CM at risk: The CM at risk model empowers the construction manager, giving him more functions than he would normally have. In this project delivery method, the construction manager acts in two ways. On one hand, he is a consultant to the project owner during the design and development phases, and on the other hand, he monitors the contractor during the construction phase to control costs and guarantee that the project is delivered within the guaranteed maximum price.
Once the project owner has the blueprints, material take-offs, a construction project manager and a general contractor, the project can begin.
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Construction Project Management Processes
Construction project management requires a broad variety of skills, along with the ability to interface with a diverse range of agencies and people in order to lead the project from concept to build. It’s important that construction project managers follow the principles of project management during every phase of the project life cycle.
You can’t start a project unless you know you’ll be able to finish it. First comes the due diligence to determine if the project is even feasible. How do you figure this out? You want to go through a feasibility study or what is often called a business case, in which you look at the goals, cost estimates and timeline to see if you have the resources to reach a successful project end within those constraints. You also want to define the reasoning behind the project and make sure it’s sound. If so, then you create your project charter to help initiate the project. You’ll also identify potential issues and risks in this phase.
You have approval, now how are you going to achieve success? Outline the tasks within the timeline, noting project milestones, and the resources needed to do those tasks within the budget allotted. Be transparent in your project plan, so everyone is on the same page and understands what needs to be done over the life cycle of the project. That includes detailing the cost, scope, duration, quality and communications used in the project. This is also when you’ll be able to conceptualize the best project team for the project and begin the process of assembling them.
The planning phase is probably the most important project management phase because you’ll create the documents that will guide the project execution. Here are some of them:
The project schedule is a big part of the planning phase in construction project management. Here’s an example of a project schedule from ProjectManager’s free construction schedule template.
ProjectManager's Gantt chart, the perfect tool for construction project management
Once you’ve completed the work breakdown structure, you’ll add your tasks to the left-hand side of the construction schedule template. You can add subtasks, add resources and costs, deadlines and more. Project phases can also be color-coded. To the right is a timeline that captures the entire project plan in one place.
On the timeline side of the Gantt chart, you can link dependent tasks, set milestones and a baseline to capture the project plan to compare to your actual progress when the project is being executed. There are a lot more features to play with on the Gantt chart that will help you plan and control your project. Download the free template to practice making your own construction schedule.
Once you have a construction plan that includes all the information you need to manage costs, scope, risks, time and other aspects of your project, it’s time to execute.
At this stage, you’re executing the project and taking the project plan and implementing it while factoring in the changes and work management issues that can arise during such a process. Whatever deliverables you promised must come through in the timeframe you noted. Now, as a construction project manager, you must deal with the project owner, stakeholders and customers and teams. The latter have tasks that must be completed, which means workload management and resource allocation. You’ll be setting up meetings and reporting frequently throughout this stage. This is where your project management tool will really be tested, but more on that later.
You can’t know the progress of your project if you don’t have a way to monitor it. You’ll be doing this during the previous stages of the project, but it’s important enough to demand its own separate stage in your management. You’ll want to have a way to note the progress, which is why you need to set up key performance indicators for cost control, time tracking and quality control. If you can stay on top of these figures, it’s less likely you’ll manage a failing project. Therefore, stay flexible and communicative throughout so you can adapt quickly to change when it occurs, and it always occurs.
When you’re managing a construction job, there are certain objectives you should consider. Just like in any project, you accomplish overall project success by breaking it down into phases. The following are four steps you can take to organize a successful construction project management project.
There are four parts to designing a construction project. It’s the project manager’s responsibility to make sure your design meets with building codes and other regulations.
The concept. What are the needs, goals and objectives of the project? You’ll be making decisions based on the size of the project, the site allocated for the build and the actual design of what you’re building. This is comprised of a list for each room or space under consideration, including all critical data.
The schematic design. The schematic design is a sketch that identifies the various parts, materials, sizes, colors, textures, etc. It includes the floorplan, elevations, etc. and even a site plan.
Landscaper BC CanadaDesign Development (DD). Design development requires research. What are the materials to use? What equipment will be needed? How much are the materials? What is the material take-off?
Once you have a design, you’ll need to use information from construction drawings and documents from the previous stage to create a bill of quantities which will specify the materials and labor that’s required. Knowing local building codes and adhering to them will be important at this stage.
Get the contract documents together. These are the final blueprints and construction specs. These will be used by outside contractors to bid on the job.
The preconstruction phase starts once the general contractor bid is accepted, but before ground is broken. During that time, you’ll want to work on these three steps.
Assign a project manager. If the project manager hasn’t already been determined, you’ll want to establish it now. Sometimes a project manager is on board early and participates in the first stages of a project, while other times they aren’t hired until the design is complete.
Determine the rest of the personnel. Find a contract administrator or the person who helps the project manager. A superintendent is also needed to keep everything on schedule in terms of the materials, deliveries and equipment. Superintendents are also on-site to deal with construction activities. Finally, you want to have a field engineer, which is more of an entry-level position to deal with paperwork.
Investigate the job site. Conduct a site analysis to understand the social, climatic and demographic variables that might affect your construction project.
Investigate the job site. Conduct a site analysis to understand the social, climatic and demographic variables that might affect your construction project.
By this point, you’ve established your team and you’ve planned for the construction and materials necessary to complete it. Now you must purchase those materials and equipment. Depending on the organization, procurement might be the responsibility of the general contractor or subcontractors.
This is the stage you’ll be working with purchase orders, which are used as an agreement between the buyer and the seller.
Finally, you’re ready for the build! But first, set a preconstruction meeting to deal with work hours, the storage of materials, quality control and site access. Then get everyone on the construction site and set up as needed.
You’ll need to create a payment schedule and a process to deliver payments. This information needs to be transparent, not only to meet financial obligations but to maintain a happy and productive workforce and environment. Make sure your work orders are detailed enough to avoid misunderstandings between you and your contractors.
The last part of the project is after the construction is complete and the occupants move into or take ownership of the site. You must make sure all their requirements have been met, and usually provide a warranty period to make that arrangement official and binding.
What Is Construction Project Management Software?
Construction project management software organizes the planning, scheduling, building, resources and reporting associated with construction projects. It streamlines the process and improves productivity—all while keeping to a tight schedule and budget.
Project management training video (t8k47kt3r5)
Construction management software is designed to help managers control every phase of their projects by organizing its disparate parts and automating routines to add efficiencies. A construction project management tool also keeps stakeholders updated by sharing data-rich reports.