Navigating Challenges: The Quarterback Role in Construction Project Management

Our lives are perpetually changing. Recently, I recalled that during my father’s illness several years ago, my whole family had new restrictions upon us, and after his passing in April 2017, my family had to learn a “new normal” without him. I have often wondered what it would have been like for him to live during the COVID lockdowns; he might have considered the notion of living through no live sports a near-death experience.

My father loved watching sports—football, baseball, basketball, golf, and hockey. He knew the statistics, the players, the coaches, the managers, and the history of most teams, especially his favorites. I remember well his discussions on quarterbacks. He would note how the quarterback was not merely the most important position in football but also how their performance determined how others on the team would perform. Later, in watching quarterbacks during interviews, it was obvious they took ownership of the performance on game day and never commented when a reporter tried to entice them to disparage another player.

Irrespective of the company size, team size, contract type, project type, or any other factor, we see over and over again that the project manager’s performance sets the tone for the project’s performance.

Traits of a Top-Performing Project Manager in the Construction Industry

What traits describe a top project manager in construction?

• They don’t procrastinate. When it comes to deliverables and schedules, they routinely deliver, with few exceptions.
• They are realists rather than excessive optimists and have no problem addressing potential obstacles. They look at the project properly from all perspectives and without disparaging or sugarcoating. They understand that the project management job primarily consists of navigating through challenges rather than sailing through chartered waters.
• Properly functioning project managers recognize they do not know everything and cannot do everything. The best project managers know when to run with the ball, when to throw to others, and when to gather as a team to set the play. They may have a few years or many years of experience, but they nevertheless recognize construction as a team sport and regard each project as if it were like playing a new game. Some of the players may be the same, and the rules of the game are unchanging, but each project is a different scenario.
• They communicate effectively and efficiently and respond to communication from others in a timely, respectful, and direct manner. Their communication aligns with the goal of moving the ball down the field toward the touchdown. It rarely, if ever, causes a penalty on the play.

Evaluating Project Manager Performance: Beyond Blaming External Factors

We often hear project managers in interviews excuse shortcomings in their work by saying they had an entry-level project engineer, a weak superintendent, no help from the executive assigned to their project, or some other difficulty. In response, we ask questions and listen intently to why they feel that way. We often find within the project manager a lack of organizational, planning, and communication skills that prevented the project engineer from becoming more experienced, shoring the superintendent up to meet expectations, or keeping the executive informed of resources needed to get through the ebbs and flows of the projects.

My dad’s favorite quarterback, Tom Brady, switched teams, as many quarterbacks do. Project managers also often change companies, only to encounter the same challenges on the new team because they haven’t changed how they play the game. Brady ultimately ended up ending his career. Some could say to age and others to performance. The job remained the same, regardless, just as it does in Project Management.

Project Manager as the Quarterback: Leading the Team through Construction Challenges

The project management playbook starts with keeping one thing in mind: the project manager is the quarterback. If the project manager remembers that every play starts and ends with them keeping an eye on the ball for the whole team, I assure you the schedule and deliverables will become routine, and each day will be filled with touchdowns. There are responsibilities that come with the job of Project Manager. AGC’s Project Management Development Program does a great job combining the task and behavioral side of the role.

Do the project managers on your team need training, trading, or to be told more often how much you appreciate how they offensively play the game so you all run defense less often?

To Drafting the Right Quarterback for your Teams,

Suzanne Breistol