Yes mastering Oracle Primavera P6 can enhance your career… Here’s how and why you should work your way up to a Project Controller or Manager position.
In Numbers:
The Construction Project Controller/Manager job ranked #1 in the top construction jobs in the United States in 2021. It also ranked #52 in the Best 100 Jobs in the United States – also ranking #2 in the highest salary rankings for the same category with a median salary of USD $95,260.
While the COVID-19 pandemic did affect the construction industry in 2020 with a decline of 3.4%, the sector is bouncing back in Canada with a projected growth of 0.6% in 2021 forecast to 2025.
Notedly, the industry saw a 7.5% decrease in employment between 2019-2020. However, the average weekly salary in the Construction industry in the same period saw an increase from $1,204.91 to $1,247.71 (3.55%).
Coming into 2021, the Canadian government’s efforts to revive its economy following its long-term infrastructure plan “Invest in Canada” accelerated the recovery – especially recording an increase of 7% in the residential construction market.
In 2021, Project Controllers in Canada make an average weekly base salary of CAD $1,503 – in the United States it is USD $1,495. Placing them at an annual of CAD $82,133 and USD $81,730, respectively.
And with over 24 thousand job listings on Indeed alone, a high average salary, and the forecasted growth of the industry, this is one of the most sought after careers. Making the need to avoid the mistakes and reaping the rewards all the more important. For a job that heavily relies on project scheduling and planning, actually knowing the #1 used essential software for the job is common sense.
Why, you ask? I will answer this in two parts: why construction projects fail, and how training on Primavera P6 is important.
Why Do Construction Projects Fail?
The top reasons why construction projects fail are:
- lack of preparation and planning
- inaccurate documentation
- poor leadership
- undefined parameters
- inexperienced project managers and controllers
- inaccurate cost estimates
- ineffective communication
- lack of resource management
- disregarding project warning signs such as delays
The solution to avoiding these pitfalls is learning the one tool project controllers need to master.
And what is the #1 software tool that Project Controls Specialists need to master?
It’s Oracle Primavera P6 Professional Project Management.
But trust me, using Primavera P6 to build and manage project schedules isn’t always as easy as Oracle would like you to think. Primavera P6 can sometimes baffle even experienced project professionals. That’s why we believe in training that is repeatable.
How Learning Primavera P6 Enhances Your Career:
The obvious reason for mastering Oracle Primavera P6, again, is avoiding those mistakes that can overhaul an entire project. Mastering this software helps you properly plan a construction project from start to finish with well-defined timelines, float, resource analysis, delays, and scheduling alerts. It also streamlines managing multiple projects in a portfolio. It is a highly flexible software with real-time project reporting. You can get ahead of any costly delays or issues in your project.
The market projected growth and salary increases are another reason to consider. Walking into your next project with the skills and experience needed to make it a success will put you on the right and quick path to advance in this field. A skilled project controller is the top choice for more projects – higher paying projects.
While undoubtedly there are other tools project managers and controllers use, Oracle’s Primavera P6 remains the most used software for project scheduling and planning in the construction industry.
This is where a course following a learn-at-your-own-pace model is the best choice. You learn the best practices from the experts from foundations to advanced applications. This is what we offer here at Plan Academy – the path to enhance your career in project controls.
So, yes… Mastering Primavera P6 can and will enhance your career. To make it even easier, the Plan Academy Primavera P6 Professional Foundations v20 is the place to start.
