At Jacobs, we know that efficiency is directly related to profitability. How do you accurately assess the progress of each project you manage?
Jacobs project managers know that efficiency is about more than tracking tasks. Be sure to mention at least one advanced technique in this area such as:
- regular assessment of your project's alignment with objectives, key results, key performance indicators, etc.
- mitigation of common jobsite inefficiencies
- frequent check-ins with resources or clients that frequently cause delays
- continual quality checks
- regular team progress and reflection meetings
"I understand that efficiency is the primary factor in the profitability of a construction project. Because I bring six years of project management experience, I am confident that I can predict the inefficient factors on a job site and develop key mitigation strategies for each of them. In my most recent position, I was able to increase employee productivity which directly resulted in faster delivery time and increased profits."
"In addition to making sure that tasks and phases are completed on time, I regularly assess the degree to which my projects are in alignment with the OKRs and or KPIs. Work being completed on time and efficiently is important, but failing to focus on this area can create missteps in quality and customer satisfaction that ultimately lead to costly rework. Therefore, I take a holistic approach to monitoring efficiency and I make key adjustments during projects to ensure overall success."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
As a professional project manager, I have been using PMBOK/PRINCE 2 frameworks to manage the projects. Based on this, defining as precise as possible the project budget using the previous lessons learned of similar projects, results in better performing the activities in the defined time and budget and level of quality. Also, I effectively use EVM (Earn Value Method) to assure that the project is going on the right path. In addition, I monitor and control daily progress and put my ultimate effort to recognise and remove probable barriers before they affect project profitability.
On the other hand, building project risk register, allocating risk owners and appropriate budgets (Contingency reserve) and risk responses, and more importantly, updating risk plans on a continuous basis helps me to control the costs.
Amanda's Feedback
I like that you share specific frameworks, methods, and strategies that you use to assess each project and maintain momentum. You can strengthen this response by sharing a scenario in which you effectively turned a struggling project around using these tools or what kind of barriers obstacles you're able to anticipate and resolve using these tools so that project efficiency and profitability are maintained.
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