Enhancing Value Delivery in Public Works Construction Projects

The construction sector is one of the largest in the world and contributes significantly to the world GDP, according to data from a McKinsey survey. This aspect highlights the importance of the sector for the world economy. 

Considering that this sector is a complex ecosystem impacted by other equally complex ones, it is crucial to pay greater attention to it, due to different orders of critical success factors among others, namely, the economic cycles, production and supply chain, technology, effective communication, and professional skills in construction project management. 

Economic Cycles and Risk Management

History has shown us that, by their nature, business cycles are subject to periods of greater or lesser performance, depending Taking into account that projects require resourceson each context, which brings predictable or unpredictable events. 

Taking into account that projects require resources for their implementation—including time, finances, materials, equipment, and human resources—their performance will always be influenced by local economic cycles, which, in turn, are affected by global trends. These economic factors are external to the projects but can have a significant impact on them, sometimes even shaping their course.

In the case of construction projects, a system composed of many sub-systems, the impact to which they are subject is the result of different factors, including the economic cycles and conditions in which these projects are developed, which cause changes and disruptions in the production and supply chain, which will affect the needs allocated, or to be allocated to the project. 

For this reason, organisations, institutions, and governments are required to perform better in the execution of their project portfolios. In order to achieve the defined strategic goals and objectives and create more and better added value and advantages that they propose to bring in the immediate resolution of problems and issues that affect local communities, with regard to public works projects, taking into account the unpredictability of cycles, especially in periods of great uncertainty. 

Since risks are probabilistic events in terms of occurrence, it is necessary to have well-defined procedures and processes in mind, so that it is possible to manage them and respond to the potential impacts, positive or negative, arising from the economic cycle to which the projects will be subject. 

Effective Communication

According to PMBOK v.06, by the Project Management Institute, project managers spend  90% of their time on communication during the project life cycle. 

This data is important for professionals who perform this role in organisations since communication is a critical success factor in projects. 

George Bernard Shaw once said: "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place". 

With this in mind, imagine how problematic it is when it comes to construction projects with an emphasis on public works due to the high degree of complexity, namely in terms of risks, governance, and financial costs related to them. 

For these reasons, communication plays an important and vital role in the success of construction projects, since with closer attention to this area, the probability of failure decreases due to the increase in safety and confidence and, consequently, reduction of negative impacts, as a result of the undesirable risks. 

As professionals, we need to improve our skills and competencies, many of which help us perform and deliver the right outcome in a myriad of demands. 

The Skills of the Public Works Project Manager

Due to the complexity construction projects bring, public works contracts are a category of this type of project that should deserve wide attention for the reasons already explained. 

In this sense, among the fundamental needs of public works contracts, the figure of the construction project manager stands out because he is the main resource among those necessary to ensure the delivery is made according to the defined objectives. 

In the uncertain times the world is experiencing, the demand for professionals with the skills to respond to daily challenges is increasing. Taking into account the importance of delivering value as quickly as possible to stakeholders with minimal negative impact, new personal and professional skills are in demand to address current and future challenges, including climate change, supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, and the use of technology in favour of better outcomes.

The world is evolving at a faster pace than ever seen. Therefore, as people and professionals, we need to evolve too, improving and equipping ourselves with new market trends and in-demand skills beyond those of today, allowing us to leverage our careers and stay relevant, as organisations that we are part of seek appropriate solutions to tackle the challenges arising daily.

To this end, we must develop a spirit of growth, seeking training that is aligned with these challenges, in this particular case, with the management of public works construction projects. 

The Project Management Institute (PMI), and its partners, have developed the first certification, globally recognised for professionals working in the construction ecosystem: PMI-Construction Professional (PMI-CP). 

Why does PMI-CP certification enable professionals to excel in delivering value from public works construction projects? 

Public works projects have many challenges, including communication and collaboration, cost and budget management, regulatory compliance, administrative burdens, risk and safety management, schedule management, and stakeholder management. 

It is important to highlight that these challenges impact organisations' economic and financial results. In order to face them, they must have competence among their human resources professionals that make it possible to overcome and raise the desired level of response for public works projects. 

In this sense, the PMI-CP certification was developed for professionals working in the construction industry and ecosystem, to equip themselves to upskill, and to be able to respond to the negative and positive impacts projects face in this sector nowadays and in the coming decades. 

This certification addresses topics such as sustainability, governance, innovation and technology adoption, contract and risk management, communication, interface management, in the case of complex problems, as well as execution planning, all of which are fundamental to the success of construction projects, and public works in particular. 

Training is essential, and project performance is dependent upon project managers who continue to leverage the sector, demonstrating the commitment to continue delivering value to organisations and the global community by carrying out the projects, and the PMI-CP curriculum is the one demanded by professionals in the construction industry.