Civil Engineering Management Portfolio - Assignment Example

Civil Engineering Management Portfolio ID 19714 Order No. 281508 17 March 2009 Table of Contents: Table of Figures Serial No. Description and Link to the figure Figure 1 Psychological Framework of Hazard and Injury (Lingard, Helen and Rowlinson, Stephen M. pages 26 and 27) Figure 2 The Evolution of culture of safety in Civil Engineering Construction projects (Lingard, Helen and Rowlinson, Stephen M. page 33) Figure 3 Implementation cycle for Occupational Health & Safety (http://www.acpmedia.co.nz/Corporate/ HealthSafety/tabid/513/Default.aspx) Figure 4 Requirements of OSH regulation of Australia (http://www.huntind.com.au/index.phppageid=4) Figure 5 Influences driving the OSH practices (Lingard, Helen and Rowlinson, Stephen M. pages 31) Figure 6 Management Responsibility Framework in ISO 9001 (Tricker, Ray and Sherring-Lucas, Bruce. 2005. pp120) Figure 7 Resource Management Framework in ISO 9001 (Tricker, Ray and Sherring-Lucas, Bruce. 2005. pp121) Figure 8 Product Realization Framework in ISO 9001 (Tricker, Ray and Sherring-Lucas, Bruce. 2005. pp122) Figure 9 Integration of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 (Woodside, Gale and Aurrichio, Patrick et al. 1998. pp168-169) Executive Summary: Civil engineering is regarded as one of the oldest fields of engineering that has contributed substantially in changing the face of the planet. The components of this engineering comprises of specialised engineering subjects that are focused on development of large infrastructure services of the world that includes Town Water Supply systems, Underground Sewer systems, Hydro & Thermal Power Plants, Dams, High Voltage Transmission Systems & Transmission Lines, Overhead & Underground Railways, Roadways, Express Highways, Flyovers, Bridges over rivers & canals, Mass Transit Corridors, Airports, Manufacturing Plants, etc. Construction Engineering is one of the major sub-disciplines of Civil Engineering that is supported by other advanced engineering sub-disciplines like Transportation engineering, Heavy Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, Soils and Foundation engineering, Hydraulic engineering, Ocean engineering, etc. Construction has a long history, almost parallel to the development of civilization. Across the globe, construction is the biggest industry which is churning billions of dollars every year and providing employment to a large workforce - skilled as well as unskilled. As far as the UK is concerned, its output is worth over 100bn a year. It accounts for 8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides employment for around 3 million workers (Vadera, Shriti and Woolas, Phil et al. 2008). Civil Engineering and the associated sub-disciplines are changing rapidly as a result of technology enhancements, growing concerns on local & global environment problems & commitment required to the ecosystem and the overall management system & quality control procedures that collectively comprise of the management portfolio of the profession. The job of a Civil Engineering Project Manager is no longer planning & execution of construction projects but is also linked with commitment to local & global environment, the local ecosystem, the society and the overall safety of the infrastructure from the perspective of the workers and the end users. The Management Portfolio thus needs to include all these responsibilities and organized to form an organization structure that can effectively deliver as per all such requirements. The local special interest groups and the legal & statutory system of the nation carry lot of influence on the projects and hence they need to be satisfied effectively by sending to them regular updates & reports and allowing them to audit the proceedings as and when demanded. Hence, every project is expected to comprise of the following management challenges: (a) Health & Safety Management (b) Environment & Waste Management (c) Risk Management (d) Quality Management (e) Technology Management (f) Site Management - comprises of management of cost, labour, materials, storage, supply chain, etc. (g) Human Resources Management - White Collar as well as Blue Collar (h) Legal requirements management (i) Delivery Management (j) Make Live Management [Grigg, Neil S and Criswell, Marvin E. et al. 2001] The Civil Engineering Project Management needs to incorporate all these management challenges & responsibilities in the management portfolio to deliver against all required expectations from this profession. In this paper the author presents an evaluation of Civil Engineering Management Portfolio that is required to effectively manage Civil Engineering Infrastructure Projects. The subsequent sections present the essentials of Management Portfolio of Civil Engineering pertaining to Health & Safety management, Environment Management, Quality Management, Technology Management, Commercial Management and Human Resources Management. Health and Safety Management The Health and Safety Management in Civil Engineering projects need to comprise of a sound process management framework that not only controls the usage of machinery & equipment but also controls the psychological aspects of health & safety at the construction sites. The psychological framework of hazard and injury is presented in the following figure: Figure 1: Psychological Framework of Hazard and Injury (Lingard, Helen and Rowlinson, Stephen M. pages 26 and 27) The figure presents that the key psychological factors applicable in health & safety are perceptions, recognitions and decisions. This can be accomplished by implementing structured health & safety management system and the information, training & learning system within the