Construction Management - Research Paper Example

Construction Management Table of Contents 1. Introduction : page 3 2. The duties of a construction manager : page 4 a. General functions : page 4 b. Management of workforce : page 7 3. Traits or soft skills needed for a successful construction manager : page 10 4. Conclusions : page 12 5. Reference : page 13 Introduction Construction or real estate industry is one of the prominent industries in the world where major economic activities are going on. The worldwide annual expenditure for construction works is estimated around $3.4 trillion (Jackson, 2004, p.1). Moreover, in US itself, the constructions industry has recorded around $ 922 billion in 2003 (Jackson, 2004, p.4). Even though the current financial crisis has adversely affected the construction industry all over the world, many people believe that the current problems in construction industry are a temporary one and it will build in the near future itself. The success of construction industry depends on many factors, but the role of the construction manager is vital in determining the success of the construction project. A construction project can undergo lot of changes during the construction process from the actual design or plans. The success of a project tied to the manager’s agility to identify the deviations from the plan and solving the challenges precipitated by these deviations (Halpin, 2005, p.92). If the construction manager is not competent enough, he will face difficulty in executing the project in time. Employment of construction managers is projected to increase by 17 percent during the 2008–18 decade, faster than average for all occupations. Construction managers will be needed as the level and variety of construction activity expands, but at a slower rate than in the past. Modest population and business growth will result in new and renovated construction of residential dwellings, office buildings, retail outlets, hospitals, schools, restaurants, and other structures that require construction managers. A growing emphasis on making buildings more energy efficient should create additional jobs for construction managers involved in retrofitting buildings. In addition, the need to replace portions of the Nation’s infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and water and sewer pipes, along with the need to increase energy supply lines, will further increase demand for construction managers (Construction manager, 2009) Successful construction managers are often measured by their ability to deliver a contract on time, to budget and at the agreed quality. To do this construction managers require mastery of many of the ‘soft’ skills required to manage people. This paper briefly explains the soft skills required for a construction manager to execute the project effectively and efficiently. The duties of a construction manager General functions Construction manager is the person who is responsible for a construction project from the beginning till the end. “This individual will have a primary hand in planning the job as well as overseeing the project along the way. The construction manager will plan, direct and budget a construction project as well as handle any issues which arise during the job” (The Role of a Construction Manager, 2009). Many people think that the role of a construction manager starts only at the beginning of the actual production. In fact, construction manager is the right person who can advice the architects even at the designing process of the project. Only the construction manager will be aware of the practical difficulties of a project. If the designer designs some complicated structure without considering the practicability of the design, problem will arise at the construction stage. In order to avoid such onsite problems the designer should consult with the construction manager about the probable or anticipated problems in the design before the start of the actual construction works. It is easy and better to correct the defects in the design before the actual beginning of the construction in order to avoid complications midway through the production. As the construction projects become more and more complex, the construction management also follows the same path (Jackson, 2004, p.1). Construction management is one of the difficult tasks because of the periodical fluctuations in the construction industry. Construction or real estate business depends on many factors and this excessive dependence of construction industry on various parameters made it extremely volatile to the market fluctuations. The construction manger should be aware of all the parameters on which the construction industry works in order to take wise decisions at the right time. Construction manager is the person who knows the cost factor and the budget allotted for the project. He should be able to work within the budget and also should take immense attention while negotiating with the suppliers of raw materials. Moreover he must ensure that the raw materials purchased are in good condition and the quality standards are met by those materials. “It is up to the construction manager to shop around for the least expensive yet most reliable materials all the while keeping the project budget in mind”(The Role of a Construction Manager, 2009). Another important duty of construction manager is the acquisition of land. The acquired land should be suitable for the proposed building construction. Moreover the land expense