Guidelines in construction management for real life project

Project managers and site engineers practice professional responsibilities by reading blue prints (drawings) and other contract documents. Before starting any construction project just before the bidding, in the early stage the manager of this project prepares a partial quantity takeoff using the project’s drawings. In addition, a detailed schedule of the project activities are prepared using Microsoft Project software (MS project) or any other management software such like primavera. By the end of this process the manager submits a report to the contracting company.

Construction projects have a complicated management process

Project items include, but not limited to, the following:

1. Site preparation
2. Excavation & backfilling
3. Concrete works
4. Masonry works
5. Finishing
6. Mechanical works
   
7. Electrical works
   

Project manager is encouraged to work with the site engineer as one team and to communicate effectively to submit a detailed report showing all their work. They must include all notes taken during the team meetings at the end of the report. The project will be divided into several parts.

Part 1:

Project Description

The project manager should be familiar with the project documents and should prepare a report that includes the following information:

1. Brief explanation of the project
2. Type of construction and approximate construction area
3. Standards used in the structural design
4. Yield strength of reinforcing steel and compressive strength of concrete
5. Minimum concrete cover requirements for each structural member
7. Information of building construction:

- Approximate lot size

- Approximate area of each floor
- Floor-to-floor height (for each floor)
- Floors structural and architectural levels
- Types of foundations
- General structural support system
- Type of roof and roof insulation
- General wall and partition wall construction, including outside surface, interior surface and internal partitions (if any)
- Floor finishes
- Interior finishes
- External finishes
- Brief description of mechanical systems
- Brief description of electrical systems

8. Any other unique or unusual features of the building

Part 2

Quantities Takeoff

Project manager and site engineer prepare partial quantities takeoff for the project to include the following:

1. Site preparation, Excavation, and Backfilling:

1. Clearing the land of all previous building, trees, stumps, driveways, sidewalks, etc (unless specified otherwise)

2. Excavating to bottom of foundation as required in plans
3. Dewatering (if applicable)
4. Backfilling and compaction
5. Placing topsoil and grading to final site contours
6. Disposing of all excess soil, debris, etc. from site

2. Concrete work:

1. Concrete
2. Formwork (an example calculation for one type only of each structural element in the project, i.e., one footing type, one tie beam, one column, one beam, one slab)
3. Reinforcing Steel (an example calculation for one type only of each structural element in the project, i.e., one footing type, one tie beam, one column, one beam, one slab)
3. Masonry work
4. Thermal and moisture protection
5. Finishes
6. Doors and windows
7. Electrical works (assume it lump sum)
8. Mechanical works (assume it lump sum)

Quantities takeoff for the above items including a summary sheet where it is recommended to use Excel spreadsheet to summarize your take-off.

Part 3

Cost Estimate

For all the quantities prepared in previous part, a detailed estimate is prepared. A bid price for the project is submitted by the contracting company. A detailed priced bill of quantities is prepared including a summary sheet showing the summary of the project main items and the total bid price for the project.

For this purpose, many resources may be used such like Spon’s Middle East Construction Costs Handbook, vendors, material suppliers, etc., as necessary. For further details, project’s drawings are the base for every detail.

Part 4

Project Planning and Scheduling

Following the steps shown below, a detailed plan and schedule are also prepared. As a guideline, the following steps may be followed:

1. Breakdown the project into activities (perform a WBS). Prepare a list of all possible activities. When doing so, make sure to include the following, as applicable:

a. Production tasks

b. Procurement tasks
c. Management decision tasks

2. Identify the logical relationships among project’s activities. Remember to answer the following questions for each activity in the list:

a. What activity(ies) must be finished before the current one can start?
b. What activity(ies) must be constructed concurrently with the current one?
c. What activity(ies) must follow the current one?

3. Remove redundancy and prepare a schedule that includes all projects’ activities with IPAs for each activity in the project.

4. Assume duration for each activity in the project, for this purpose production rates must be taken in consideration for each task, bearing in mind that the total project duration is assumed to be X Calendar days and holiday is Friday.

5. Using Microsoft Project software, for this part of the project:

a. A complete bar chart all the details about the activities.
b. An AON network showing activities names, durations, early start, early finish, and total float.
c. Make all necessary assumptions, as applicable.

Final Report and Presentations
A Final Report that includes the information of the above four parts should be submitted to the contracting company.

Also, the final report should include the following items

➧ Method statement
➧ S-curve for project expenses
➧ full overdraft calculations
➧ Master format for coding is profitable
➧ you have to use MS project or primavera for planning purposes
➧ you have to assign resources to the activities