overall management system of the Civil Engineering Project Management Portfolio. The overall health & safety system needs to be designed in such a way that the culture of safety is evolved within the system effectively as shown in the following figure: Figure 2: The Evolution of culture of safety in Civil Engineering Construction projects (Lingard, Helen and Rowlinson, Stephen M. page 33) The figure 2 presents that substantial reduction in loss is achieved in the innovative phase of the health & safety management when emphasis is given to Risk management and integration of the practices in the corporate decision making which requires management commitment. Thus the Management Portfolio for Occupational Health & Risk Management needs to start from the Management whereby a high level policy is established that drives the entire cycle of implementation comprising of planning, implementation, measurement & evaluation, management review and continuous improvement. This cycle is presented in the figure below: Figure 3: Implementation cycle for Occupational Health & Safety (http://www.acpmedia.co.nz/Corporate/ HealthSafety/tabid/513/Default.aspx) This entire cycle is described by Occupational Health & Safety Standard of International Labour Organization popularly known as ILO-OSH 2001. This framework broadly classifies the practices into national framework and organizational framework. The National framework is adopted at the national level that gives birth to legal & statutory requirements for occupational health & safety for the nation as a whole. The Management Portfolio of an organization needs to adopt the organizational framework of ILO-OSH 2001 that comprises of the following practices: (a) Occupational Safety & Health Policy - Top management visibility & commitment and enforcement of corporate wide policy on OSH. (b) Worker Participation - Workers are encouraged to participate actively in formulation, implementation & testing of strategies. (c) Responsibility & Accountability - The responsibility & accountability of occupational safety & health is clearly defined & published (d) Competence & Training - The competency requirements are defined by the management and trainings/workshops are conducted to build them effectively. (e) Occupational Safety & Health Management System documentation - The entire OSH management system needs to be documented and published (f) Communication - The management needs to practice effective communication to ensure that the objectives & established practices of OSH are taken to the ground levels where the compliance is essential. (g) Hazard Prevention - The various preventive measures & corresponding mechanisms as applicable in the project needs to be established. (h) Change Management - Any change in mode of operandi of the project needs to be analyzed effectively from the perspective of OSH objectives of the organization. (i) Emergency prevention, preparedness and response - The organization should be ready with personnel, gadgets & crisis management plans for rapid action whenever a hazard is incident. (j) Procurement & Subcontracting - The management framework should also have enough checks & balances to ensure that the OSH objectives are fulfilled during procurement of new plants, equipment or machinery or else when subcontracting parts of the project to third parties. (k) Reviews, Measurements, Audits & Continuous Improvement - The capability & effectiveness of personnel, processes & technologies used for OSH should go through periodic reviews, measurements & audits such that continuous improvements can be carried out in the form of corrective & preventive actions against the non-compliances. (l) Management Review - The management should demonstrate their commitment & interest by conducting reviews of the OSH framework of the management. Many of these are requirements are detailed out in the legal & statutory requirements of the nations. For example, the Occupational Health & Safety Act (1984) of Australia (http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/) requires the following framework for compliance: Figure 4: Requirements of OSH regulation of Australia (http://www.huntind.com.au/) In UK similar framework is required by Occupational Safety & Health Act 1970 and in USA by OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) regulation by US Department of Labour. The end to end system of influences on an occupational health & safety is presented in the following figure: Figure 5: Influences driving the OSH practices (Lingard, Helen and Rowlinson, Stephen M. pages 31) [Lingard, Helen and Rowlinson, Stephen M. pp26-27,31, 33; ILO-OSH, 2001] Environment Management Environmental Management System (EMS) is another framework that forms an important component of the Management Portfolio of the Civil Engineering Project Management. EMS is implemented in accordance with ISO 14001 standard that comprises of the following deliverables by the management: (a) Documentation, review & communication of Environmental Policy (b) Identify significant environmental aspects of the project site and develop procedures to comply with local environmental laws & requirements of special interest groups/communities - includes climate change mitigation & adoption, water contamination prevention, biodiversity, waste management, consumption of natural resources, etc. (c) Set objectives, targets & define the responsibility matrix (d) Develop training & awareness procedures and conduct training/workshops (e) Formulize core components of the EMS and develop documents & records (f) Develop & implement procedures for sub-contractor control & awareness (g) Develop & test emergency response procedures (h) Monitor & Review the EMS (i) Develop technical procedures like equipment calibration testing & correction procedure (j) Perform EMS Audits, management reviews and continuous improvements [Woodside, Gale and Aurrichio, Patrick et al. 1998. pp170-172; Whitelaw, Ken. 2004. pp22-101] The ISO 14001 enables the EMS to comply to regulations like United States Environment Protection Agency Code of Environmental Management Principles (EPA - CEMP), Environment Information Regulations, 2004 (UK), Directives of the European Parliament & of the Council on EUP (Energy Using Products), etc. (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2004/20043391.htm; www.epa.gov; Sato, Takao. 