A Day In The Life Of A Construction Project Manager At HELIX Environmental Planning Inc

The biggest part of my job is managing projects from start to finish. We're often handling many projects simultaneously, so my day-to-day involves regular check-ins. We have team meetings every week, and on Tuesdays, we have scheduling meetings with our entire team.

This includes our San Diego group, our Inland Empire group, and our Northern California group. We all come together to review our large scheduling sheets. We use many Excel spreadsheets to track and manage the crew schedules.

A significant part of my daily work is constantly updating and monitoring these schedules. They change frequently, with tasks and projects shifting around. It's about being adaptable and figuring things out as we go.

The day-to-day of project management also involves setting up new projects. This sometimes includes submitting documents that the client needs to approve beforehand. I have a project coming up for the City of Sacramento that requires many such submittals.

This prep work involves ordering seed and plants and ensuring everything is ready. I also manage what the crews are currently working on. The projects they're on this week were typically set up the previous week, so they can usually continue their tasks while I focus on other responsibilities.

However, issues can arise, requiring me to speak with the crew on the phone and coordinate with my supervisor. I also liaise with the project biologist, as various aspects can be involved.

Other times, I attend site visits. This might be for pre-bid meetings for public projects we plan to bid on, or to check on the crew's current work.

Another crucial aspect of project management is tracking budgets as projects progress. For large restoration construction projects, budgets can be depleted quickly due to equipment usage or significant plant and seed orders.

It's easy for budgets to be spent rapidly, so staying on top of them is essential. We aim to avoid going over budget. If project changes occur, I communicate with the client to discuss them.

A large portion of my daily work involves coordinating with clients, making phone calls, and providing status updates on projects. The scheduling aspect, as I mentioned, is also constant. We're always changing and updating our projections to assess staffing needs.

We consider whether we need to hire anyone for the upcoming month, as we also utilize temporary staffing. We work with temp labor agencies to find staff for specific periods, and sometimes they are retained for longer if needed. Managing staffing and schedules ensures things run smoothly. Since we manage many projects at once, this is a significant part of my daily responsibilities.