Main subject in "Construction Technology Management"
*Construction Manager
*Project Manager
*Construction Administrator
*Facilities Manager
*Estimator
*Scheduler
*Public Works Administrators and Superintendent
*Construction Manufacturers Representative
Science Degree of Construction Management technology prepares students to be proficient in the art and technology of constructing the built environment relative to design, technology, building science, and social responsibility. It is based upon the premise that the construction management professional must possess a core knowledge which allows them to integrate design, engineering, and technology into the process of construction.
? What is Project Management
Generally, project management is distinguished from the general management of corporations by the mission-oriented nature of a project. A project organization will generally be terminated when the mission is accomplished. According to the Project Management Institute, the discipline of project management can be defined 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, quality and participation satisfaction.
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| Basic Ingredients in Project Management |
The Project Management Institute focuses on nine distinct areas requiring project manager knowledge and attention:
1.Project integration management to ensure that the various project elements are effectively coordinated
2.Project scope management to ensure that all the work required (and only the required work) is included
3.Project time management to provide an effective project schedule.
4.Project cost management to identify needed resources and maintain budget control
5.Project quality management to ensure functional requirements are met
6.Project human resource management to development and effectively employ project personnel
7.Project communications management to ensure effective internal and external communications
8.Project risk management to analyze and mitigate potential risks
9.Project procurement management to obtain necessary resources from external sources
1.Project integration management to ensure that the various project elements are effectively coordinated
2.Project scope management to ensure that all the work required (and only the required work) is included
3.Project time management to provide an effective project schedule.
4.Project cost management to identify needed resources and maintain budget control
5.Project quality management to ensure functional requirements are met
6.Project human resource management to development and effectively employ project personnel
7.Project communications management to ensure effective internal and external communications
8.Project risk management to analyze and mitigate potential risks
9.Project procurement management to obtain necessary resources from external sources
Effects of Project Risks on Organization
Risks in construction projects may be classified in a number of ways. One form of classification is as follows:
- Socioeconomic factors
- Environmental protection
- Public safety regulation
- Economic instability
- Exchange rate fluctuation
- Organizational relationships
- Contractual relations
- Attitudes of participants
- Communication
- Technological problems
- Design assumptions
- Site conditions
- Construction procedures
- Construction occupational safet
Organization of Project Participants
The top management of the owner sets the overall policy and selects the appropriate organization to take charge of a proposed project. Its policy will dictate how the project life cycle is divided among organizations and which professionals should be engaged. Decisions by the top management of the owner will also influence the organization to be adopted for project management. In general, there are many ways to decompose a project into stages. The most typical ways are:
- *Sequential processing whereby the project is divided into separate stages and each stage is carried out successively in sequence
- *Parallel processing whereby the project is divided into independent parts such that all stages are carried out simultaneously
- *Staggered processing whereby the stages may be overlapping, such as the use of phased design-construct procedures for fast track operation
It should be pointed out that some decompositions may work out better than others, depending on the circumstances. In any case, the prevalence of decomposition makes the subsequent integration particularly important. The critical issues involved in organization for project management are:
? How many organizations are involved ?
? What are the relationships among the organizations ?
? When are the various organizations brought into the project ?
? How many organizations are involved ?
? What are the relationships among the organizations ?
? When are the various organizations brought into the project ?
There are two basic approaches to organize for project implementation, even though many variations may exist as a result of different contractual relationships adopted by the owner and builder. These basic approaches are divided along the following lines:
1-Separation of organizations. Numerous organizations serve as consultants or contractors to the owner, with different organizations handling design and construction functions. Typical examples which involve different degrees of separation are:
1-Separation of organizations. Numerous organizations serve as consultants or contractors to the owner, with different organizations handling design and construction functions. Typical examples which involve different degrees of separation are:
- Traditional sequence of design and construction
- Professional construction management
2-Integration of organizations. A single or joint venture consisting of a number of organizations with a single command undertakes both design and construction functions. Two extremes may be cited as examples:
- Owner-builder operation in which all work will be handled in house by force account
- Turnkey operation in which all work is contracted to a vendor which is responsible for delivering the completed project
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| A Matrix Organization |
Matrix Organization of an Engineering Division/
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| The Matrix Organization in an Engineering Division |
Leadership and Motivation for the Project Team
The project manager, in the broadest sense of the term, is the most important person for the success or failure of a project. The project manager is responsible for planning, organizing and controlling the project. In turn, the project manager receives authority from the management of the organization to mobilize the necessary resources to complete a project.
The project manager must be able to exert interpersonal influence in order to lead the project team. The project manager often gains the support of his/her team through a combination of the following:
*Formal authority resulting from an official capacity which is empowered to issue orders.
*Reward and/or penalty power resulting from his/her capacity to dispense directly or indirectly valued organization rewards or penalties.
*Expert power when the project manager is perceived as possessing special knowledge or expertise for the job.
*Attractive power because the project manager has a personality or other characteristics to convince others.
In a matrix organization, the members of the functional departments may be accustomed to a single reporting line in a hierarchical structure, but the project manager coordinates the activities of the team members drawn from functional departments. The functional structure within the matrix organization is responsible for priorities, coordination, administration and final decisions pertaining to project implementation. Thus, there are potential conflicts between functional divisions and project teams. The project manager must be given the responsibility and authority to resolve various conflicts such that the established project policy and quality standards will not be jeopardized. When contending issues of a more fundamental nature are developed, they must be brought to the attention of a high level in the management and be resolved expeditiously.
In general, the project manager's authority must be clearly documented as well as defined, particularly in a matrix organization where the functional division managers often retain certain authority over the personnel temporarily assigned to a project. The following principles should be observed:
*The interface between the project manager and the functional division managers should be kept as simple as possible.
*The project manager must gain control over those elements of the project which may overlap with functional division managers.
*The project manager should encourage problem solving rather than role playing of team members drawn from various functional divisions.
The project manager must be able to exert interpersonal influence in order to lead the project team. The project manager often gains the support of his/her team through a combination of the following:
*Formal authority resulting from an official capacity which is empowered to issue orders.
*Reward and/or penalty power resulting from his/her capacity to dispense directly or indirectly valued organization rewards or penalties.
*Expert power when the project manager is perceived as possessing special knowledge or expertise for the job.
*Attractive power because the project manager has a personality or other characteristics to convince others.
In a matrix organization, the members of the functional departments may be accustomed to a single reporting line in a hierarchical structure, but the project manager coordinates the activities of the team members drawn from functional departments. The functional structure within the matrix organization is responsible for priorities, coordination, administration and final decisions pertaining to project implementation. Thus, there are potential conflicts between functional divisions and project teams. The project manager must be given the responsibility and authority to resolve various conflicts such that the established project policy and quality standards will not be jeopardized. When contending issues of a more fundamental nature are developed, they must be brought to the attention of a high level in the management and be resolved expeditiously.
In general, the project manager's authority must be clearly documented as well as defined, particularly in a matrix organization where the functional division managers often retain certain authority over the personnel temporarily assigned to a project. The following principles should be observed:
*The interface between the project manager and the functional division managers should be kept as simple as possible.
*The project manager must gain control over those elements of the project which may overlap with functional division managers.
*The project manager should encourage problem solving rather than role playing of team members drawn from various functional divisions.
Reference:
- Barrie, Donald S. and Boyd C. Paulson, Jr., Professional Construction Management, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 2nd Ed., 1984
- Halpin, Daniel W. and Ronald W. Woodhead, Construction Management, John Wiley and Sons, 1980
- Hodgetts, R.M., Management: Theory, Process and Practice, W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, PA, 1979
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