Top 3 Transferable Skills from Military Careers to Project Controls
In our inaugural article, we explored how veterans' leadership and team management skills seamlessly transition to project controls. Building on that foundation, the second blog in the series delves into another critical area where veterans excel: planning and execution.
Military training is renowned for its rigorous approach and application. This rigour equips veterans with skills in planning, risk management and the ability to swiftly adapt to changing circumstances. In the military, you learn to think several steps ahead, considering multiple scenarios and potential impacts. This type of mindset is vital in project controls, where foresight and effective contingency planning are really key to successful outcomes.
Military training ensures that veterans bring a high level of precision and adaptability to their roles—qualities that are indispensable in managing the intricate details of project controls. This article shows how the invaluable skills forged in the high-stakes environment of military operations, translate into exceptional performance in the civilian workplace.
1. Project Scheduling
One important area where military planning skills are key is project scheduling. As a veteran, you understand the importance of timelines and how each task fits into the overall project. Your ability to foresee potential bottlenecks and plan accordingly keeps projects on track, even when unexpected challenges arise.
In the military, you’ve mastered respecting deadlines and anticipating risk or blockers. This mindset is vital in mapping out project timelines effectively, allocating resources wisely, and anticipating disruptions. This ensures projects are completed on time and within budget.
2. Risk management
Risk management is another skill where those who were in the military tend to excel. You can identify potential risks, assess their impact, and help develop strategies to mitigate them. We often find that those with a military background possess a unique set of 'soft' skills that enable them to see the bigger picture and effectively gather the necessary information from your teams to accurately identify and address threats. This proactive approach to risk management is crucial in project controls, ensuring that risks are managed before they escalate into issues that could derail project timelines or inflate costs.
3. Overall project delivery
Thirdly, the comprehensive planning and execution skills honed in the military have a profound impact on overall project delivery. Veterans oversee projects from conception to completion, ensuring alignment with project goals. Our recruitment of ex military personnel has shown that the strategic mindset and efficient execution needed during your military career equip you to successfully complete projects within time and budget constraints.
Harnessing military precision for project success
So there you have it, the transition from military to civilian roles offers those with a career in the military the opportunity to apply your wide-ranging skill set to the project controls profession. Your unique capabilities significantly enhance project scheduling, risk management, and overall project delivery, making them invaluable assets to any project controls team.
As we continue to explore the connection between military expertise and business success, make sure to stay tuned for the rest of the articles in this series. Plus, look back on our previous article that explored how veterans' leadership and team management skills seamlessly transition to project controls.
If we've piqued your interest and you want to learn more about a career in project controls, get in touch with us today.
Bob Sunderland
Director
Bob joined the military soon after realising studying for a computer science degree wasn’t for him. He headed to the careers office at his university (then a Polytechnic!), saw a poster from the RAF and immediately applied. His first role was working in a bunker in North East Scotland patiently waiting for the Russians to come over. Luckily they didn't. Later he applied to be aircrew on RAF helicopters, responsible for almost everything behind the pilot and sometimes an odd pilot or two. He left the military in May 2015 as a Master Aircrew with only a general idea of what his second career would be. He worked for a leading aviation company, eventually working in project management/project controls including risk management and later moved to a consultancy as a Project Control Manager specialising in risk. Bob is now Director of Business and Strategy Development at Blueprint Project Solutions Ltd.