Project Scheduling and Management for Construction

David R. Pierce

• Publisher: RSMeans
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781118417171
• Edition: 4
• Topic: Tecnologia e ingegneria
• Subtopic: Ingegneria edile

First published in 1988 by RS Means, the new edition of Project Scheduling and Management for Construction has been substantially revised for students enrolled in construction management and civil engineering programs. While retaining its emphasis on developing practical, professional-level scheduling skills, the new edition is a relatable, real-world case study that can be used over the course of a semester. The book also includes classroom elements like exercises, quizzes, skill-building exercises, as well as an instructor's manual including two additional new cases.

1

Project Management Fundamentals

The goal of this book is to help the reader become a more effective construction project manager, or to help a construction company carry out more effective project management and control. A major element in the process of project management is scheduling the work of the project, and then keeping it on track and on time as the project unfolds. This book is devoted specifically to that part of the project management. However, if we are to schedule as effectively as possible, it is important for us to understand the underlying principles of management as they relate to project management generally and scheduling specifically. These general principles form the basis for specific tasks we must execute as we schedule and control a project. The following chapter is, therefore, aimed at helping the reader understand these principles as a starting point for subsequent chapters.

WHAT IS MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL?

The general principles of management are probably one of the most widely known subject areas in the modern world. The concepts involved in managing enterprises of all types, whether in business or government, are of intense interest to individuals working at all levels of organizations all over the world,

The question is: What are these principles and how can they be useful to those of us who manage construction projects? To develop a set of tools that can be useful for us, we should look at a basic general definition of management and work forward from basics to specifics.

To begin with, a basic definition: “management is the process of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling.”

The concepts contained in this definition are so well known that a web search for these exact words yields over 4, 750, 000 “hits”!

We can further extend this definition by looking at the specific concepts contained within it. The ideas that are most important to us for purposes of schedule and control construction project are these:

• Goals
• Process
• Planning
• Control

At the very beginning, we recognize that goals are always involved. In a philosophical sense, without a set of goals, there is no point in even taking actions. In practical terms, a construction company or manager must have profit as an overall goal, and completing the work on time is an essential part of meeting profit goals. Establishing smaller and more focused short-term goals is a very important part of the overall task of project management.

Process can be defined as a set of continuing systematic actions over time. The management process must be carried on continually throughout the life of the job or company. Management must be done in a systematic way, which means an orderly, regular, and dependable way, using a set of established procedures or methods.

Management also means that decisions must be made in order to achieve the goals of the project or company. These decisions must be made rationally, that is, based on facts, not hunches or inaccurate information. One of the primary reasons for setting up a systematic, orderly method of management is to deliver accurate, timely information to the decision makers on the job.

Once a sound project management system is in place, the project manager may use it to carry out the more specific functions of planning and controlling. Planning can be defined as deciding what tasks must be performed to accomplish the goals of the project. This means establishing realistic schedules and budgets, coordinating resources to get the work done, and most importantly, making sure everyone knows what the plan of action is.

Controlling is the final action in the management process. To achieve and maintain control, the project manager must monitor the progress of the job. When short-term goals are not being met, the project manager must take action to get everything back on track.

WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT?

While these fundamental ideas can form a basis for our management practices, we still have to translate them into more specific terms and actions. The tasks in the following list grow out of these concepts and are the focus of this book.

1. First, we must establish and focus on goals that will be general at first, then increasingly specific and job-oriented as we plan the work.

2. Second, we must establish an effective management process that will operate in a systematic manner.

3. Third, we must use this management process, or system, to make the best possible decisions coordinating the work of our project, and then continue planning and controlling the work throughout the life of the job.

Having defined the three major project management tasks, we can begin to focus on the more specific jobs of the project manager.

Setting Goals

The first task of the construction project manager is establishing goals. Many goals have already been set by the project estimate and contract documents. A primary purpose of the estimate is to arrive at a cost for the project, while the contract establishes the time required for completion. Neither of these goals—cost or time—can be altered in any significant way by the project manager. However, the project manager can set intermediate goals for the construction process, goals that meet the ultimate requirements of cost and time.

Creating a Project Management System

After setting goals for the project, the next task of the project manager is to establish control through an effective management system. There are two approaches to project management. They are: (1) proactive—aggressive management ensuring that the job proceeds as planned by the manager, or (2) reactive—spending money and reacting as events occur and letting circumstances run the job. The latter, reactive scenario tends to occur if the manager fails to set up a properly organized, thorough, and methodical management system. This approach almost certainly guarantees that a job will overrun time and budget allowances, and generally cause much grief to all concerned.

