Project Manager Challenges: Causes and Solutions for Project Delays

This report delves into the multifaceted issue of delays in construction projects, examining the challenges faced by project managers in ensuring timely project completion. It highlights the crucial roles of both functional managers and project managers, emphasizing the importance of collaboration for effective project execution. The report identifies common problems such as geographically dispersed teams, unrealistic deadlines, communication deficits, and inadequate risk management, further elaborating on how these issues can lead to project delays and increased costs. It uses the scenario of a public housing project to illustrate potential causes of delay including contractor-related issues, material supply problems, and labor disputes. The report also provides strategies for mitigating delays through effective project management techniques, emphasizing the importance of hard skills such as cost estimation and soft skills such as communication. Ultimately, the report underscores the significance of proactive project management to meet stakeholder expectations and deliver successful projects on time and within budget; Desklib offers more resources on this topic.

Running head: DELAY IN HANDING OVER OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Delay in handing over of construction projects
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DELAY IN HANDING OVER OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Delay in handing over of construction projects
A Project Manager is a person who is responsible for the successful completion of the
project and manages all the stages of the project life cycle. His ultimate aim is to deliver the
project to the customer according to the specification and choices of the customer without delay
of time and without excessive cost incurrence. For a Project Manager to work effectively,
collaboration with Functional manager is mandatory. Let’s understand who functional managers
are and how they differ from project managers. Functional managers are those who are managing
the core operations of the business and are appointed permanently, usually for a longer period of
time. On the other hand, Project Managers are appointed for a particular task such as building a
new branch, constructing a port, etc. Project Managers are usually appointed for a particular
period of time whose job is completed after the completion of the project (Guida & Sacco, 2019).
The authorities given to project managers are usually restricted, especially the cost and
expenditure control, legislative decision making, etc. for the reason that Project Managers might
not have sufficient experience of handling specific tasks. Thus, usually, financial controls are not
given to the PM. However, many Project Management specialists say that they should have
control over costs and expenditure within a specified and agreed limit. This should be one reason
why Functional Manager must collaborate closely with the project manager and understand their
compelling issues (Lee, 2011).
The problems and the effects of delaying construction projects
Project Managers may face various kinds of problems and challenges during the time
span of the project. Coping effectively with these challenges will move the project toward
success and vice versa (Gebrehiwet & Luo, 2017).
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DELAY IN HANDING OVER OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Geographically dispersed project teams are one of the most acclaimed challenges faced
by project managers. Since projects require collaborative efforts to be completed, a
geographically dispersed project team is a big challenge. However, this problem may be
overcome by a centralized project management solution. It may be in shape of a blog, or an
interactive website. Yahoo groups, Facebook groups, Google Wave, etc. may be used for
accomplishing this purpose (Doloi, Sawhney, Iyer, & Rentala, 2012). Unrealistic deadline is
another problem which is quite common. Deadlines should be given keeping in view the external
and risk factors. The activities may stop due to several reasons especially when the environment
is risky. If the Project Manager gets a tight deadline, he/she should first negotiate with the
customer and should also highlight the possible drawbacks of hurrying up. The tight deadline
may be met by creative planning and alternatives analysis (Marzouk & Rasas, 2014).
Communication deficit is another intense problem. It happens in the shape of team
members or project manager not providing a sufficient amount of data to people. This problem
mostly occurs due to the lack of infrastructure or culture for good communication. This problem
can be solved by determining a proper flow of communication and telling all the members that
what information they have to give to whom.
Failure to manage risk causes great trouble and hindrance. Therefore, risk should be
assessed, and actions must be taken to reduce its chances of happening. The problem also occurs
when the goals and objectives of the project are not defined. This will lead the team to an
obscure path (Nagata, Manginelli, Lowe, & Trauner, 2018). Efficient project manager with good
hard skills can easily determine the scope of the project using various models and using their soft
skills can effectively convey the same to the team member.
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The problem also occurs when the customer and the end-user are not included during the
project. The final result should indeed be in accordance with the customer’s specifications and
choice. However, sometimes the project team gets deeply involved in their own world of internal
deliverables, deadlines, and process and usually avoid the most important stakeholder.
Cost estimation is one of an extremely important hard skill that must be possessed by a
Project Manager. By using it, the proper budget is developed at the start of the project which
should not exceed in later stages of the project. Similarly, timescale must be created by PM for
each activity and phase of the project, using forecasting skills(Johnson, 2012).
We will consider a project before discussing how delays come about and ways to control
it from such delays.
