Meet Pao Vang, a commercial construction project manager at Haggerty Construction serving Northern California, the Bay Area, and Central California.
While most project managers open the schedule first, Pao begins somewhere else entirely. She opens the budget.
“My number one job is making sure we stay on budget.”
To her, the budget is far more than a spreadsheet. It reveals where pressure is building. Before reviewing drawings or sequencing activities, she studies the numbers carefully. Which margins are tight? Which scopes feel underpriced? What assumptions shaped the estimate?
More often than not, that is where risk shows up first.
Pao joined Haggerty in 2022 after eight years as a project engineer and time as an assistant project manager. Over the course of her career, she learned that effective construction management starts well before field work accelerates. Instead, it begins with identifying financial risk, coordination gaps, and schedule realities early in the preconstruction phase.
When “Approved” Isn’t Final
For example, on a recent commercial project, the city had already approved the underground fire drawings, and the team was preparing to move forward confidently.
However, the pre-construction meeting with the city changed everything.
The fire department required hydrants within 100 feet. Meanwhile, the water connection was located on the opposite side of the street, and the riser room did not meet clearance requirements. What initially appeared straightforward quickly evolved into trenching across a roadway, redesigning the room, and incurring additional cost.
Naturally, the owner was not thrilled.
“It’s been challenging,” Pao says. “But some costs can’t be avoided. You have to work through it.”
Rather than reacting defensively, she coordinated with city inspectors, sprinkler contractors, and the owner to identify a compliant path forward. Although it was not the least expensive option, it was the one that met code requirements and protected the project long term.
In commercial construction across Northern California and the Bay Area, permitting requirements and regulatory expectations can shift quickly. Therefore, staying ahead of those variables is not optional. It is part of responsible project management.
Redefining Success in Commercial Construction
Early in her career, success meant finishing on time and under budget. Over time, however, that definition evolved.
“A lot of the time, projects are not that simple. There’s always complication.”
Today, while schedule and budget still matter, transparency carries equal weight.
“I’ve learned how important it is to keep clients aware of the issues we’re going through and how that affects schedule and cost.”
In construction management, problems are inevitable. Surprises are not.
For that reason, Pao communicates impacts early, especially when change orders arise.
“If we’re about to close walls and you want to add a drain or move a wall, that’s not just a small shift. That’s saw-cutting, new piping, concrete patching. You have to communicate the real impact.”
By clearly outlining the downstream effects, she allows owners to make informed decisions before costs escalate.
Acting Fast When Plans Change
Similarly, on a major retail renovation project in Northern California, scope changes continued deep into construction while the move-in date remained fixed.
Although drywall was already installed, a floor sink needed to be added. As a result, crews cut the slabs again. The team revised fire sprinkler layouts to accommodate racking, and permitting cycles restarted.
“You just have to act fast,” she says. “Call the subcontractors. Get pricing right away. Do whatever it takes to keep things moving.”
Retail renovations and tenant improvements across the Bay Area often operate on compressed timelines. In those situations, momentum becomes critical.
Accordingly, Pao weighs cost implications, adjusts sequencing, confirms manpower availability, and protects the critical path. When multiple issues arise at once, she narrows her focus to a single question: Which one will cause the biggest delay?
That is the issue she addresses first.
Owning the Gaps
Pao is also candid about her professional growth.
“One of my weaknesses early on was communication.”
As a project manager, she frequently relays field conditions she did not personally witness. Early in her career, that occasionally led to misunderstandings between field teams and the office, and some RFIs lacked clarity.
Recognizing that gap, she adjusted her approach.
Now she walks projects more frequently. She asks superintendents to outline issues in writing. She ensures she fully understands conditions before stepping into OAC meetings with clients and consultants.
“If I don’t understand it, I can’t explain it clearly.”
As a result, her credibility with subcontractors, inspectors, and clients has strengthened significantly.
Procore
Learning From Coordination Mistakes
In addition, some of her most valuable lessons came from coordination gaps between trades.
On an earlier project, the solar contractor was not engaged early enough with the roofing team, and manufacturer approvals were not secured in advance. Consequently, rework followed.
However, she did not repeat the mistake.
On the next major project, she aligned the solar and roofing contractors early, confirmed anchor systems, and secured manufacturer approvals before installation began.
“Being able to take your mistakes and use them to prevent the next issue, that’s huge.”
The result was fewer delays, less rework, and smoother execution overall.
That level of coordination is especially critical on complex commercial builds and renovations across Northern and Central California, where multiple trades intersect with evolving code requirements.
How She Leads
She begins with the budget before turning to the drawings, ensuring financial realities shape early decisions rather than reacting to them later. From there, she communicates impacts clearly and early so owners understand not only what is happening, but what it means for schedule and cost.
When multiple issues arise, she focuses on the one most likely to slow the job down, protecting the critical path instead of chasing noise. Just as importantly, she carries lessons from one project into the next, strengthening coordination and reducing avoidable mistakes over time.
While that approach does not eliminate challenges, it positions the team to address them sooner, with clarity and control.
At Haggerty Construction, project managers like Pao guide clients through every phase of commercial construction, from early advising and preconstruction budgeting to active building, renovations, maintenance support, and emergency restoration services throughout Northern California, Central California, and the Bay Area.
