Questions Flashcards
What is your general knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of a Project manager.
To manage the scope, schedule and budget while managing safety and quality.
Tasks include development, coordination, implementation and review of various design and construction projects ensuring they meet established schedule and budget criteria. We manage and provide coordination and assist with design for construction to outside contractors, in-house forces and consultants.
Duties include: Design managing and construction issues, reviewing project changes, participating in change order negotiations, preparing reports, presentation, research, general project administration assisting with schedules, estimates, controls reports, reviewing and approving invoices.
Describe your management style. How is it effective.
Authoritative: Firm but fair. giving clear directions, motivating by persuasion and feedback on tasks performed. When dealing with new employees or team members. I provide long term directions and visions so employees understand their role an objective.
Affiliative: Emphasizes good personal relationships among employees motivates by trying to keep people happy. Most effective when people happy. Most effective when people are motivated when there is good personal relationships among the team. Keeping the team happy without bias fosters greater success.
Participative: Everyone has input in decision making. Effective when the team is experienced and needs little coordination
Describe your supervisory experience with directly managing people.
I have managed 3rd party contractors coordinating their site work and performed site inspections for adherence to contract. Transportation personnel in supporting my project with 3rd party flag protection and work train utilization. F/A personnel with short term and long term project goals. Project team members in accurately completing ongoing tasks. PMT’s in understanding the role of a project manager within the context of the LIRR
How would you handle a troubled employee
If the employee is not a direct subordinate I would first approach their direct supervisor and have them confer with the employee is a direct subordinate. I would ask to speak to them directly after asking if this was a good time to talk. if it wasn’t I would schedule a meeting with them in the next 24 hours.
I would discuss my observation or reports from other employees, reassure them that our conversation will be kept confidential and only matters approved by them would be discussed with others. I would document the conversation and work towards finding a reasonable solution or refer them to someone that could help
How do you motivate staff?
1st thing is recognizing what motivates each person in your team, recognition, rewards, positive feedback, visibility etc. once motivating factors are recognized each individual’s personal needs can be strived to achieve. utilizing the difference management styles tailored to the individual would help assist with keeping subordinates motivates.
Authoritative, Affiliative, Participative. I feel most people at the very least wants their basic needs met from the Maslow hierarchy of needs such as:
-Safety-Feeling safe at work
-Belonging, fostering interpersonal relationships
-Esteem, making sure all team members feel respected, accepted and valued by others.
-Self Actualization, to help them accomplish and realize their full potential.
What is your greatest strength/weakness
My greatest strength is my assertiveness. I also don’t feel the need to be liked by everyone which makes it easier to enforce rules that may cause me to have a backlash. What’s most important is a person’s safety and that they complete the job to the best of their ability an that they go home to their family in the condition they left them in.
My weakness is I have a low tolerance for crap. My military background has trained me to do a job right the first time. I don’t particularly like when some knows better and choses not to do better.
Things I’ve done to enforce safety
- Ensure all personnel on the project are wearing the appropriate PPE.
- Make sure the job briefing is done when on site and ensuring a new one is given when conditions change.
- Observing the field personnel and if issues arise discussing with the foreman and if the incident looks life treating stopping the job.
I was covering a project i was not assigned to for a project manager. While onsite I noticed that spoils were close to the edges of the holes that were trenched. They placed rebar with no caps, I go them to rectify the two infractions just before OCIP showed up on site asking the same questions.
How will your background and experience relate to this position
My degree from Clarkson University is unique. I have an interdisciplinary in Mechanical Engineering and Management which affords me the ability to effectively operate as a manager when work involves engineering and being able to relay that engineering to individuals with no engineering background. how to effectively present ideas to a wide range of audiences. How to handle subordinates and manage different types of conflict. Being in the armed forces exposed me to people from all over the country and the world which demonstrated the importance of understanding different cultures and to be sensitive to people from different walks of life and also to work harmoniously with them. This comes in handy when working in a diverse workforce such as the rail road.
What makes you more qualified than other candidates?
I am the only person at the railroad uniquely trained to be an engineer and a manager. I’ve built upon those taught skills in my post graduate employment. I have held positions within the railroad and before the rail road all at managerial positions. My skills have been developed and honed while working in the navy as mentioned before, while working as a territory manager for United Technology as a territory manager assisting with small HVAC business owner build their market share, handle their financials, advertise to their target audience and conduct effective sales pitches. I worked at Posillico as an assistant project manager and site safety coordinator on the Wantagh Sloop Channel Draw bridge
What tools do you have / how do you measure job completeness
Tools include Scope, Schedule, Budget, Reports, Email, Phone, Project Controls, People Soft, CMIS, CTAMS, Previous project data, Senior management, Peers, Engineering to name a few.
I measure job completeness based on the scope of the project, by the PM team agreeableness, by the execution of all change orders and by the acceptance to the LIRR and end user department.
What Type of Personalities do you feel is hard to work with. Tell us a situation where you had to deal with this type of personality.
The Blamers, they constantly shift responsibility away from themselves and onto others when things go wrong. I find this hard to work with because if they can’t assume responsibility for their actions then they are doomed to repeat them. when you accept responsibility you can move to the next step of learning from the mistake and working towards not repeating it or mitigating its occurrences.
How would you define diversity
Anyone one thing or idea that differs from my or ones own. Diversity even exists within the same race. It also pertains to people of difference nationalities, sex, physical handicaps, sexual orientation, race…
Who is part of the project team
the primary project team consists of one or any combination of the following, PMT, PC, APM, PM, SR. PM, Director. secondary, Project Controls: Estimator/Scheduler, Quality/Safety, Contracts, Budget administrator…
Describe how a change order is handled
- PM requests or the Contractor requests a change order. A formal CR Package containing a formal request for estimate and investment analysis, a data sheet and TSOW is submitted to the director and clearing house.
- The package is reviewed by both parties. Clearing house then requests cost and impact estimates from estimating.
- After estimate is completed, estimating forwards CR to SI for corporate affirmation. At the same time PM issues RFP to contractor/consultant. PM also ensures that sufficient funds are identified or available
- Contractor /Consultant submits proposal. If it conforms to the TSOW. PM forwards copy to clearing house and scheduling group. Also alerts budget admin.
- Clearing house assembles cR then issues contract modification.
Describe what a project plan is and what it contains
A project plan is used to guide both the project execution and project control. It documents planning assumptions/decisions, facilitates communication among stake holders and documents approved scope, costs, and schedule baselines. Significant changes should warrant a revision. it contains background: -Background -Objective -Scope -Schedule -Budget -Implementation -Logistical consideration (phasing & Staging) -Contingency Plan (Risk and Matrix log)
Outline the Change Approval Process for the Project Plan
the approval must be recirculated for sign offs. it must contain the reason for the change, the cost of the change, the new amended scope.
Project Plan and Overview Project Management Basis of Design Construction Program Project Controls Quality Management Transportation and Service Planning Engineering Safety and security Requirements Procurement Appendices
