General Characteristics Of Construction Project Manager Construction Essay

This report comprehensively discusses about involvement of a Construction Project Manager; describing how to manage a proposed housing Development Complex project through proper construction management techniques.

This proposed high rise building complex comprised with twenty storied; luxury housing apartments and six basements to accommodate as car parking area, Multipurpose room, Swimming Pool, Supermarket and required utility services such as storage water tank from main supply, water distribution system and Sewerage System. This Housing Development project will be constructed at Colombo-07 adjoining Park Road.

Project investor is a wealthy Sri-Lankan Businessman. Presently, I am appointed in this project as a Construction Project Manger. Client’s has emphasized me his objectives, to obtain a maximum turnover of the project, implementing Proper Construction Management System. My responsibility is doing so; to archive the project goals in terms of time, Quality, Cost, Safety and Environmental Sustainability as I have conveyed all the way through this report.

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I have identified significant project management key measures, to use through overall project, such as construction planning and choice of construction technology and Construction methods influence the selected planning, as well as programming and control methods, schedules and progress control using relative software packages available, and also identified key risk elements in this construction project.

MAIN BODY

Definition about construction project manager

The construction project manager is a responsible person to handle overall construction of projects from start to finish. And his duty will be act as the representative of the employer as well as additional consultation to the overall project for the successful initiation, planning, execution and closure of a project.

General characteristics of Construction Project Manager

Construction project managers engage with particular management activities for mange construction projects in proper way, hence they have the specialize knowledge for project planning, directing, coordinating and budgeting process. As examples for construction project; Commercial building, Industrial building, Roads & bridges, Water treatment plants, Schools & hospitals, also particular civil engineering works etc.

Further common features can be described as;

Supervise and coordinate entire project activities or some part of the project until end of the project.

Programming; Scheduling and coordinate all design and construction process.

When required specialize trade contractors, select and hire them according to the requirements of the project.

Project designs, specifications, contact documents and agreement, Construction Project Manger should supervise them very clearly.

Always keep well coordination with project owner, architect, engineers, and with other stakeholders directly who are involved in project.

Educational Background

Generally they are degree holders or relevant reputed qualifications in field of civil engineering, construction management or construction science, also with adequate experience, some of them are appointed obtaining from supervisor level with particular experiences and they have improved their knowledge studying some specific associate’s degree program such as, project control and development, site planning, design, construction methods/ construction materials, value analysis etc. Most of universities offer master degree programs for upgrade their knowledge as well.

As other qualifications, ability of flexible and clear decision for mange and resolve problems, also good understand about engineering drawings and very familiar to operate computer softwares, as well as talent, good communication skill, leadership skill, good relationship with relevant parties,

Construction Project Manager Responsibilities:

Significant responsibilities and duties are;

Observe construction land and study feasibility studies to get understand what type of land required for the project.

Prepare master program to the overall project and agree with the employer.

Execute a key role in project planning, budgeting, and identification of resources required.

Form the teams, developing the objectives, goals of each and allocate individual responsibilities.

Managing budget, team expenses and minimizing exposure and risk in the project

Manage/ monitor the construction activities progress according to schedule.

Keep well communicate with the contractors and Co-ordinate with all parties which involved in the project

Financial advice to the employer and cost control.

Monitor strictly budgetary guidelines, quality and safety standards.

Periodic inspection of construction sites.

Manage the progress meeting and kick off meeting as required

Obtaining all necessary permits and licenses

Preparations for handover process in respect of agreed master program.

There are some specific qualitative attributes in project management roles such as capability to plan and organize a team effort, well client management and kindness building ability, ability to motivate, guide and increase morale of the teams, successful time management and logical decision-making skill, ability to handle work force, physical and mental fitness, physically powerful focus on quality.

Specific Duties of a Construction Manager

As specific duties, CPMs’ handle multitude tasks, determining and review that what are the necessary to give prior for finish at the beginning. In a large scale project, generally divide several activities segments such as site preparation, including clearing and excavation of the land, installing sewage systems, and landscaping and road construction; building construction, including laying foundations and erecting the structural framework, floors, walls, and roofs; and building systems, including protecting against fire and installing electrical, plumbing, air-conditioning, and heating systems. Construction managers may be in charge of one or several of these activities.

Construction managers must also inspect and review the construction project on a periodic basis to ensure compliance with safety code and building code regulations.

What is a Construction Project?

A Construction project is a temporary endeavor to create an inimitable product or service. Construction Projects generally include constraints and risks concerning cost, schedule or performance outcome. Every project has a start and an end. The end of a project is defined by the successful complete of the product or service. There are specific traits that all projects have in common. The most distinguishing feature is a specific time frame. Projects must have a clear, definitive objective and activities tasks. Those are planning, organizing, Control and closure tasks and the resources and execution that is the focus of project management.

