What Is Construction Project Management - Case Study Example

Task D1 For the Site investigation or geological survey we carried out a site exploration consisting of sampling, boring, and testing done to obtain geotechnical information for a safe, practical and mostly economical geotechnical evaluation and design. It is mostly involved untouched sites otherwise referred to as virgin grounds with the main purpose being exploration or discovery of the ground conditions. Site investigation helped us to determine within practical limits, the depth, thickness, extent and compositions of each subsoil stratum. It goes further to determine the depth and type of rock and to check on the depth and composition of groundwater. It was also useful in providing our geotechnical engineers with information about the strength, compressibility and hydraulic characteristics of soil strata. Site investigation was also very vital, firstly by allowing us the study of the general suitability of the site for an engineering project. Secondly, it ensured a safe and economic design is prepared. This helped us to save on costs that might be incurred from failure to do so. Thirdly it shed light on possible difficulties that may be encountered by a specific construction method for any this particular civil project. Finally, site investigation allowed for the study of construction materials. The site investigation was carried out fully as lack of proper site investigation or forfeiture of the entire process brings undesired consequences. There might be significant delay and increase in construction costs when the design has to be revised or amended to cater for the unseen disasters that could have been detected if the site investigation was done. In carrying out the site investigation it only cost an extra 5% of the project which disputes the notion that forfeiture of site investigation saves on costs as this is a very small price to pay. We prepared a document after the site investigation referred to as the Geotechnical Report. In it we put down the summary of the content details. It provided the site description based on the analysis made by the investigators. Other information contained in the geotechnical report included: seismic ground motion data, lab data, and ground water and drainage information. The above information is interpreted by the site engineers. The investigators did not find any reason why the project should not go on and therefore gave a go ahead. This document discussed all of the site investigation findings making their decisions with regard to them. For instance, if the findings showed that the water table was really close to the surface, the engineers would use this knowledge to determine whether to build or not to on that site. If they were not privy to such information beforehand and they built on such ground, the building might collapse. The location map provided by the site investigators also helped in the planning of the layout of the whole site. It enabled those planning to designate different activities to different areas that are best suited for those activities. The engineers’ knowledge helped with the installation of the piping and drainage system depending on the type of soil present in the site area. Different soils have different properties therefore we did not do piping the same way in the different soils. For a contractor aspiring to tender the development, the site investigation report would play a key role. This is because the engineering department relies on the information on the report to carry out their work efficiently. The foundation laid depends on the soil strata of the site. From the geological and soil report the engineers can determine the type of the foundation suitable for the building. Task D2 Financial disclosure is mandatory in the pre-tender for the firm that has been contracted to carry out a specific job. The contractor discloses his firm’s financial status in the pre-tender. This helps those outsourcing for a contractor to evaluate all those interested parties before they are invited to the next stage which is the official tendering process divided into the technical and financial proposal valuations before determining the winner of the tender. On the side of the contractor, the pre-tender request given has the financial proposal by the firm in need of the contractor where the latter confirms that they have the financial resources to pay before the starting of the project. For example, in the 1994 form of the CCDC 2 contract, it was specifically obligatory for the owner to provide reasonable evidence to the contractor that financial measures were in motion to enable the owner to live up to its payment responsibilities as per the contract. The owner must also inform the contractor if there are any changes in the financial agreements. Supporting documents are also included by the contractor in the submission of the pre-tender documents. These include the company’s official brochures which show all the services the firm offers. There are also tax compliance forms which show that the firm is up-to-date with the payment of their taxes. The certificate of incorporation must also be part of the supporting documents to serve as proof that the company is legally registered. The activity that is supposed to be done at the pre-tender stage is not as challenging as it may seem. It can be seen as straightforward and simple. The forms of risk that one needs to look into and the approaches and clauses applied normally to address or accommodate that risk should be considered first before anything else. The firm in need of a contractor should also contemplate on the type of the contract which is to be cited in the tender papers. Risk inclusion in the tender documents makes the firm liable for any risks encountered and it makes the contract legally binding if signed with both parties. This therefore ties down the firm to the contractor and if the contract is breeched the firm can be held liable. Despite this, inclusion of risks is also beneficial to a firm looking for contractors because it gives them the power to chose what risks should be included in the contract. The Health’s safety Plan stipulates that the project underway is designed and constructed in such a way that the risks to all those involved are reduced and compensation provided in the event that any harm