Modern engineering projects can benefit greatly from adopting flexible methodologies. By opening your project up to multiple different options, it can be easier to choose the right solution that represents your best interests.
One such option is to hire an external project manager over a permanent employee. Outsourcing a senior role like this may seem like a bold move, but there are plenty of great reasons to do this.
Here are nine reasons:
1. Objectivity makes them resistant to company culture applications
External project managers bring a sense of objectivity to a project, thus making them resistant to company culture. What this means can vary depending on the company itself and the methods of the project manager. For instance, it could be viewed as a positive if your company culture tends to create stagnant ideas that fail to innovate. A fresh perspective from an external project manager could give your team the push it needs to breathe new life into your projects.
But being resistant to company culture can also make it difficult for your external project manager to understand your brand and what the project stands for. Thankfully, most experienced project managers spend a great deal of time researching and understanding a brand before they jump on board. This flexibility is what makes an external project manager such a valuable asset in the engineering sector.
2. External experience from other clients and companies
Project management requires a great deal of experience in order to be effective. External project managers will have likely worked with different clients from various industries and corners of the market. This gives them an incredible wealth of experience that can help them approach your project with new perspectives, unlocking the potential of your engineering project and your team.
3. Cost benefits of outsourcing project management
Hiring a new employee is a costly process. You have to consider the costs of scouting for a new project manager, vetting them and running background checks, what their annual salary will be, benefits, and also think about their future development. By hiring a project manager on a per-project basis, you don’t have to worry about the extra (often hidden) costs associated with recruiting a permanent employee.
4. Consolidated costs mean simpler budgeting
In addition to the reduced costs of outsourcing your project management, there’s also the financial advantage of consolidating all of your costs to make it simpler to budget for. An external project manager should give you an idea of how much they want to be paid. Whether it’s on a per-project basis, daily or hourly rate, this makes it easy to budget for their services which leads to better financial management.
5. Access to outside resources and assets
Experienced project managers often have a wealth of contacts, vendors, and other assets that will extend to you when hired. This can mean getting you great deals on components or materials, and access to an experienced team of specialists should you need to outsource more roles. External project management consultants work with many different companies and people, so it’s a great way to expand your network and reach out to more services and vendors.
6. Long-term professional development is not a factor
As an employer, one of the responsibilities of hiring a permanent employee is that you’re expected to encourage their long-term professional development. Teaching them new skills and giving them promotion opportunities in the future are the norm, but this can be a costly investment that can hinder the adoption of an agile company methodology. It can also be hard to define what kind of project manager your company is looking for when you’re still in the early stages of your company’s growth. If you would prefer not to have long-term responsibilities when hiring a project manager, then outsourcing the role is generally the better option to consider.
7. Fresh perspectives to overcome stagnant ideas
Hiring an external project manager usually means that you’ll have a fresh perspective to help your company break out of stagnation. They can introduce unique concepts that they’ve learned from working with other clients, and they can work independently from your company culture which helps them look at challenges with an objective viewpoint. This can be incredibly valuable for encouraging new ideas and could bring an invigorating and effective change management approach for your team, especially if you’ve been having trouble with innovation.
8. Educates your team in unfamiliar areas
If your team is still fairly new and hasn’t tackled a modern engineering project on its own yet, then hiring an outside project manager can be a great way to educate your team on familiar topics. This guidance and experience they get from working with a seasoned project manager can be invaluable. It helps to prepare your senior staff members to take on a project management role in the future, and it also gives them the opportunity to learn from someone with experience. So if you’re looking for a way to educate your team on how project managers conduct their role, hiring one can give them the experience they need to fill the role themselves in the future.
9. Greater flexibility creates an agile approach
And finally, hiring an external project manager helps your company adopt an agile approach to modern engineering projects. Flexibility is key because it ultimately reduces costs, speeds up processes, and empowers your team. When your team is faced with high-pressure engineering projects on a regular basis, having flexibility ensures that they are always well-equipped to handle the situation.
Conclusion
Hiring an external project manager is a great alternative to hiring a long-term in-house project manager. It can be a great benefit to a company that wants to introduce fresh ideas, bring outside experience and break out of a rigid work cycle. They possess technical skills and experience that help them fit into virtually any project, but they also bring a sense of objectivity to help break stagnation.
Are you thinking of hiring external project management services? Alphacron® is there to offer services suitable to your requirements. Email us now at info@alphacron.co.uk or call us as on 0333 772 2996 for a FREE initial consultation.