The Management of Construction - Essay Example

?SITE LAYOUT ON A CONFINED SITE In the field of construction, it is rare that initial expectations survive the reality of the project. Planning is necessary, but in addition to the pure requirements of architecture, it is also essential to plan for the unplanned. The experienced project manager will incorporate some expectation of overruns in terms of cost and time into the assessment of the project and its associated budget. The competent manager understands the material realities of the project; he or she knows how much of what materials should be used under what circumstances, and in what order. The problem comes in the implementation. It is less often technical difficulties that delay a project, the project manager must know his business, and hire crews that understand the mechanics of their individual specialties. The problem often arises in the organization. In many cases, it is managerial issues that trigger challenges at the construction site more than some sort of technical failure. If management is the problem, then a novel strategy becomes the most probable solution. There are a wide range of problems and challenges that can afflict the construction site; these issues - in addition to hands-on management strategies to alleviate them will be discussed at length. The problems include variations on managerial and logistical issues concerning cost overruns, scheduling delays, with the potential to compound each other. This article will develop the hypothesis that the major problems at the construction site represent failures of planning. Where planning is insufficient, there are a series of likely problems afflicting the job site that will be explored in greater detail. In some cases, construction equipment or building material may be misappropriated or moved to incorrect or undocumented locations. In some cases, allocation errors may lead to the correct material or equipment slated for locations with insufficient space. Moreover, temporary locations can be inefficiently positioned based on their intended function. Large-scale operational issues may also arise in industrialized countries, especially Australia as a result of environmental concerns. These challenges will be developed in the following section. These issues represent failures in regards to site layout planning. A well reasoned and detailed plan taking into account the realities of the job site represents both the cause of – and the solution to these issues of material organization represents effective management in the context of implementation and preparation (Neszmelyi & Vattai, 2013). The planning of the construction site represents the initial critical path with the potential to influence all subsequent stages. Layout planning and design must include size calculations, identification of boundaries, and an estimation of workers requirements and accessibility. Management must anticipate when and under what circumstances workers will need to access another portion of the site, and structure various resources within the closest possible proximity to those most likely to require them. An often indispensable component of the busy construction site are temporary facilities (Elbeltagi & Hegazy, 2005). Temporary facilities for the purposes of construction represent a variety of forms and purposes, but the overall goal is to place within reasonable proximity whatever resources and services are likely to be needed in the practical environment of construction. The problems of resource proximity for construction crews cannot be fully addressed without some temporary facilities, and well reasoned management decisions concerning the placement of such facilities. Some temporary structures will be used for simple warehousing, but others will include machine shops use for maintenance, or the fabrication of equipment, temporary residences for the Foreman and certain workers, as well as lay down areas. These areas require planning and forethought just as the building itself does; it is not enough to simply plan out how to build the building, an effective manager will plan the process by which the building is built during the construction. The structure of the temporary facilities becomes an integral part of planning for the process of construction, not simply planning the construction itself. Avoiding the aforementioned problems and common delays afflicting the construction site depends largely upon whether or not management has accounted for these temporary use facilities in an effective and useful manner. Site planning has historically been a neglected component of construction management, with a haphazard attitude on part of some engineers and managers. There is a sense that those details will simply be decided as needed, and the construction site will develop in the way it needs to as the process unfolds. This is certainly a possibility, but under the circumstances the risk is enhanced of unfortuitous delays, and serious miscalculations in terms of necessary materials and their effective disposition. Challenges in site layout Even if the richest conglomerate is responsible for the construction and cost is not an issue, no Corporation can afford a habit of wasteful practices for long. And in operation with a tighter budget could miss vital opportunities if they cannot complete projects on schedule and under budget. Some of the reasons whereby construction projects may fail or experience delays will be described below: A. Ineffective placement of materials. The problem this represents for the site management team is one of efficiency. If cement is being poured, but the bags for extra cement are on the other side of the property, considerable time could be lost over the lifespan of the project. Moreover, poor planning could lead to a situation where materials are available, but the personnel who need them don't know where they are. In this case more time is lost hunting for necessary supplies; in addition to the possibility that some materials or tools might never be found if the site is highly disorganized. The most effective option to prevent this is site layout planning whereby partitions are designated where in all predictable equipment and materials needed to perform a certain facet of the construction task are positioned as close as possible to where workers will have need of them. Another possibility is some sort of a numerical reference system. Various job categories might be color-coded, yellow for plumbing, white for electrical, etc. if materials cannot be readily stored in the immediate proximity of the workers – then whatever temporary structure the materials are warehoused in my to be designated through this method to allow a clear system for workers to find the materials they need when they need them. All projects have a necessary lifecycle, with slower preparations near the beginning and greater activity and effort near the midpoint. Preparations of this sort are essential based on guidelines such as those described in Meredith & Mantel, (2011). The increase in pace during the intermediate phase must be preceded by effective planning during the slow start of the project. B. Ineffective placement of equipment. The second issue is a necessary correlation of the first. Both the materials utilized in the construction, and the tools