Behind the Scenes: A Week in the Life of a BPM Project Manager
Have you ever wondered what goes on in the day-to-day life of a project manager at BPM? This week's blog gives you an up close and personal experience as we take you through a week in our team's shoes. From gym to job site, here is your chance to get an inside look at the dynamic, fast-paced world of project management at BPM.
Mapping Out the Week
They say variety is the spice of life, and if that’s true then it’s not just our old friend the Colonel that has a secret recipe of herbs and spices. Life as a BPM project manager is never dull and one week is rarely like another so that’s why we anchor the start of each week routinely with a team WIP. Doing this enables the working week to kick off with the team looking at our ongoing projects and listing out any key milestones coming up, identifying any hurdles they may face and ensuring that our team are being given the support they need to continue getting Good Sh!t Done.
The other staple amongst our team, is exercise. And while this looks slightly different for everyone, at BPM we make a concerted effort to get together and hit the gym for a team lunchtime workout as many days in the week as our schedules allow.
Getting into the nitty gritty
At BPM there is no project too big or too small where you won’t find us adding value, and like strings on a good bow we believe that our project managers should gain experience across multiple projects and sectors, maintaining a well-rounded skill set and not be pigeonholed. So, throughout each work day you can find the team applying their project management skills on different phases of a projects lifecycle on projects ranging from small fit-outs to large infrastructure projects. The team are holding meetings with members of the supply-chain, co-ordinating design consultants or contractors, updating on progress and any planned changes for the week ahead, or resolving any issues that are brought up during and carrying out the multiple contract management duties typically required on a construction project.
As you walk around the BPM offices you might also hear our project managers making sure that the tendering and evaluation of tenders for the different stages of a project is happening diligently. Or see our team hard at work preparing programme schedules for different project phases and managing the consent process, coordinating with the project planners and local authorities.
Because we work Nationally, it’s typical that some travel would also be involved for our team. Getting to site and undertaking Construction project management can look very different depending on the client and the specific project, but at the heart of it, the role involves aligning people and processes to deliver on agreed project outcomes for time, cost, quality, sustainability and safety. In possessing a team of project managers that can easily transition between project office and construction site, it means that we are able to translate on-site learnings back into projects that are earlier in the project lifecycle which is key for continuous improvement.
End of the working week & weekends
While the work week may be over before we know it, the life of a project manager is never truly at rest. Weekends are a chance for the BPM team to recharge, it's a time for personal growth and well-being, which is at the core of BPM's ethos. After all, we can’t do a job well, if our job is all we do, and you’ll see plenty of that across our BPM social channels.
Our commitment to the word ‘well’ means we deliver projects well, value the well-being of our team and clients, and go well beyond a normal company to deliver successful projects. With project management teams in Wellington, Auckland, Motueka and across New Zealand, we're not just managing projects; we're redefining what success looks like in project management.