Character of the Work
Project-focused positions that predominate in most firms emphasize
operations and activities that create value for the client. On the other
hand, the management hierarchy above projects emphasizes the creation,
coordination, and maintenance of company processes and capabilities that
enable project-level professionals to best serve clients and make money.
Executives take a long-term view of matters, analyzing business trends
and establishing company policies that strategically guide actions in
the organization for much longer periods than the typical durations of
projects.
Successful project managers who wish to enter executive ranks – far from
a universal desire – might become program general managers. They manage
the overriding actions for the multiple related projects that comprise
any program and might be likened to a sort of “super project manager”
Executives who hold business unit directorships concern themselves with
all company actions that involve ongoing or potential business in a
construction subsector or business category. They might focus on
bringing in new business contracts, for example. The business units
might be deliberately chosen by the company, based on strategic analysis
and planning. It is also possible that a business unit emerges somewhat
by happenstance as a profit-making realm of activity.
Education and Training
A baccalaureate degree is essential if one wishes to progress to
executive management. A master’s degree, such as a Master’s in Business
Administration (MBA), would often be preferred. The fully prepared,
prospective executive requires competence in many quantitative business
skills; equally important, too, are interpersonal and organizational
psychology-related skills that should be among those from which the
executive can readily draw. At the highest executive levels in the
largest firms, formal education, training, or personal experience with
what happens on a project, for example, is probably less important than
other executive knowledge and skills. However, the best executives will
wish to understand – by whatever means – all aspects of a construction
project’s details. Then they might develop an intuitive “feel” for new
policies that might be needed and existing procedures that might need
change.
Career Opportunities
It is not practical to attempt to prescribe executive progression, since
positions attained are often at the apex of the professional’s career.
One expects, however, that good performance might lead to top management
positions offering greater responsibility and compensation.
Character of the Work
