Construction Sequence for a Typical Project

Centre for Research in the Management of Projects, University of Manchester, P.O. Box 88, Manchester M60 1QD, UK Centre for Research in the Management of Projects, School of Construction and Project Management, The Bartlett University College London, UK Received 8 July 2003; received in revised form 30 January 2004; accepted 15 June 2004

Key outputs in this phase are the Projects Requirements definition, the capability and capacity assessment, project delivery strategy and the Project Management plan. The role of the construction/ project manager in this phase is, once project authorized, it is the project manager’s responsibility to implement the project. In terms of the Project Requirements Definition the, the project manager refines and details the project authorization and details what the project is required to accomplish in terms of the products/services the project will deliver and the scope of work that needs to be done. The project manager must provide project team members, corporate sponsors, and other stakeholders with a common understanding of what the project is all about, and is the authoritative reference document that defines the project.

The stages of the construction project management differ from the stage of business management, in several respects. For example, construction management first stage is the resolution; it is necessary to identify requirements relating to the project by the owner and choose a consult to help in completing a preliminary assessment for the project and the feasibility, also the impact of its presence in the economic and social development areas. However, planning is the first stage on

‘Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements’ (Project Management Institute, 2009, p12). Once a project has been approved a project manager is assigned to the project, and ‘is expected to integrate all aspects of the project, ensure that the proper knowledge and resources are available when they are needed, and ensure that the results are produced in a timely, cost-effective manner’ (Meredith and Mantel, 2010, p5). In order to allow this to happen there are several key aspects of a project which need to be carefully thought out and controlled.

Projects are used today as a way of achieving a variety of outcomes in local or international locations for new constructions, new product development, product improvement, process design, process improvement, utility installation, theory and technology development, and many more. Bringing a project to a successful conclusion requires the integration of numerous management functions like controlling, directing, team building, communication and others. It also requires cost and schedule management, technical and risk management, conflict and stakeholder 's management, and life cycle management.

The design and construction of buildings can be a complicated business involving different professions, contractors, sub-contractors and operatives. This type of work is varied and employs many construction personnel with different roles and responsibilities, working together to complete a project in as successful way- on time, on budget and to the right specification. A large project would involve a great number of different activities:

Construction projects are always unique and risks raise from a number of the different sources. Construction projects are inherently complex and dynamic, and involving multiple feedback processes. A lot of participants – individuals and organizations are actively involved in the construction project, and they interests may be positively or negatively affected as a result of the project execution or project completion. Different participants with different experience and skills usually have different expectations and interests. This naturally creates problems and confusion for even the most experienced project managers and contractors.

Before going any further the project team should come up with a detailed explanation and planning of all the processes related to the implementation of the project. There should be exact dates for the completion of each step, combined with a list the responsible people. Schedule for the deliveries and supplies should be created and a person should be appointed to look after the proper execution. The specialists responsible for the planning should report to the project manager two weeks before the beginning of the construction work.

In recent years there has been an improved development for the need of design management in construction. Effective design management is necessary for a successful project but the clear picture of design management is not understood properly (S Austin, 2002). Design is a very key aspect of construction and with the help of a good team; good sustainable projects can be produced. The need for improvement of design in construction is very necessary. Delivering the project on time, budget and providing a value to construction is needed (S Austin, 2002). However the role of a design manager is poorly noted and does not have a robust path (Newton, n.d.).

It is hard to find any industry that has not been significantly impacted by the technology revolution, and the construction industry is no exception. In this technology driven age, construction project managers and contractors have access to a number of software options that offer the logistic and administrative support necessary to create a streamlined, efficient process that has the capacity to increase productivity, improve communication and reduce overall costs.

A project should be done as a whole package, not only focusing on the construction phase, which most likely become the spotlight of the project, as people commonly seen, but also should be considered from the planning process to maintenance phase.

Construction phase programming, to establish deadlines for the key deliverables of all parties; (Mosey, 2011).

Overrunning of a project is one of the common reason for project failure, 50% of construction projects overrun1. Planning phase of a project involves allocation of resources and dates with deliverables. A project overrun clearly indicates poor planning in terms of scheduling. During project execution, project activities are subject to considerable uncertainty, new activities may have to be incorporated or activities may have to be dropped. A disrupted schedule incurs higher costs due to missed due dates and deadlines, resource idleness, higher work-in-process inventory and increased system nervousness due to frequent rescheduling.

At project orientation the internal project team is assembled to get involved in goal setting for the project. The project manager presents his review of the owners contract, a compulsory understanding of the Owner 's contract documents are essential to all members of the team to guide them in them work. The culled contract type is first discussed as it set the conditions of performance; general conditions and requisites, supplementary conditions, designations language that denote concrete contractor deliverables and the construction plans, form the substratum of the development of the cumulated estimate and scope of work. The review should sanction them the competency to develop the project’s “budget”, “construction schedule", "pre-purchase log", "financial projections" defining the performance, cost and time constraints to the project. Together, the cost and time goals comprise the main criteria needed to engender the desired construction and they cannot be altered in any paramount way. The project manager who apperceives "cost and time" as the goals which bring prosperity to a project, must fixate on the resources each subcontractor must assign to the project over any given period and plans for distributions accordingly. For there to be prosperity, subcontracts must be indited to include this orchestration of action and the implementation of these actions become essential to constraining exposure to influences that will impinge in the project’s

Activity based scheduling methodology was developed in 1950s. The planning is done in construction process by using network of activities in this methodology.