Few people truly understand the world of back-office commissioning. While front-line roles often get the spotlight, back-office roles like commissioning are equally crucial to the smooth running of any business, especially in industries like telecommunications, energy, or construction.
“As I mentioned in my previous post, balancing technical translation and back-office commissioning demands exceptional attention to detail and adaptability.” For one, very little information on structured learning is available about this role. It’s a niche field, and its lack of formal training or readily available resources made it incredibly challenging to know where to begin.
The back-office commissioning process involves managing multiple tasks—coordinating paperwork, monitoring project timelines, ensuring contract compliance, and even troubleshooting issues—while working behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly.
One of my most challenging aspects has been balancing paperwork and project management while communicating effectively with multiple departments and clients. A key difficulty I face is being detail-oriented and organised without being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of administrative work.
Unlike customer-facing roles, back office workers are often underappreciated, but the work is demanding and highly time-sensitive.
-
- Back-office commissioning often requires understanding specific project management systems. You can learn more about organising and streamlining tasks in my previous experience with project management tools and how I keep projects on track.”
But again, while the job is crucial, there’s almost nothing about how to succeed in this field.
You cannot learn it from a book—instead, you need to know it on the job, figuring out systems and processes as you go along.
To succeed in back office commissions, you must understand project management and your field’s specific systems and tools. Maintaining effective communication with everyone involved in the project is just as crucial, even if you’re working behind the scenes.
Even though this job requires independence, collaboration is key to ensuring smooth operations. You also need to remain adaptable and always be ready to troubleshoot problems when they arise.
If you’re new to back-office commissioning, this article offers a solid overview of the core skills needed in project management and administrative roles, which are key in commissioning tasks. Seek mentors who can help you learn the ropes; don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s a rewarding yet challenging field that doesn’t always get the desired direction.
Join my monthly newsletter for more on careers.
