Quantity surveyor to construction manager
A quantity surveyor already meets 43% of what the construction manager role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.6/ 100
1 How much of what a construction manager is expected to do is already part of a quantity surveyor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the construction manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A construction manager role treats 12 of its required skills as things a quantity surveyor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on construction materials
- calculate needs for construction supplies
- check construction compliance
- civil engineering
- communicate with construction crews
- construction industry
What stands in the way is 15 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A construction manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a quantity surveyor background worth leading with.
- already held prepare construction documents information skills
- already held building construction principles engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held audit contractors information skills
- already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects information skills
- already held check construction compliance assisting and caring
- already held communicate with construction crews communication, collaboration and creativity
All 23 carried skills, including the 12 the construction manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn liaise with architects required
- still to learn plan construction of houses required
- still to learn work in a construction team required
- optional, not held consider building constraints in architectural designs optional
- optional, not held design power plant systems optional
- optional, not held integrate building requirements in the architectural design optional
- optional, not held integrate engineering principles in architectural design optional
- optional, not held participate in governmental tenders optional
- still to learn green building practices required
- still to learn building materials industry required
- still to learn construction equipment related to building materials required
- still to learn energy conservation required
- optional, not held energy efficiency optional
- optional, not held construction methods optional
- optional, not held nuclear energy optional
- still to learn budgetary principles required
- still to learn construction product regulation required
- optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
- optional, not held project commissioning optional
- optional, not held total quality control optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- still to learn apply safety management required
- still to learn ensure compliance with legal requirements required
- optional, not held follow nuclear plant safety precautions optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held manage environmental impact optional
- still to learn interpret technical requirements required
- still to learn review construction projects required
- optional, not held manage construction archive optional
- optional, not held review construction plans authorisations optional
- still to learn identify construction materials from blueprints required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a construction manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 budgetary principles study this
- 02 construction product regulation study this
- 03 green building practices study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 23 skills that carry over
- already held advise on construction materials skill
- already held calculate needs for construction supplies skill
- already held check construction compliance skill
- already held civil engineering knowledge
- already held communicate with construction crews skill
- already held construction industry knowledge
- already held cost management knowledge
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held oversee construction project skill
- already held prepare construction documents skill
- already held project management knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held audit contractors skill
- already held building construction principles knowledge
- already held carry out tendering skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held contract law knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with construction project deadline skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held monitor contractor performance skill
- already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects skill
- already held order construction supplies skill
- already held quantity surveying knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held radiation protection optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held consider building constraints in architectural designs optional
- optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
- optional, not held design power plant systems optional
- optional, not held energy efficiency optional
- optional, not held follow nuclear plant safety precautions optional
- optional, not held integrate building requirements in the architectural design optional
- optional, not held project commissioning optional
- optional, not held total quality control optional
- optional, not held construction methods optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held integrate engineering principles in architectural design optional
- optional, not held manage construction archive optional
- optional, not held manage environmental impact optional
- optional, not held nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held participate in governmental tenders optional
- optional, not held radiation protection optional
- optional, not held review construction plans authorisations optional
18 held skills the construction manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise architects skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role building codes knowledge
- not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
- not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate construction activities skill
- not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
- not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
- not needed by the target role follow the statutory obligations skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer objectives skill
- not needed by the target role keep records of work progress skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with financiers skill
- not needed by the target role monitor construction site skill
- not needed by the target role perform cost accounting activities skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role real estate market knowledge
- not needed by the target role urban planning law knowledge
14 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn budgetary principles required
- still to learn construction product regulation required
- still to learn green building practices required
- still to learn building materials industry required
- still to learn construction equipment related to building materials required
- still to learn energy conservation required
- optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
- optional, not held energy efficiency optional
- optional, not held project commissioning optional
- optional, not held total quality control optional
- optional, not held construction methods optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held radiation protection optional
Other moves recorded from quantity surveyor
- construction general contractor 57% covered · moderate
- property developer 33% covered · substantial
- installation engineer 25% covered · substantial
- contract engineer 25% covered · substantial
- construction general supervisor 24% covered · career change
- cost analyst 24% covered · substantial
- civil engineering technician 22% covered · career change
- construction engineer 20% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a quantity surveyor become a construction manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A quantity surveyor already covers 43% of what a construction manager is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 12 of which the construction manager role treats as required.
What skills does a quantity surveyor need to become a construction manager?
15 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is budgetary principles.
How hard is the move from quantity surveyor to construction manager?
Its learning distance is 65.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.