Imagine a construction of five hundred public housing units in an annexed near a town
sponsored by a local authority area which was a bare land had previously not had any
infrastructure. The project then needs architects to design the houses, civil engineers to design,
among other developments, access roads, electricity lines, sewerage system, and communication
lines or system. Electricity line and communication lines require electrical and communication
engineers. The area has to be cleared first and shaped in a manner to consider how the housing
should look like. The project manager will consult all these experts in the design and
construction process (Yang & Kao, 2012).
Some of the reasons that cause a delay in the construction of these housing units can arise
caused by the contractor, the owner of the project (local authority) or natural causes which are
beyond either of the two.
The contractor may not adequately plan the construction, and in the process, the
contractor faces new realities on the ground that may require more work. The ground might not
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be firm enough to sustain building, or the ground might be rocky with huge stones which might
need to be removed from the site or the construction area moved to a new place altogether. This
will involve adjusting the budget to include the expenses on the changes. On the other hand, the
contractor implementing the project might lack the necessary capacity to complete the entire
project. The workers might lack the skills required, works spending more man hours than
planned for and the contractor’s inability to secure enough start-up financing (Muhamad,
Mohammad, Ahmad, & Ibrahim, 2016).
During execution, some delays might come about if the supplier does not deliver the
scheduled materials on time to effect timely construction, the equipment being used might break
down if they are old or misused, and some problems might come related to human capital if for
example some employees are promoted leaving space to be filled in replacement which might
not result in an individual with the right skill. Still, the labor unions might raise employee-related
disputes resulting in a boycott of work (Arditi, Nayak, & Damci, 2017).
How to solve the problem of delaying construction projects
The ultimate aim of a Project Manager is to make happy the project sponsors and all
stakeholders included through efficient completion of the project without consuming an
excessive amount of money and time. Therefore, Project Managers are required to apply
management techniques and systems from the beginning of the project to completion, and these
factors are quite helpful in achieving the ultimate objectives of a project which are quality, time,
scope and cost. Project Management must also need to master in soft and hard skills (Mukuka,
Aigbavboa, & Thwala, 2015). Hard skill deals with a subject such as a cost control, change
management, project life cycle, network analysis, earned value analysis, risk management,
quality management, estimation, procurement and tender analysis (Aziz & Abdel, 2016).
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DELAY IN HANDING OVER OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
The hard skills require to break down of the project into various activities and phases and;
proper time allotted to each of them. Among the hard skills, the project manager requires to set
the goals on the basis of allotted times. The project manager should determine what skills and
types of machinery will be required to do the various task of the project. For example, for
constructing a port, dredging is required which requires dredger and a driver for it. The PM is
required to forecast a proper budget. The project manager is required to develop and implement
systems and process designs for Risk and Issues Management, Change Control, Product
Assurance which should be least time and cost consuming (Bergantiños & Lorenzo, 2019).
In the Initiation stage, the scope and approach of the project are defined. In this stage, a
Project Manager is appointed, who selects various team members keeping in view the required
skills and experiences (Reuters, 2016). A feasibility study is conducted, and project charter is
developed which helps in defining goal, vision, the end result of the project and also mentions
the stakeholders among other things. After that, Project Office is set with a suitable location and
necessary equipment’s required among other things.
In the planning stage, sets of the plan are created to guide the team members from the
starting of the project to its end. There are several types of plan that have to be created which
includes Project Plan, Resource Plan, Financial Plan, Risk Plan, Acceptance Plan,
Communications Plan, Procurement Plan, etc.
In the Execution and Implementation phase, project activities are properly executed and
controlled. It is the longest phase of project lifecycle where the project manager needs to monitor
and control the project by implementing various management processes which will help in
managing procurement, customer acceptance and communications (Remon Fayek Aziz, 2013).
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DELAY IN HANDING OVER OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
In this phase, a project manager should perform time, cost, quality, change, risk, and issue and
acceptance management.
In Closure phase, the project is formally closed whereas the overall success is reported to
the sponsor. It includes, “handing over the deliverables to your customer, passing the
documentation to the business, canceling supplier contracts, releasing staff and equipment, and
informing stakeholders of the closure of the project.” Post Implementation Review is conducted
after the closure of a project which examines the successfulness of the project (Niazi & Painting,
2017).
In conclusion, delays in handing over construction projects cost nations billions of dollars
annually. Avoiding these delays can safe all the stakeholders a lot of money. Project managers
use their soft and hard skills to meet the requirement of the stakeholders involved in it. The
stakeholders for a project are the customer for which the project is being conducted and the
contractor who is conducting the Project Management task. It also includes all those people and
organization that are indirectly affected by the success or failure of the project. For example, if a
bank has financed for a project, then that bank will indeed be affected by the success or failure of
the project. Also, subcontractors and suppliers are indirectly affected by the outcome of projects.
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