for the land purchasing should be within the limits of the budget allocated for that specific purpose. The type of the land and the size of the land required for the construction project must be considered by the construction manager while purchasing the land. The equipments used for some construction projects may not be suitable for all the other projects. In some cases, a combination of equipments may be needed for the construction works. In any case the construction manager’s goal is to select the equipment combination that yield the maximum production at the reasonable price possible (Halpin, 2005, p.169). The construction manager should always keep the price or cost factor in his mind whenever he take decisions. He should aware of the cost of the total project and based on that he should take decisions upon how much can be spent for sub contracts and other particular works. The construction manager or the project manager should create and update realistic schedules rapidly (Halpin, 2005, p.102). Scheduling is one of the core managerial functions the construction manager should perform. The scheduling must be done based on the actual deadline for the completion of the project. The construction manger should have an idea about how much of the total project needed to be completed at a given time period. Each construction projects will be divided into different parts and each part may have a particular time schedule for the completion. The construction manager should ensure that the schedules for the completion of the parts are met in order to complete the full project in time. The construction manager not only coordinates the work, but also assumes responsibility for the construction phase of the work (Halpin, 2005, p.75). Many people have a false belief that the construction manager’s role is to coordinate between different departments associated with the project. This is partly right; but the construction manager’s role is more than that. Apart from the coordination activity, he needs to supervise the actual construction works as well. Even though, supervisors and other managers will be there for the supervision of actual construction activities, the construction manager is answerable to the management if any delay occurs in the completion of the project. Construction manager needs to coordinate all the activities from the concept design through acceptance of the facility (Halpin, 2005, p.74) He supervises the contracts between the sub contractors, speciality firms such as scheduling services, labour unions etc (Halpin, 2005, p.61). The construction manager should notify relevant information to all the vendors and subcontractors properly for the success of the project (Levy, 2006, p.14). A construction process usually consists of so many sub contract works. For example, the plumbing, electrical wiring, fabrications etc usually done with the help of subcontractors. The construction manager should ensure that the subcontractors are also keeping in pace with the main construction works and their schedules have not been violated or delayed. Frequent visit to the construction site is another duty of the construction manger to ensure compliance with safety code and building code regulations. This is important since any violation could mean a delay in the project if not cancel the project altogether (The Role of a Construction Manager, 2009). Management of workforce Construction managers are also responsible for hiring and supervising workers (The Role of a Construction Manager, 2009). Most of the construction companies may not keep a permanent workforce in order to reduce their expenditure. These companies will hire the labours and other temporary staffs only at the beginning of a construction project. The construction manger is the person who knows the required skills and expertise needed to complete the project from the workers and usually he is responsible for recruiting and managing the labour force in a work site. Many construction managers are long on construction technology and knowhow but short on management skills (Ritz, 1993, p.4). As mentioned earlier, man management skills are essential for the construction manager as he is responsible for settling the disputes on and off the site. The style of approach of the manager is also important. Some construction managers adopt autocratic methods for managing the workforce whereas some others implement a democratic style of functioning. A third segment of managers blend the autocratic and democratic approach to derive an approach which is caution mixed with aggression. For some workers the democratic approach may be useful whereas for some other the manager needs autocratic approach in order to derive maximum productivity out of the worker. Democratic style of functioning even though is a good management approach on paper; in practice it is difficult to adopt democratic styles while dealing with different types of workers and the issues created by them. If the labours got the impression that the manager is seeking advices from the workers for everything, they will develop a belief that the manager is incapable of functioning without their help and hence he will lose control over the workers. On the other hand if the construction manager adopts an autocratic approach, the workers may not build up relationships with the manager and they will not give the much needed feedbacks to the manager regarding the construction activities. In short, mixture of democratic and autocratic styles