The management system should be designed to address the following elements:

Time: A plan of action must be established to ensure the work is done in the correct order or sequence and within the time allowed.

Cost: The work must be performed efficiently if the contractor’s goals are to be met.

Resources: It must be determined in advance when and how much of each resource (such as particular categories of labor, equipment, or materials) is needed to do the work. One must then ensure that the resource is provided when and where needed. Resource management supports the effort to control time and cost. The information used by the project manager to perform this task is developed from the time and cost information data.

Finances: Ultimately, time and resources translate into dollars. Thus, the financial control function means accurately predicting the amount of cash needed to support all the work done on the job.

Managing the Project

The third task of the project manager is to manage the project as it proceeds, using the project control system to best advantage. In the simplest terms the project manager must know if the project is heading in the right direction to meet its goals? Project control is best illustrated as a feedback loop, shown in Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1 Basic feedback loop

Managing the project begins with the input of data on labor, materials, and equipment—the resources used to build the project. As the work is performed, the output, or productivity, is measured to see if it is meeting the goals set for the project. If it is not, corrective action must be taken.

Project control can be illustrated by comparing it to a feedback loop used in machine control. For example, a cruise control on a car measures the speed of the car, compares it to the preset speed, and if there is a variation, either adds or reduces throttle to return the speed of the car to the preset limit. If the cruise control fails to function properly, the car either takes a long time to reach its destination or the driver gets a ticket. Using feedback to manage and control a construction project, however, requires a few more steps. The project manager must perform the following tasks.

Plan: Realistic, usable schedules and budgets must be established for all phases of the job. These guidelines will serve as a “blueprint” for building the job. The schedules and budgets should be based on the original estimate and contract requirements. They must reflect the commitment of the people who will have to carry them out.

Communicate: Once developed, the plans must be communicated clearly and effectively to the people who will be executing them. Emphasis must be placed on providing clear, usable visual displays, particularly for scheduling. It is also wise to recognize that the professionalism shown by the project manager in planning and communicating on the job site has a very real effect on employee morale and effectiveness. A sloppy plan, poorly organized and executed, gives employees the impression that they work for a slipshod organization. Pride in their work will be affected accordingly.

Monitor and control: After the plans have been developed and communicated, they must be carried out by project personnel. Realistically, some unexpected events could interfere with the original plan. If this occurs, the project manager must take steps to ensure that the project goals are met. This means taking action to bring the job back in line with the original plan, or revising the plan to fit the new situation.

If the project manager is to effectively deal with delays, the management system must provide him or her with the most current information. This monitoring function involves collecting data on time and cost, and comparing this information to original projections.

Once the project manager is aware of the current job status as compared to the original plan, actions can be taken to meet the original goals. These actions can range from adding more crews to speed up sheetrock installation to completely changing the installation sequence of complex formwork.

Two other points should be made about the feedback loop. First, construction job sites can be very busy places, with many activities going on at one time. Therefore, it is important that the management system be exception-oriented. That is to say, the system should be designed to specifically point out those items that are at variance with the plan, and to essentially ignore those that are proceeding on schedule. Without an exception-oriented system, the project manager is in danger of being overwhelmed with detail, while key areas may be overlooked.

Second, the information provided must be timely, so that problems are caught and recognized early in the game. Problems on a job tend to worsen at an accelerating rate. It is important to catch them before they have a chance to become major disasters.

The key to monitoring and control by project management is making frequent checks of job status and, if necessary, taking action to ensure that the project’s goals are met. Failing in either checking or acting will result in a failure to meet the project goals.

WHY USE PROJECT MANAGEMENT?

In the previous sections, we have recommended an overall strategy for project management and control. There is still, however, some feeling in the construction industry that all these management procedures and paperwork is not really necessary—that one can monitor the job effectively enough by walking around the site to ensure on-time completion and a profit. After all, that has been the way superintendents have managed construction since the time of the pyramids. In reality, the current state of the construction industry is such that more effective techniques for control and management on the job are essential.

The recent history of some construction projects is sadly one of the reasons why old methods of project control are no longer effective. Today’s construction projects are complex and very different than in the past. For example, building environmental control systems have replaced simple heating systems. Structures may now consist of high-, early-strength, post-tensioned concrete floor systems with shear walls, where we once had simple flat slabs and columns. Windows have become complete “exterior enclosure systems.” This means a greater variety of jobs to be done, and a greater percentage of subcontractors. Architects and owners have a much wider range of materials and systems to choose from; thus, very few projects are the same.

The increased variety of construction materials and methods has generated more detail than can be managed effectively by one person. In the past, one individual could carry out most of the management tasks since only the basic trades were involved, there was an architect and an owner, and the contract was straightf...