While a number of trades and skill sets often come together to bring an office fitout to life, the project manager is absolutely the most important role within the whole fitout project.
Why? Because they are the ones at the helm of the ship, steering your fitout project towards success. As the captain of your fitout ship, it’s vital to make sure they have what it takes to do the job, overcome any obstacles and meet your expectations for a positive end result.
So, to make the choice simple and straightforward for you, we’ve come up with seven qualities you need to look out for to ensure you’ve found the right person for the job.
1. Organised
Your project manager is the one responsible for putting all the pieces of your fitout puzzle together and making sure the end result is exactly as you expect it to be. With this level of responsibility on their shoulders, there’s no doubt they need to be organised. Their days should be dictated by planners, calendars, appointments and reminders either in paper or tech form. Without them, they’d be lost and would have a hard time keeping on top of everything.
2. Punctual
When someone says they’ll meet you at a certain time, you should expect they’ll keep to their word, or at least give you a heads up if they are running late. Unfortunately these days (particularly when it comes to tradies) punctuality is becoming a rarer quality.
Your project manager should have a high regard for punctuality because not only do they need to make sure that each element of the project is completed on time, they should also set the example for other trades that fall under them. Time management is a huge part of the job, and if they’re not on top of it, it’s unlikely your fitout will be completed on time.
3. Trustworthy
When you employ a fitout project manager, you want to know that they have your best interests at heart and will do right by you and the staff who work under them. One great way to gauge how trustworthy they are up front is to ask lots of questions. If they give you open, honest and detailed answers to your questions, it shows they are transparent about what they can do for you and what you can expect.
It shows they have nothing to hide and everything is on the table. You can also look up testimonials from previous clients and listen to your gut when you meet them in person. If you can’t trust the person you’re working with and trust that the service they provide will be up to standard, it will make for a bumpy road towards the finish line.
4. Positive Attitude
Positivity is contagious. When one person is looking and feeling happy, motivated and excited to start the day, that feeling will begin to rub off on the rest of the team, particularly if that person is in a leadership role. When someone has a positive attitude, it makes them so much easier to work with and makes for a much more pleasant fitout experience overall. It also means they deal with obstacles well by facing issues with a ‘can do’ attitude rather than putting them in the too hard basket.
5. Experienced
Always look for a proven track record and examples of the work they’ve completed in the past. You should take the view that if you can’t see examples of their previous fitout work, it doesn’t exist. Their website should show off all the previous clients and the work they do. After all, if they’re as good at their job as they claim to be, they would want to show off their completed and successful projects.
6. Attention to Detail
Attention to detail and quality go hand in hand. If your project manager doesn’t have their eye over every element of the project making sure it’s perfect, it’s unlikely the finished product will be up to standard. You should be able to tell the quality of workmanship they deliver when you look at pictures of the projects they’ve managed in the past.
7. Communicative
When you first engage with a project manager, pay attention to how they communicate with you. Are they very detailed in their responses? Do they get back to you within a reasonable timeframe? Are they open to answering your questions and keen to set up an appointment to see you? These are all good signs that they’ll be strong on communication when you work with them. It’s so important that your project manager keeps you informed every step of the way, because if they don’t, how do you know if your fitout is progressing well and on track to be completed in time?
Project Management from Future Fitouts
At Future Fitouts, we offer superior fitout project management that stands out form the rest. Not only do our project managers tick all these boxes, but we also provide a flexible service where you can have as much or as little involvement in the project as you like. Visit our Fitout Project Management page to find out more.