The Way You Command Projects

In this journal, I would like to share my experience managing several construction projects over the years. Sometimes, we face a lot of projects. When you face something like this, it is called as a slasher (/) based on the term given by New York author/writer, Marci Alboher.

In this journal, I will convey an analogy based on construction projects (kindly your acceptance due to my daily activity being very related to engineering universe, especially civil engineering). ✌️

However, I consider using construction projects as an analogy to simplify your understanding of what I will explain to you. That is why it does not matter if you are not a project manager or construction manager. Even if you are a teacher/musician/architect/designer, or whatever. In some conditions, you would/could face several tasks, activities, projects, and any target at the same time.

This actually occurs several times in my life. While I keep developing myself as a structure and BIM Engineer, someday, I found myself with a lot of tasks and projects that should be finished. Starting from initial design through structural analysis. But once again, projects is not always related to civil or infrastructure projects. But also could be a project that you set for yourself and targets you wish to accomplish.

Plugged in a condition like the above, makes me interested to try one of strategy that I would like to share through this medium. I decided to set two aspects before taking a decision: cost perspective and time perspective. These two aspects actually has been well-known in construction management or project management. Well explained in the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK), with triangle variables as the fundamental considerations: cost, time, and quality.

But in this journal (or in this case) I decided to simplify and reprioritize it with only two variables: cost and time. So how (where) the quality goes on? Well, in my mind, if you could command these two perspective correctly, I could assure, that the quality talk by itself.

Keep in mind that you must finish your project correctly. Even it is unsuccessful.

This is an example of how I framed one of the construction projects that I was involved in:

So how to interpret the matrix above:

If the projects you command are too-early (hurried) and spend many cost, this is not the right choices to execute. Some projects manager will consider avoiding the execution of these tasks. This typical work will relatively impact other aspects, for example, human resources and human allocation.

If the project is delayed and below budget, this could be a part of work that has low urgencies (you may consider, is it still must be finished or could be leap).

in some construction projects, this kind item of works respectively occurs when the owners, their team experts, and any stakeholders supervise the project status. Although this item of works looks minor, some of them require to execute it. And vice versa).

If the project stays on track and on budget. Of course, this is an achievement that every team in projects will be proud of and celebrate by the whole team and stakeholders.

This three points is an example the way you interpret the matrix that I have shown above. Meanwhile, every project has many variables that must be taken into consideration. If you have another way to dealing tasks or any projects, let me know. 🏗️🌻🌻