is good for managing people in the construction sector. Essential conditions of service such as good pay, motivation, incentives, regular promotions, training and development should be provided to the labours in order to enable them put in their best to increase the level of their productivity (ADEKUNLE et al, 2009) Construction managers can play a vital role in ensuring the labour satisfaction which is important in deriving maximum productivity out of them. A manager who fails to motivate the workers cannot ensure 100% productivity from them. The work culture should be developed in such a way that both the manager and the workers function in a healthy environment where no prejudices or biases control the management actions. In case of a conflict the manager should never take any one sided actions, instead he should take decisions after hearing the arguments of both the parties involved in the conflict. The construction sector is always filled with workers from different parts of the world. For example, in Middle East, one of the rapidly developing regions, the workforce in the construction field may include workers from countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka Philippines etc. In other words, workers of different culture and religion, forced to work together under a construction manger in this region. It is evident that, conflicts can arise between these diverse labour force any time because of their differences in culture, religion and beliefs. In a diverse work environment, the needs of some employees may clash with the needs of some other employees. For example, Fridays are sacred for Muslims whereas Sundays are sacred for the Christians. So a work scheduled on Fridays will be difficult for the Muslims whereas the works scheduled on Sundays may not be suited to the Christians. In such cases the construction manager must take extreme care in scheduling the works based on the cultural differences in order to avoid clashes. The manger should never compel a worker to do woks if he needs break for executing his rituals or religious prayers. The construction manger must be aware of the interplay among the labour organization, labour law, labour cost etc (Halpin, 2005, p.226). Labours are one of the essential components of construction industry. Construction industry labours include skilled, semi skilled and unskilled labours. Some of them may not have even the basic education which makes the construction manager’s role more complex. Excessive unionism is another aspect which the manager needs to tackle. In some construction industries, there may be different unions with contrasting demands and ideologies. The construction manager needs to coordinate between the labour organizations and the management regarding the labour welfare issues. He should always keep in mind that his role is to preserve the interests of the management in executing the project in a cost effective manner and at the same time he cannot neglect the demands of the labours also. The manager is the bridge between the organization and the employees and if this collapses, the whole project would be spoiled. All the management actions must be in line with the existing labour laws in order to avoid legal consequence to the company and also to avoid possible clashes with the workers. The management can take any steps to improve the productivity of the workforce as far as such steps may not violate the rights of the workers. For example, asking the employees to attend training sessions is a management action in line with the employment laws. On the other hand, it is difficult to define the role of law in bullying at workplace. “The law often has a hard time addressing workplace bullying—in many ways it’s a problem in search of a solution. No specific legislation exists against bullying, but employers still may be liable for bullying behaviour” (Fox, 2008) In my opinion, as first level mangers you should take sensible decisions while segregating things which are legal and illegal at the workplace. Traits or soft skills needed for a successful construction manager The construction manager should have multitasking skills (The Role of a Construction Manager, 2009). Unlike many other professions, the job of a construction manager demands so many things at a time period. For example, a marketing manager needs to concentrate on the marketing activities alone; a purchasing manager needs to concentrate on the purchasing activities; a personnel manager needs to look the human resource management alone. A construction manager needs to look all the above functions at a time in order to excel in his profession. There may be some assistants for his help, but the ultimate answerable person is the construction manager if anything goes wrong in the above mentioned domains in a construction industry. Centralised authority is necessary for the construction manger to execute his multitasking functions efficiently (Sears et al, 2008, p. 15) Problem solving skills is another essential requirement for a construction manager. As mentioned earlier, the construction manager’s responsibility includes a variety of topics related to the project and he will be always surrounded by problems from different parts of the construction activities. It is necessary that he was able to solve the problems as quickly as possible before it becoming worst. The construction manager should be punctual. A construction project can be considered as hierarchical in functioning. One action is