Commercial project performance has risen globally on a year-to-year basis. Reports from the Project Management Institute (PMI) show that 71 percent of projects have met their original goals and business intent in 2018, up from 68 percent in 2016.
Project managers have continued to be a driving force behind this change and they are in high demand around the world. PMI also reported the need for 97.7 million project professionals globally by 2027. Without qualified talent in these positions, billions of dollars could be lost to businesses worldwide.
This is why businesses are turning to architects, who bring a unique set of skills that are transferrable to successful project management roles. Architects are now moving into these positions because it gives them an opportunity to enhance their skill-sets for managing large-scale projects.
By integrating design with management skills, your architectural background can lead to success as a project manager.
What qualities can an architect bring to project management?
As an architect, you’re able to bring a wide range of skills to a rewarding project management position.
Communication and Teamwork
Team communication is one of the critical skills of a good project manager. Utilizing existing stakeholder management experience having worked with contractors, building companies and clients, architects are ready-made for project management.
Negotiation
As a project manager with an architectural background, you’re able to bring strong negotiating skills to the table. By providing great advice and experience across all parts of the building process, you help resolve any difficulties with contractors.
Decision-Making
Your architectural knowledge equips you with decision-making skills, which can be a great benefit to a future project management career. Helping to establish construction sites, coordinate equipment, arrange for infrastructure requirements, and develop a quality control framework are just some of the decisions you can make with confidence as a project manager.
Creativity
Architects typically have a natural creative problem-solving mindset when it comes to project management. Not only adept at handling structural details, but you also bring unique solutions to the various problems a project might face.
You can help fill the problematic spaces in a construction plan, providing innovative ways to solve difficult problems that a non-architectural project manager might struggle with.
Risk Mitigation
As a project manager with an architectural background, you’re able to maintain records and track all variables across your team’s work. This attentiveness helps you and the business stay in control of a project’s budget while making sure all stakeholders get paid on time.
You’re also able to assist with the design process, making sure that a project is created and built with minimal errors. With your architectural knowledge, you can help understand which contractors are the right fit.
How can project management skills increase your value as an employee?
Learning the skills of a project manager can enable you to diversify your architecture career. Not only does field open up greater employment opportunities, but it will also help you increase your reporting and analytical proficiencies while giving the opportunity to grow as a successful leader.
For architects looking to study project management, there are several opportunities at both an undergraduate and postgraduate level. You can even study while you work, with online study options like the Online Graduate Diploma in Project Management from RMIT.
This degree will enable you to grow your existing architectural experience into an exciting project management career. Balancing online study with practical work, the 16-month program includes six flexible study periods that each last for seven weeks. This puts you in the best position to take a leadership role in a rapidly growing industry, leading to exciting personal development.
