Some of my most important project management career lessons came before I even had a project management career.

In a previous job selling products, customers kept asking me how to install what they’d bought. I didn’t know, so I went and asked carpenters how it all worked. Before long, someone asked me to come and show their guy how it was done, and I didn’t even charge for it.

It took a lot of people asking, asking, asking before it clicked: wait a minute, this knowledge is worth something. People need somebody who understands what’s going on.

Your experience has value. The sooner you realise it, the better.

Looking back, there are a few more things I wish I’d understood sooner.

Every project manager learns through hands-on experience, and some of those lessons come the hard way. Looking back, there are a few things I wish I had understood much sooner. None of them is complicated. But each would have saved time, money and stress. This is what I wish I knew when I started.

What I wish I knew first: write it down

Early on, it’s easy to rely on conversations and goodwill. Someone agrees to a change on site, a supplier promises a date, a client approves a finish verbally. Then, weeks later, everyone remembers it differently.

Write it down. Minutes, site instructions, variation approvals and short follow-up emails take minutes and can save days of argument. Good documentation isn’t bureaucracy. It’s protection for everyone.

Problems get bigger when you hide them

There’s a temptation to sit on bad news, hoping you can fix it before anyone notices. It rarely works. Problems usually grow, and when they finally surface, trust takes a knock as well.

Raising issues early, with a proposed solution, is almost always better. Clients and employers can handle problems. What they struggle with is surprises.

The same goes for people. Leave a problem team member too long and it eats away at the whole site. I’ve seen it happen with one bad apple on my own team, and morale dropped fast. Whatever the problem is, don’t leave it long. It will fester.

The programme is a tool, not a decoration

A programme isn’t something you produce at the start and file away. It’s a working tool. Updating it regularly, checking progress honestly and looking a few weeks ahead is how you spot trouble while there’s still time to act.

Lead times will catch you out

Many delays aren’t caused by work on site but by things that weren’t ordered early enough: special fittings, imported items, joinery, glass, or anything made to measure. Identify long-lead items early and track them closely.

You can’t please everyone, and you shouldn’t try

Wanting to keep everyone happy is natural. But saying yes to every request leads to scope creep, blown budgets and missed dates. Learning to say “yes, but this is what it will cost and how it affects the programme” is one of the most valuable skills a project manager can develop.

Respect on site is earned

Respect from trades and foremen doesn’t come from a title. It comes from being on site, understanding the work, listening, making decisions and treating people fairly. Once you have it, the whole project runs more smoothly.

Stay calm, even when everything is going wrong

I learned this one early, from watching my dad. He had a short temper, and when he shouted, people simply waited for him to leave and carried on as before. It taught me that losing your head doesn’t change anything on site.

Staying calm is the number one key to success in my business. When something goes wrong, keep your head, check the facts and ask whether there’s a better way to do it. Your team takes their cue from you.

Trust your team sooner

For years I wanted to be on site for everything, showing people how to do it myself. I still find letting go difficult. But I wish I’d learned earlier to trust the people I’d trained, and to let them make their own mistakes so they could learn from them.

You can still guide them. You just don’t have to hold the tools for them.

Cost awareness matters from day one

It’s easy to focus on getting the work done and leave the money to someone else. But every decision on site has a cost implication. Understanding the budget, tracking costs and thinking about value early makes you far more useful to clients and employers.

Look after yourself and your team

Construction can be demanding: long hours, pressure and constant problem-solving. Burning out helps nobody. Planning properly, delegating, and making sure the team isn’t running on empty are part of doing the job well.

Trust your gut

Early in your career, you second-guess yourself all the time. With hands-on experience, you learn that if something smells like a fish, it definitely is a fish. Listen to that feeling. It’s usually worth stopping to find out why.

Keep learning

Every project teaches something new, if you’re paying attention. Reflecting on what worked and what didn’t, and learning from experienced people around you, is how you keep improving.

Final thought

None of these lessons is new or complicated. Most of them come down to communication, planning and ownership. If you’re early in your career, I hope some of these help you learn them sooner than I did.

Related reading: Lessons Learned in Construction Project Management and From Site Manager to Project Manager.

Planning a build, renovation or fit-out in Gauteng? Call or WhatsApp me on 082 44 00 421, email unclemerwe@gmail.com or visit my homepage to see how I work.