The implementation of processes comprising the overall project management consists in the use of various tools, methods and techniques depending on the type of the project. The knowledge of the industry and the characteristics of construction projects make it possible to select those which, on the one hand, will not cause difficulties for the contractors and on the other, will, in fact, constitute a necessary complement to the technical skills of the project manager. Construction companies face situations that have a profound impact on the failure of projects. Such occurrences include a large number of simultaneously implemented projects, the appointment of a person who knows the project mainly from the implementation side as the project manager, a failure to perform risk analysis and procedures that become irrelevant when deadlines are approaching. After reviewing the available construction projects, analysing the literature, consulting experts and making observations, the authors determined that the majority of difficulties and failures result from omissions or errors that take place during the project planning and implementation stages. The following paper outlines the selected elements of project management, whose application in construction projects may significantly affect their final success and the results obtained. It also includes an example of the use of modern management methods, which certainly include risk management methods. A utilitarian tool addressing the effects of risk analysis is a contingency plan. Contingency may be translated as eventuality, possibility and sometimes also as coincidence.