Key Characteristics of Projects:

Unique solution.

Project boundaries.

One-time effort, usually requiring specified resources.

Specified start and end dates.

Understand of reached the end of the project.

What is the Construction Project Management Process?

According to the ”PM4DEV” Project Management for Development Organizations, noted in it, Project management is a process of leading a team of capable people in planning and implementing a series of related activities that need to be accomplished on a specific date with a limited budget. Because of its nature, coordinating all these activities requires a process approach.

This management process specially consists of some specific functions such as, Project initiation, Planning, organizing, controlling and managing resources to complete a construction project successfully within on time, cost and quality. The construction project management process need the direct individual, the project manager, to oversee the construction schedule, the allocation of personnel and equipment and the project’s budget.

General functions of construction project management usually include the following

Project objectives and plans; (including definition of scope, scheduling, budgeting, setting performance requirements)

Maximizing resource efficiency through procurement of labor, materials and equipment.

Implementing various operations through proper coordination and control of planning, design, estimating, contracting and construction in the entire process.

Developing effective communications and mechanisms for resolving conflicts

The Project manger is the overall responsible person to direct the construction project management process. Also Project manager is the specific professional in the field of project management. Hence project manager has the ultimate responsibility such as, planning, execution and successful completion of the project.

A significant component of the construction project management process is maintenance the project on schedule and within the estimated budget as well, to achieve these goals,

Further concerning Project management process can be described as follows;

Project management is the art of directing and coordinating human and material resources throughout the life of a project by using modern management techniques to achieve predetermined objectives of scope, cost, time, and quality and participation satisfaction. (Refer to Figure 2-1)

Figure 2-1:  Basic Ingredients in Project Management

Specific Benefits of Construction Project Management Process

There are few specific benefits of Construction Project Management process, these benefits are very essential for the project success.

Preferable efficiency in delivering services

Improved/increased/enhanced customer satisfaction

Enhanced effectiveness in delivering services

Improved growth and development within your team

Greater standing and competitive edge

Opportunities to expand your services

Better Flexibility

Increased risk assessment

Increase in Quality

Increase in Quantity

When execute the essential project management strategies, Construction Project Manager Intention will focus to reach the desired goals within specific time and cost, Quality.

The Top 10 Benefits of Project Management

Essential Factors of Project Management Process

Generally Construction projects have specific factors for contribute of project success or project fail. Each factors directly effect with other factors in order for a project to be successful.

Those are as follows;

Project Team and Team Motivation

Project Manager

Project

Planning

Avoiding Scope Creep:

Risk Management:

Project Closure:

Read more: Factors for Project Success | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7495173_factors-project-success.html#ixzz26WXLGm8N

Eight Key Factors to Ensuring Project Success

Author: Duncan Haughey, Version 1.0, project smart.com .UK

http://www.pmhut.com/project-management-role-and-responsibilities

Project Management Roles and Responsibilities

Particularly strong project management skills are very essential to deliver the project successful of project goal. Hence project management process has combined a set of skills and techniques committed under following tasks.

Integrate planning and conduct modify control

Define and manage the scope of the project

Prepare a budget and manage costs

Prepare and track schedules

Ensure that the right resources are allocated to the project

Manage contracts and vendors and procure project resources

Facilitate team and external communications

Facilitate the risk management process

Also document and monitor the team’s quality management process makes the final decision on the issue by transitioning into the role of decision leader to enable the project to continue. Hence above roles and responsibilities should be covered within the project management process as well.

Project Management Process

According to the ”PM4DEV”, Project Management for Development Organizations, as noted in it, There are nine significant management processes under Construction Project Management to be implemented within role of the project manager.

The nine project management processes are:

Scope Management

Schedule Management

Budget Management

Quality Management

Team Management

Stakeholder Management

Information Management

Risk management

Contract Management

Above management process have divided into two groups:

Enabling processes

Facilitating processes

This management process phases are interrelated with entire project life cycle. Below given graphic chat will shows management process interrelationship with project lifecycle.

Enabling Process

Project Life Cycle

Facilitating processes

Figure 4.1 Project Management Processes and Phases

Enabling Processes

In the construction management process enabling process include with project scope, schedule, budget and quality. Hence these are should enable to direct some specific objectives of the project and for project success within on time, cost, quality.

Scope Management

In Construction project management process; Scope management is very critical for project success. Also project scope is the way to illustrate the boundaries of the project. Hence project manager should awareness concerning the scope of the project. Therefore project manager be able to co-ordinate with designers to get update and control the project scope and also acknowledge of project team, as well as the contractors about scope of the work accordingly and should monitor and control work executions too.

