industry. International Journal of Project Management, 30(3), pp.273-281.
She, M. and Li, Z. (2017) Team Situation Awareness: A Review of Definitions and
Conceptual Models. International Conference on Engineering Psychology and Cognitive
Ergonomics, pp. 406-415.

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Zhang, L. and Fan, W. (2013) Improving performance of construction projects: A project
manager's emotional intelligence approach. Engineering, Construction and Architectural
Management, 20(2), pp.195-207.
Zhang, M. and Fang, D. (2013) A continuous behavior-based safety strategy for persistent
safety improvement in construction industry. Automation in Construction, 34, pp.101-107.

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Appendix

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Figure 1: Project Manager Job at BGC
(Source: Bechtel, 2018)