A Week in the Life of a Project Manager

From managing damp and mould projects to recruiting new clients, associates, and partners, we sat down with Luke Oldfield to find out what he gets up to in a week as Project Manager for Pennington Choices. We asked Luke a series of questions about his typical work week and the best bits about his role. Here’s what he said:

Recruiting new clients and surveyors

Over the last few months, we have been expanding our damp and mould services, meaning I am currently prioritising recruiting new damp and mould surveyors and clients. Following our damp and mould service success in the North West, we are now recruiting surveyors in other areas of the country to accommodate for the expansion. To ensure this process is efficient, we have been strategising about how we can improve our services by identifying geographical areas that are stronger or weaker to inform where work can be taken on and then proceed through a three-stage interview process.

Another workstream I am involved with is fire risk assessments of external wall systems (EWS) which takes up a significant amount of my time as we have a lot of inquiries coming in for this service. Here, my responsibilities include producing proposals for these new clients, getting involved with bids for new work, and conducting meetings. To ensure things are going smoothly, I like to get out on-site to meet clients and surveyors to monitor their work and see how they are getting on, making sure there is clear communication between the client and the technical engineers and experts throughout the process.

Catching up with the team

I like to spend time collaborating with my team to update each other  on what we are doing and ask them for any technical advice. From regular meetings with the Quality Assurance Manager and Planning Coordinator to team sessions with damp and mould, passive fire, and projects teams, I prioritise keeping open communication between everyone I work with to ensure seamless project planning and execution.

Depending on the events of each week, there will always be something exciting to have a go at in my spare time. For example, getting involved with planning and taking part in monthly webinars. In December’s webinar, I discussed lessons learnt from damp and mould surveys, which you can watch on-demand here. 

In terms of growth and development, I like to spend time identifying systems and processes that can be improved with software or AI that could make our business more efficient, as well as undertaking additional training courses such as Microsoft Projects, JCT Contracts, IOSH Working Safely which I have recently completed.

Weekly highlights

One of my favourite parts of the week is being in the office and having face-to-face meetings where the team comes together to tackle problems and strategise for the next steps of a project, as I find it useful to work collaboratively.

As well as this, we have recently implemented a surveyor performance scoring matrix, which we send out monthly to the relevant people who will score each surveyor on a series of KPIs. We then send the scores back to the surveyor, congratulate them on doing a great job, and show them where there is any room for improvement.  It’s nice to reward them for the hard work they do and send them thank yous and gifts if they’re going above and beyond, which a lot of them do regularly.

Quality assurance process

As Project Manager, I am currently overseeing two damp and mould projects. A critical part of my responsibilities involves ensuring each and every project report undergoes  thorough quality assurance and data reconciliation processes before they are sent to the client. The Quality Assurance Manager carries out the quality assurance process; I then make sure the numbers all add up and we are on track for the month, balancing the three key project management variables: Time, Cost, and Quality.

Overcoming damp and mould challenges

A lot of the challenges I face stem from coordinating the damp and mould surveyors, as it is difficult having over a dozen surveyors scattered around the country . Effective and proactive communication with the Planning Coordinator and each surveyor makes it easier to keep on top of them and ensure they are in the right place, doing the right thing.

Office perks

One of the main benefits that Pennington Choices offers is the flexibility to work between the Sheffield and Warrington offices as often as I like, meaning I get to experience face-to-face collaboration with a wider range of colleagues. This freedom also means that I get the social benefits of engaging with both teams, meaning two Christmas parties!

There are lots of other great social activities all year round in the offices. My first day working with Pennington Choices was the day of the King’s Coronation, so there was a celebration in the office with decorations, as well as summer BBQs and volunteering opportunities like the Warrington Christmas Toy Appeal.

What’s to come in 2024

During my first six months, I was trying out a range of different things, so coming out of that period, I am looking forward to gaining more clarity over the next six months about what I will be doing long-term so I can focus my time and energy in more specific areas that I am passionate about.

Thank you to Luke for sharing your experiences working as a Project Manager, we’re excited to see what the new year has in store for you. If you’re looking for an exciting new challenge in 2024, you can view our range of career opportunities here. For more insight into what #LifeAtPC is like, click here.