Further about scope management by below given graphic chart will explain briefly;

Schedule Management

Schedule management is the development of a project schedule that includes all project activities, hence project manager has to stick on starting and completion dates of each trade packages as programmed, and management team also has to monitor progress of construction and forecast the completion date accordingly. If completion date is not matching the master program, control process is required. As example; assumed some work element unable to complete as programmed due to less progressing or late in starting. If so, it will affect to other work sections too and will delay accordingly. Therefore project manager should advice to allocate additional resources to accelerate the delayed work section to complete it as pre programmed.

Budget Management

Budget management process is required to ensure the project is completed within the estimated budget. Hence this is the vital responsibility of the Construction Project Manager to handle and complete the project within allocated budget of the project. As well as monitor and control the cost of project at both pre & post contract stages are also important part of this management process.

Cost Controlling

Cost controlling system is critical process of the cost management process, to run the project without commercial backlog. (Refer to Chat 1.02)

Chart 1.02 Cost controlling and cost management system

Pre contract cost management

Generally preliminary budget estimate is prepared based on the client’s intended budget and also concerning separate trade packages. As well as Cost plan (elemental analysis), Cost check, Tender reconciliation process also important activities for the cost controlling under pre contract stage.

Post contract cost management

BCIS slandered form is followed (Elemental Standard Form of Cost Analysis Principles, Instructions, Elements and Definitions 4th Edition) to prepare elementary cost analysis method and gaudiness.

Further detail herein for cost control, using S- curve methods; (Refer to Chart 1.03)

Chart 1.03 Cost control S-Curve (Programmed)

Referring to the above diagram; it shows expenditure and income occurred. This is being monitored regularly, to avoid the cost overrun. .

Quality Management

Quality management is the process to ensure that the project will satisfy the needs of the beneficiaries. Hence project manager has to monitor and control the quality of work and devlpolp the quality paln. also he has to allocate experienced project coordinator to advice & force the contractor to maintain the quality of work. Each work element should be approved by a qualified quality controller or an Engineer prior to handover. Also he has to check the quality of materials and should be strict to the contractor to use standard materials for construction as specified in drawings and specification to maintain the quality of work. Hence all materials should be approved by a quality controlling team prior to use for construction.

Some of the most important quality tools are; Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle, Fishbone Diagram, Pareto Chart, Scatter Diagram, Decision Matrix, Flowchart, Stratification, Control Chart, Histogram, Brainstorming, Tree Diagram etc. http://theconstructor.org/constrution/project-quality-management-in-construction/292/

Facilitating processes

This process includes with some specific function such as, Team, stakeholder, information, risk, and contract management, these are facilitating for assist and make possible for the project to achieve its objectives.

Team Management

Team management is a techniques, processes and tools for organizing and coordinating a group of individuals working towards a common goal, there are few critical factors for success of the team management process, identify the roles & responsibilities, reporting relationships and getting the people that will be allocate to the project, develop the team. As well as team evaluation is very important part to identify the staff performance and their skill level and required improvement.

Stakeholder Management

Stakeholder management include stakeholder identify, analysis, planning and communication. Project stakeholders are very important people for the project success, hence project manager has to mange them in proper way, because of all of them interest to the project success. As example donors, beneficiaries, local government organizations, partners or organizations are the stakeholders of construction project. As well as managing them keeping good relationship between stakeholders and project.

Information Management

Risk Management

Identification of possible risks in advance is important and major responsibility of the Construction manager. The project management team will be able to take necessary actions to avoid or minimize the risks by identifying them early. Safety of work, Economic matters, Weather conditions, political matters etc also includes in risk management. Hence it is important to take insurances for the construction, material on site, employees; third party etc.

Contract Management

Safety of Work

Safety of work is very important at the site to avoid delays in construction. Hence all employees should educate about safety matters and should provide safety equipments, safety wears etc to employees. Required safety instructions should be display on public notice boards. Fire fighting equipments such as fire extinguishers, water, sand, hose real etc should install at site and well trained fire preventing team also should be there. First AID boxes, clinics, Ambulance etc also should available at the site.

Problem Solving

Identify problems arise from trade contractors is essential to take necessary actions as required to avoid unnecessary delays. As example; Suspended ceiling contractor has to coordinate with MEP contractors to identify his requirements such as voids at ceiling to fix diffusers at the ceiling. Also design problems, practical problems should solve immediately as soon as those arise by using communicating, coordinating and negotiating techniques with related parties

Closing and Handover the Project

Final inspection should carry out by the Construction Project Manager after completion of constructions of the project. He must re-check all approval for quality of work, testing and commissioning reports, scope verification etc. Then the project is ready to hand over to the client. All related claims, cost proposals and Final payment application etc should be finalized on time.