2006. pp7-8). Quality Management The primary challenges in the Quality Management Portfolio of Civil Engineering are technology management, project lifecycle management, and operations management. These three Management Systems are combined to form the ISO 9001 framework of Quality Management System (QMS) whereby the latest standard is ISO 9001:2008. The QMS is implemented in the form of a framework that requires establishment, documentation, implementation, maintenance and improvement of the overall system. The system has three core frameworks - Management Responsibility, Resource Management and Product Realization as shown in the figures below: Figure 6: Management Responsibility Framework in ISO 9001 (Tricker, Ray and Sherring-Lucas, Bruce. 2005. pp120) Figure 7: Resource Management Framework in ISO 9001 (Tricker, Ray and Sherring-Lucas, Bruce. 2005. pp121) Figure 8: Product Realization Framework in ISO 9001 (Tricker, Ray and Sherring-Lucas, Bruce. 2005. pp122) The three frameworks collectively form an integral part of the Quality Manual that drives the definition & implementation of quality processes across the organization. The role of QMS spans through the entire life cycle of Civil Engineering projects that comprises of preparation of Project Charter, identification of all stake holders (investors, local communities, legal & statutory governors, special interest groups, etc.), site surveys, project planning, hiring of people, equipment & sub-contractors, execution, testing, & make-live. The QMS system requires the following essentials: (a) Quality Objectives (b) Quality Management System Manual (c) Document & Record control (d) Roles, Responsibilities (e) Process maps (f) QMS Resources - people, processes, technologies (g) QMS Competency development (h) Work Environment and Infrastructure as per QMS requirements (i) Customer & Product Requirements (j) Training & Awareness (k) Controls on deliverables - Quality Assurance (l) Purchase & Sub-contracting policies & processes (m) Production & services processes - technology, engineering, operations management and project life cycle management (n) Monitoring & measurement processes (o) Internal Auditing & Management Review Processes (p) Corrective & preventive Actions (q) Continuous Learning system (r) Conduct senior & top management reviews The technology, project lifecycle and operations management comprise of standard operating procedures that are integrated within the overall framework of QMS that comprises of: (a) Technology designs, standards, conventions, checklists & reports pertaining to the construction activities, choice & usage of hydraulic & heavy electrical equipment (cranes, earth movers, conveyer belts, RCC mixers, vehicles, hoists, platforms, etc.), stress - strain relationships, strength calculations & testing, planning diagrams, etc. (b) Operations management processes pertaining to construction activities, maintenance activities, storage & retrievals, repairs & replacements, demolitions, ground maintenance, equipment & machinery handling, people management, material movement, logsheets, etc. (c) On site supervision, quality assurance, technical auditing, materials management, store management, labour shelter management, food, drinks, water & other essential resources management, etc. (d) CPM and PERT based project activity, resources & timeline mapping management. (e) Provision, training & productivity of Labours. (f) On-site compliance management with applicable standards & regulations - technical standards, process standards, environmental, fire & safety laws, government sponsored assessments & inspections, third party auditing by consultants, etc. (g) Maintenance of statutory & financial documents, site drawings, progress reports & charts, etc. for all interested parties. (h) Provide regular update of the site through site photographs, cash burn reports, site problems, accidents & hazards, safety lapses, etc. [Tricker, Ray and Sherring-Lucas, Bruce. 2005. pp120-122; Smith, N.J. 2002. pp5-15] Integrated Management Portfolio - Occupational Health & Safety Management, Environmental Management and Quality Management Systems In the modern management portfolios in Civil Engineering, the three management systems are integrated to form a single large framework that is primarily driven by the Quality Management System. This is accomplished by integrating all procedures and making them all an integrated family of quality objectives of the organization. Even the certification bodies have started providing integrated certificates especially of ISO 9001 & ISO 14001. The following table presents the integration methodology of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001: Figure 9: Integration of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 (Woodside, Gale and Aurrichio, Patrick et al. 1998. pp168-169) The Occupational Health & Safety standard as per ILO-OSH 2001 can also be integrated in the same framework because the following is common in the three management systems: (a) A Policy (b) A Planning Framework (c) An Organization Structure (d) Training & Awareness (e) Document & Record control (f) Operational controls (g) Inspection & Testing (h) Internal Audits (i) Corrective & preventive actions (j) Management Review A number of common points can be integrated within the management portfolio to merge the accountabilities - like training & awareness, inspection & testing, internal audits, management reviews, etc. [Woodside, Gale and Aurrichio, Patrick et al. 1998. pp168-169] Commercial Management Commercial Management is an integral part of management portfolio of Civil Engineering. The Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (www.ices.org.uk) defines two major accountabilities under commercial management of Civil Engineering projects - Cost Engineering & Quantity Surveying. The commercial management portfolio is targeted to achieve the following: (a) Effective use of the financial control procedures (b) Preparation of activity & resource schedules (c) Analysis of tender documents (d) Preparation of Contract Structures (e) Cost Analysis of Drawings & Technical Reports (f) Preparation of Bill of Quantities (g) Compliance to construction & contract laws (h) Commercial Risk Management (i) Health & safety management costing (j) Environmental regulations compliance costing (k) Resource scheduling & management (l) Works & procurement planning (m) Management of sub-contracting, insurance, site management costing, labour wages, contractual payments, dispute settlement, etc. (n) Management of on-site day to day construction costs, budget burn rate, cash overflows, effort deviations, budget deviations, quality deviations, etc. (o) Management of major work requirements at the site (roofing, pavements, protective coating, aesthetics, shields, protection, safety, etc.). (p) Management of a financial tracking system to provide customers & stake holders with the costs of work or services. (q) Manage time and material accounting. [Walker, Ian and Wilkie, Robert. 2002. pp6-95] Human Resources Management Human Resources Management is one of the most involved and painful part of the management portfolio of Civil Engineering projects. The activities of project management pertaining to Human Resources Management are the following: Preparation of job responsibilities as per the requirements of the project deliverables Recruitment of skilled workers - pertaining to both white collar and blue collar jobs Completion of all the paper formalities as required by the local labour regulations of the country Ensuring that all of them go though an induction course on quality, health & safety and environment protection On the job trainings wherever necessary - construction management and supervisor trainings Work Allocation & monitoring Replacement of the loss of skilled people if labours leave the jobs in between or are physically or mentally challenged Keeping extra manpower in resource pools or in house as well as subcontracting agencies. Enhancement of people skills whenever there are changes in plans or modern plant, machinery or procedures are incorporated Manage the health, safety & environment requirements Timely payments to the workers based on time sheets. Conclusion and Generalization: Civil Engineering is a large subject area comprising of a number of sub-disciplines supporting the primary discipline viz., Construction Engineering. The management portfolio for Civil Engineering projects takes into account the requirements of all the stake holders that comprises of project sponsors, local government, local environmentalists & special interest groups, legal & statutory inspectors, project management staff and the labours. The requirements can be delivered by including global best practices within the management portfolio that forms an integrated large framework enabling efficient operations & compliance. In this context, the paper presents a critical analysis of management frameworks that can be included in the management portfolio of Civil Engineering Projects: a. ISO OSH 2001 - Occupational Health & Safety b. ISO 14001 - Environment Management System c. ISO 9001 - Total Quality Management System d. Cost Engineering e. Quantity Surveying & Contracts management f. Technology, Project Life Cycle and Operations management g. Human Resources management The Occupational Health & Safety, Environment Management System and Quality Management System can be integrated for form a single large management portfolio. Document Control: Version Number History Version 1.0 Original Release Reference List: Beres, Ergie. (2001). Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems. International labour Office Geneva. Grigg, Neil S and Criswell, Marvin E. et al. (2001). Civil Engineering Practice in the Twenty-first Century: Knowledge and Skills for Design and Management. ASCE Publications. Lingard, Helen and Rowlinson, Stephen M. (2005). Occupational Health and Safety in Construction Project Management. Published by Taylor & Francis. pp26-27, 31, 33. Sato, Takao. (2006). Overview of European Environmental Regulations. IEC/JISC Centenary Seminar. pp7-8. Smith, N.J. (2002). Engineering Project Management. Blackwell Publishing. pp5-15 Tricker, Ray and Sherring-Lucas, Bruce. (2005). ISO 9001:2000 in brief. Published by Butterworth-Heinemann. pp120-122. Vadera, Shriti and Woolas, Phil et al. (2008). Strategies for Sustainable Construction. Strategic Forum for Construction. H M Government. pp2-60. Walker, Ian and Wilkie, Robert. (2002). Commercial Management in Construction. Published by Blackwell Publishing. pp6-95 Whitelaw, Ken. (2004). ISO 14001 environmental systems handbook. Published by Butterworth-Heinemann. pp22-101. Woodside, Gayle and Aurrichio, Patrick et al. (1998). ISO 14001 Implementation Manual. Published by McGraw-Hill Professional. pp168-192 Read More