needed to shape them must be conveniently located. In some instances, this can be readily remedied; hand tools are easily portable, and most workers carry their own. But equipment in this instance must also include heavy machinery, bulldozers and steam shovels as well as fixed cranes for the construction of multistory buildings, especially at a confined site. One issue that will especially complicate the positioning of heavy equipment is their storage when not in use. If a steam shovel is needed today, but there is limited space available at the confined site, and a bulldozer must also be stored nearby, under confined conditions there could be a situation where an inconsiderate worker parts the bulldozer in a way that blocks access to other equipment. If at all possible, sufficient space should be allocated at the site to prevent this from being a factor, but in a confined site there must be a Foreman or supervisor on hand able to move heavy machinery as needed, assuming the regular workers themselves do not have this access. Again, site layout design is necessary to avoid these problems by optimizing the available space. Research on construction site layout planning employing genetic algorithms has been conducted by Osman et al. (2003). This method involves computerization to make the most out of the available space. C. Inadequate space. This problem relates to the initial site planning. In it is especially relevant at a confined construction site. This problem occurs when the construction site contains insufficient volume for material stacks or heavy equipment regardless of the desires or intentions of managers or workers. In this case, in a confined site creative solutions are necessary with the potential to worsen the situation. Material stacks may be placed high enough as to create a falling hazard. Otherwise the workers may feel compelled to block paths of transit with stacks of equipment or heavy machines and thereby impede the necessary transit of other workers. A tangential problem resulting from inadequate space also means that workers performing their designated tasks may not have enough space to perform their jobs effectively, if they are constantly stumbling over material stacks. If planning has already failed, and the conditions at a confined site result in insufficient space for all the necessary tasks of construction, than other solutions might be employed using off-site storage. This will likely entail transportation costs, and so management must make the decision whether the cost of storing some materials off-site is preferable to delays or the threat of accidents resulting from insufficient workspaces. For safety concerns at crowded construction sites, there are a variety of principles to assist with the planning process – in addition to the aforementioned strategies for site planning, one possibility is the implementation of the building information modeling, otherwise known as BIM, as outlined by the research of Sulankivi et al. (2010). This describes a planning strategy for construction safety with the potential to ameliorate hazards likely to occur at a constrained site. D. Ineffective positioning and environmental risk. This is the case in situations where storage receptacles or site huts might be inconveniently placed based upon the needs of the workers. Warehousing for bricks or cement might be positioned in such a manner that it requires workers to take time out of their day in order to walk a considerable distance hauling materials. As described earlier, this may seem a minor inconvenience, but over the course of the construction project lasting many months, the time lost from ineffective placement of storage structures and temporary buildings can easily depress productivity. Another problem would be various forms of pollution. What could be termed noise pollution is possible from heavy machinery, such as jackhammers may disturb other residents beyond the site, in addition to more tangible forms of pollution, such as sedimentary residue from road cuts or rock quarries, for example. While the disturbances to nearby residents (or managers if noises are generated close to an office) represent transitory concerns, lasting forms of pollution can represent a severe environmental impact. This is one reason why – in addition to site planning, most projects in the industrialized world (including Australia) are required to file something analogous to an environment management plan. Environmental plans describe the intended activities, the relevant topography at the job site and what affect run off or dumping at the site will have on the surrounding region. A report is also necessary in order to determine whether there are any sensitive areas near the construction site especially vulnerable to its influence, such as wetlands, rivers, or residential areas. An estimation of the amount of work in terms of soil and rock matter moved must be calculated. In case of water runoff, a proposal must be given for some form of drainage structure or pipes (or valid reason why such is not necessary). Any pre-existing or proposed measures to control the possibility of pollution must also be described. The Environmental Protection Authority in Victoria has a valid set of guidelines specifically intended for construction sites in order to limit the problems of environmental damage due to poor planning. Risk assessment instructions and safety guidelines are given for projects in Australia with the goal of preventing pollution to wetlands and waterways through the effective planning of construction projects, including suggestions for the organization of the site itself. Most aspects of construction involving digging the foundation of the structure are addressed (EPA Publication, 1996). Further ideas in terms of blending these concerns with project lifecycle challenges can also be derived from the research of Bennett, (2003). These suggestions represent recommendations of immediate, and practical utility to the manager of a confined construction site in terms of layout planning; both to expedite the construction process, and prevent the major pitfalls likely to occur in the implementation. REFERENCES Bennett, L.F., 2003. The Management of Construction:A Project Life Cycle Approach. Butterworth-Heinemann. Elbeltagi, E., Hegazy, T.,Grierson, D., 2005. Advanced Engineering Informatics 19 (1), 43-53: 611: 2005: EvoSite: Evolution-based model for site layout planning EPA Publication, 1996. Environmental Guidelines for Major Construction Sites. Best Practice Environmental Management. www.epa.vic.gov.au./~/media/Publications/480.pdf. Accessed: 9/29/2013. Meredith, J. R. & Mantel, S. J. (2011). Project Management: A Managerial Approach. (8th ed.). George Hoffman. USA. Neszmelyi, L., Vattai, Z.A., 2013. Site Layour Design. Engineering Programs in English Managing Civil Engineering Projects. Engineering Programs in English Managing Civil Engineering Projects. http://www.ekt.bme.hu/CM-BSC-MSC/SiteLayout.pdf. Accessed: 9/29/2013. Osman, H.M., Georgy, M.E., Ibrahim, M.E., 2003. A hybrid CAD-based construction site layout planning system using genetic algorithms. Automation in Construction 12 (2003) 749 – 764. Sulankivi, K., Kahkonen, K., Makela, Kiviniemi, M., 2010. 4D-BIM for Construction Safety Planning. 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