preceded and succeeded by many other actions. Before the completion of one action, another action may not be possible. For example, interior decoration is an action which can be performed only after the construction of the structure. Fabrication or partitioning and roof works also can be performed only after the structure works. So any delay happens in the completion of the structure works may delay other associated works. The construction manager should ensure that the punctuality is kept in all the departments in order to finish the project in time. Often on call 24 hours a day, construction managers deal with delays, such as the effects of bad weather, or emergencies at the jobsite. More than one-third worked a standard 40-hour week in 2008, and some construction projects continue around the clock. Construction managers may need to work this type of schedule for days or weeks to meet special project deadlines, especially if there are delays (Construction Managers, 2009) The construction manager must be a technology savvy. He should be able to adapt his thinking to get the most out of the new technologies (Ritz, 1993, p.3). Technology is developing at a rapid pace which eases out many of the human efforts needed for the completion of a project. The construction manager must update his knowledge about the technological breakthroughs in order to implement new technologies in the construction sites in order to achieve more quality and to reduce expenditure. Good construction managers always record the lessons learned from their experiences from a particular construction project in order to utilize is in future projects (Williams, 2006 p.23). Most of the construction activities may have lot of similar elements. If the construction manager was able to record the lessons learned from a project he can utilize it in similar situations in another project. Conclusions A constructions manager’s profession is a complex one compared to other managerial professions. A construction manager needs to coordinate with many departments and he should perform many tasks at a time for the successful completion of the project. He should have the technical knowhow about the new construction technologies and good man management skills in order to manage the workforce effectively. Moreover he needs good negotiation skill in order to negotiate with the raw material suppliers and sub contractors. He should be punctual and should possess good problem solving skills. He should aware of the labour laws and labour organizations in and also the existing legal frame works in the area where the project is going on. In short, the ability of a construction manager to deliver a project in time depends on many of the soft skills mentioned above. References 1. ADEKUNLE OWOJORI, A., ACTI & POPOOLA (2009), EFFECT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ON PRODUCTIVITY OF WORKFORCE IN THE BANKING INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA, Retrieved on 25 December 2009 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/EFFECT+OF+HUMAN+RESOURCE+MANAGEMENT+ON+PRODUCTIVITY+OF+WORKFORCE+IN...-a01073959643 2. Construction Managers (2009), Retrieved on 25 December 2009 from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos005.htm 3. Fox Michael, (2008), Workplace bullying emerges as new employment law issue, Retrieved on 25 December 2009 from http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/articles/7379/1/Workplace-bullying-emerges-as-new-employment-law-issue/Page1.html# 4. Halpin Daniel W.(2005), Construction Management Publisher: Wiley; 3 edition (November 4, 2005) http://www.amazon.com/Construction-Management-Daniel-W-Halpin/dp/0471661732/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261659083&sr=8-2 5. Jackson Barbara, (2004), Construction Management JumpStart Publisher: Sybex (October 25, 2004), http://www.amazon.com/Construction-Management-JumpStart-Barbara-Jackson/dp/0782143369/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261659083&sr=8-1#noop 6. Levy Sidney(2006) Project Management in Construction (McGraw-Hill Professional Engineering) Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 5 edition (August 10, 2006) http://www.amazon.com/Management-Construction-McGraw-Hill-Professional-Engineering/dp/0071464174/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261659083&sr=8-3 7. Ritz George, (1993) Total Construction Project Management Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (December 1, 1993) http://www.amazon.com/Total-Construction-Project-Management-George/dp/0070529868/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261715489&sr=8-8#noop 8. Sears Keoki S, Sears Glenn A. Clough Richard H. (2008), Construction Project Management: A Practical Guide to Field Construction Management Publisher: Wiley; 5 edition (April 25, 2008) http://www.amazon.com/Construction-Project-Management-Practical-Guide/dp/047174588X/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261715489&sr=8-11#noop 9. The Role of a Construction Manager(2009), Retrieved on 25 December 2009 from http://www.exforsys.com/career-center/career-tracks/the-role-of-a-construction-manager.html 10. Williams Trefor (2006) Information Technologies for Construction Managers, Architects and Engineers Publisher: Delmar Cengage Learning; 1 edition (October 17, 2006) http://www.amazon.com/Information-Technologies-Construction-Architects-Engineers/dp/1418039586/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261716571&sr=8-22#noop Read More