comes to those involved in the project. The plan provides an outline of the description of the project, the project’s location and the timescale of the project. It contains the design information which includes the drawings with a list of all the drawings attached to it. A list of hazardous materials is also included in the health safety plan. In the event that any other hazardous material is used in the project, the site manager must authorize it. All the maintenance hazards are also identified to serve as warnings to all those involved in the project. The health plan also has the outline of how the management of the project will be done. This includes the scheduling of all the access hours of which involves the assigning of duties to all those allowed within the project site. The management sector of the plan also has a list of all the deliveries expected and those already made. Access into the project site is only given to those delivery vehicles that are expected. Fire precautions are also included in this sector. Fire equipment placement is left to the person in charge of the project’s fire precautions procedures. In the event of a disaster all the liaisons are done with the site manager. For instance, emergency evacuations or hospitalization necessities are approved by the project manager. The health plan also accounts for the proper disposal of waste material on site and off site. The site manager must find waste disposal measures that do not pollute the environment and are in line with the guidelines given to all firms. The site meetings are also scheduled in the health plan. Those expected to attend are listed and given clearance. The heath plan is designed to ensure very limited accidents occur on the site. This therefore explains why access is restricted. Members of the public are only allowed on the site if authorization is given by the site manager and they can only access the site through the marked access roads. The methods of work are an integral part of the health plan. In this the rules and regulations are listed and made known to all those involved in the project. The disobedience of any rule attracts firm action against the offender because it is crucial for order to be maintained in order to avoid any accidents. The contracting firm also does not want to be held liable on grounds of negligence for failure to punish those breaking the rules in the event that something catastrophic happened. The safety equipment allocated to all those in the project is also listed. This will help in future accounting purposes and serve as proof that the firm is following all the safety at the workplace guidelines. This involves giving the employees safety gear like helmets and hard boots. The employees should also not be overworked, they should be given adequate time to rest that way they are functioning at their optimum level. Failure to do so will lead to tired employees who are more likely to make poor judgments of which in their line of work might prove to be fatal. The site should also be fenced to avoid any unauthorized trespassers for the sake of their safety. The fact that they are not aware of all the dangers inside the site makes it easier for them to get injured. Safety signs should be put up everywhere demarcating any dangerous spots. This will be helpful to those working on a daily basis or those working on a contractual basis and are unfamiliar with the site. Task D3 Traffic Management Plan (TMP) TMP Description This section shows an outline of the project, which usually consists of; Work cite parameters(if possible, a map is provided to show the parameters of the work) Project background information Overview of roadways directly affected by project work zones Specific traffic restrictions expected on major roadways during the work (e.g., shoulder closures, lane closures, lane shifts) Regional projects that may impact each other TMP Team—Roles and Responsibilities This section contains contact information and duties and responsibilities of chief personnel intricate to the project such as: Development Managers—Activity/Contractor personnel who have major responsibility for developing the TMP. Implementation/Supervising Managers—Activity/Contractor personnel who have major responsibility for instigating and supervising the TMP. Implementation/Execution Duty Managers—Accountable for managing, effecting, supervision, or helping in particular transportation management duties during the work. Emergency Contacts—Public and semi-public agencies, which include hospitals, schools and health clinics. These public and semi-public agencies must be kept up-to-date with the work cite activities specifically in the event of a road closure. TITLE PAGE Introduction 1 Traffic management plan 2 Pedestrian route checklist 3 Action(s) to be taken 4 Vehicle routes 5 Action(s) to be taken 6 Vehicle movements 7 Action(s) to be taken 8 Hierarchy of control measures for reversing vehicles 9 Driver’s safe work practices checklist 10 Slinger/banks man checklist 11 Site use of dumpers checklist 12 Central Control Register 13 Location map and directions 14 Site logistics plan 15 The traffic management plan is useful in reducing the interference between the public and site traffic. This therefore involves reducing the number of deliveries being made whenever possible so as to ensure traffic is kept at an acceptable controllable level. Lack of a proper traffic management plan has led to accidents which are sometimes fatal to the victims involved. Statistics has shown that every year around 70 people are killed or injured by vehicles at work. The traffic management plan therefore outlines a procedure which shows the necessary actions to be taken in the event of such a situation. The traffic management plan includes aspects like the planning of both vehicle and pedestrian routes, protection of the public through the provision of signs and barriers and an adequate parking and off-loading layout. The route maps are included in the plan. This maps show what routes the deliveries will use to gain access to the site. It also outlines the procedure all delivery personnel must follow when they are safely inside the site. For instance, all the delivery personnel are expected to report to the security gate for clearance. The routes also demarcate the route all pedestrians are expected to use to access the site. The layout of the route maps are designed in such a way where reversing of delivery vehicles is minimized. This is because most delivery trucks are very long making reversing and turning very difficult and dangerous for the driver and those around. The site manager’s role in traffic management is therefore to liaise with all the delivery subcontractors in order to inform them of what is expected of them when making a delivery to the site. The traffic management plan also has a pedestrian route checklist. This checklist contains expectations of how pedestrian routes are expected to be. They answer questions such as: ‘do pedestrian allow easy access to work areas?’ or ‘are pedestrian routes clearly separated from vehicle routes?’ The vehicle routes also have their own checklist with almost similar expectations as those found in the pedestrian route checklist. For both checklists, a list of actions is shown and this acts as a guide in case the expectations on the checklist are not met. The drivers are also given a mandatory checklist which outlines what is expected of them when on site. The checklist contains prohibitions such as: no using a mobile phone when driving or no smoking among other things. The drivers are expected to sign if in agreement with the expectations on the checklist. In the event that a driver is found disobeying any of the rules they can be held liable. Below is an outline of a traffic management plan. Task D4 The program of works is a schedule that outlines the work plan from the day the project starts to the day it ends. Every part of the project is allocated the expected time it requires to be completed. For instance roofing might be allocated 3 months while the finishing touches 2 months. The start date is given and the finish date too. The program of works shows all those involved in the project what they are expected to accomplish in the timeline expected. This helps both the contractor and the firm to have an expected date of completion. The program of works also allocated extra time for each individual project in order to cater for unforeseen issues that might delay the project. It also helps with the allocation of the materials needed for each project and the scheduling of deliveries. It allows the site manager to have adequate information with regard to all the projects in the event that he has to make a presentation about the status of the project to his bosses during a meeting. Program of Works Week Starting Mon Week Starting Mon Week Starting Mon 13-Oct-09 20-Oct-09 27-Oct-09 Week Week Week 7 8 9 Fit Ridge Beam NHBC®S Inspected Roof Lintols Roof Structure Started Fit Roof insulation 4th lift, Fit Roof Restraint Straps dormer boarding Brickwork Fit Cut ups Cav Closers Fit Roof Boarding Set Purlins if any Valley's constructed Fit 1st floor Restraint straps Underside netting Fit Soil roof vents Block Infilling Purlin Positions if any Inspections restraint straps Fit Rafters in place Cavity Closers Delivery Slates Delivered Roof Materials Del Drainage Delivery Order Patio Doors Valley sets Seal all Cavity's 5th lift Gables cut ups Cut up's complete Order Roof Materials Fit Restraint Straps Order Slates Order Plumbing Mat's Pan fitted Velux positioned Risk assessment is another integral part of the project planning. As mentioned earlier, the financial proposal of the pre-tender already contains the risks the firm will reimburse the contractor for in the event that any of the risk is encountered. The contractor also outlines the risks likely to be faced during the project. The measures to be taken to prevent the occurrence of a risk are listed in the risk assessment. It also contains the actions to be taken in the event a risk occurs. The emergency liaisons to be contacted are part of the risk assessment of which the protocol to be followed when contacting these liaisons is also included. Risk Assessment Plan Risk Response Strategy Response Action Responsibility Interval Check Unexpected geotechnical issues at bridge piers Assessment-high Mitigation The team will conduct further soils exploration and consider alternative pier design Project team lead Soil exploration complete Initial pier design complete Landowners unwilling to sell at US 225-GY junction Assessment-high Avoidance The team will attempt to design around areas where right-of-way may be an issue Right-of-way lead Alignment complete Local communities pose objections Assessment-medium Mitigation The team will conduct an aggressive public information campaign and inform the public about the safety and efficiency benefits of the project. Public information lead Monthly Too many projects in the region for QDOT staff Assessment-medium Acceptance The team will attempt to design the project with agency staff and accept a longer design schedule. Region executive management Monthly In conclusion, as a contractor one needs to be vigilant and adopt efficient managerial skills to ensure the smooth running of the construction. The contractor’s methods should be thorough and should accommodate all areas of the contractor’s job description. From the information received from the site investigation, the contracting firm should use their engineers to make recommendations as to the direction of the project. The traffic management plan should also be made making sure to include all aspects that will ensure the least disruption when deliveries are being made. An efficient health safety plan is also necessary because it caters for the safety of all those involved in the project. All in all it is the work of the site manager of the site to coordinate all the activities within the site. References Chris Hendrickson (September 2008). "What Is Construction Project Management?". PM Hut. Retrieved 2010-07-04. Hammond, p. 10 Hammond, p. 11; “Generalübernehmer” http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/tools/search.php# "Standards and criteria for accreditation of post-secondary construction education degree programs". (2009) American Council for Construction Management. Halpin, Daniel (2009). Construction Management. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2006 Stagner, Steve (2007). "Design-Build and Alternative Project Delivery in Texas" (PDF). Texas Council of Engineering Companies. Retrieved 18 October 2011. Halpin, Daniel W., Construction Management, Wiley, Third Edition. Read More