Construction Project Management

Construction Project Management 1
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT
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Construction Project Management 2
Built Environment Project
Construction Project Management
Architectural Plan Review.
The architectural plans of the building indicate that this is three-bedroom maisonette with two
story levels and a basement. The building is furnished with a lift, staircase and support
service rooms such as the laundry, rumpus and utility.
The private areas, that is the bedrooms, are located on the ground floor while the public areas
such as the lounge and dining are located on the first floor. This arrangement may not be
suitable since the privacy of the bedrooms is compromised their location below the public
areas and above the basement.
An outline of tasks required to be done during the construction process.
The major tasks that are required for construction of the proposed project include site
preparation, foundations and ground beams, steelwork, external works, floor slab, walling
(brickwork), mechanical and electrical works and finishes (The Chartered Institute of
Building, 2009).
i. Site preparation
Site preparation refers all activities that clear and make the site ready for construction. These
activities include demolitions of existing structures, clearing of the construction site, sale or
recycling of materials obtained from the demolitions, excavations, landfills, land drainage
and levelling.
Before any of the site preparation tasks are carried out, a site survey and feasibility studies
are carried out. This is necessary to understand the site, its strengths, opportunities,
weaknesses and challenges. The major tasks of site preparations in our proposed project
include site mobilisation, excavation and placing strips.
Feasibility studies
A feasibility study is a controlled process of establishing basic information on the site,
building design and the viability of the project. Historical information on the site should be
accrued out to find out if there is any previous inhibitors that may make it difficult, illegal or
infeasible to construct the proposed project. Such reasons may include close proximity to an
airport or airbase, local regulations on protected areas or zoning rules (Chen, et al., 2010).
Emergence of conflicting information on the site such as land ownership and certification
should be addressed at once by the relevant stakeholders.
Carrying out a feasibility study on site helps the construction team to understand the
physical nature of the site and its geological properties. Determining the type of soil on site is
essential to help the team know the type of foundation to be used and to which depth because
certain soil are difficult to build on such as the black cotton soil. In certain cases, the soil
might be contaminated with either asbestos, ammonium nitrate or benzene with its related
products. The site consultants have to address how to deal with such contamination to avoid
any risks of explosion happening. For the case of asbestos, it can be treated by covering it up
with concrete and building on top, but to remove benzene, the soil can be excavated and
transported offsite and bringing in new soil on site. In addition, it also helps in assessing the
availability of sewer lines. Locating the nearest manhole will help in linking the buildings
sewer (Ding & Forsythe, 2013).

Construction Project Management 3
Soil testing
Tests are carried out on the soils of the site to find out the type of soil, geology structure and
soil composition. The soil tests are carried out by the civil engineer. The purpose of the soil
tests is to find out if the soils are suitable for the proposed structure. For this project, an
assumption is made that the site soils are suitable for construction.
In addition to soil tests, a geotechnical study is carried out on the site to find out the
groundwater and rock condition. This provides vital information that determines the
foundation types, treatment of groundwater and the stability of the structure. For this project,
an assumption is made that the rock is 17 meters deep thus requiring no blasting, the
groundwater levels are at 10.6 meters thus the basement shall require waterproofing and the
ground is stable enough (Fernández-Sánchez, 2010).
Site surveying
A site survey involves identifying the boundaries of the proposed building structure by a
certified surveyor. The boundaries are usually set by physical markets such as pins (Loforte
Ribeiro & Ferreira, 2010). The surveyor will also set out the elevation levels, instruct on the
depths of excavations for the basement, and supervise site improvements and temporary
structures placed on site.
Site mobilisation
Site mobilisation refers to all the activities that are carried out after the appointment of the
contractor but before construction beings. These activities include:
 preparing the site layout for construction,
 obtaining financial records from the contractor and suppliers,
 making provisions for site communication for example identifying the information
and communications (ICT) software to be used by the contractor, project manager and
construction professionals
 Obtaining the necessary approvals and compliance to any statutory obligations
 Obtaining site workers and equipment
 Identifying inspection and quality insurance structures
 Preparing necessary legal paperwork, site waste management plan and identifying the
necessary transport reroutes.
Excavations
Excavations involve
ii. Foundations and ground beams
iii. Steelwork
iv. External works
v. Floor slab
vi. Walling (Brickwork)
vii. Mechanical and electrical services
viii. Finishes

Internal
Brickwork
Strips
Formwork
& concrete
Excavation RoofingFlooringFormwork
Concrete
Construction Project Management 4
Work breakdown structure (WBS) for the proposed project
WBS refers to a visual representation of the deliverables of the construction project.
According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) a work breakdown is a
planned structure that define the project deliverables in a hierarchical sequence starting from
ground breaking to the completion of the project (Siami-Irdemoosa, et al., 2010). The work
breakdown structure illustrates the map of the project; showing the major steps and the sub
steps to be followed up to the completion of the project.
The diagram below illustrates the proposed work breakdown structure for this project:
Fig. Work Breakdown Structure
The work breakdown structure for our proposed maisonette shows that the major deliverables
for our project include site preparation, foundations and ground beams, steelwork, external
works, floor slab, walling (brickwork), mechanical and electrical works and finishes; all
following the order in which they are mentioned.
The work breakdown structure was developed with the following considerations in mind:
 The top level indicates the ultimate deliverable for the project
 The sub-deliverables comprise of work packages that are assigned to a team of the
relevant professionals
 All elements of the work breakdown structure are not limited to their definition at
each level
 Work packages are independent, unique and are not exceeding a duration of 15 days.
A work breakdown structure also identifies the requisite professional that are required to
fulfil he set deliverable and the cost implications. The advantages of developing a work
breakdown structure for the construction project include:
 It organizes the project work into smaller manageable tasks that can be well
monitored, measured and supervised by the necessary professionals.
 Budgeting and costing can easily be derived and done for the entire proposed project,
this is achieved by allocation cost estimates to each section of the deliverable, and
thereafter obtaining the sum of all sections thus finding the cost of each deliverable.
Construction of Maisonette
M&EFloor
slabExternal
Works
Structural
steel
Strip
foundation
& ground
beams
Brick
work
Site
Preparation
Finishes
Cut off
strips &
blinding
JoineryPlumbingExternal
brickwork
Sub-base
&
blinding
CladdingErect
steel
frames
Site
mobilisation Plaster-
ing
Decorating
Electrical

Construction Project Management 5
 Time required for the construction project can be accurately estimated. By allocation
the time required for each section and task, the project team can approximate the time
that will be required to complete the entire project with high accuracy.
 Provides a framework in which the performance of the project can be tracked. Project
management is easier as the team can quickly identify setbacks and take the necessary
actions and precautions.
 Essential in identifying the potential risks to the construction project. Each deliverable
of the work breakdown structure should be clearly defined.

Construction Project Management 6
Resources
This section will contain a detail of the equipment, resources and human resources required
for the construction of the proposed project.
Resources required
The following is an estimate of all the resources required for each activity listed in the WBS
Tasks Resources required Cost
Site
mobilisation
Skilled man-power: site surveyor, contractor, geotechnical
surveyor, sub-contractors, labourers
Excavation equipment: excavators, graders, backhoe loader,
trencher, power shovel
Earthmoving equipment: backhoe loader, trencher
Hauling equipment: backhoe loader, cranes
Site boards,
Drilling equipment: drilling rig
Foundations &
ground beams
Skilled man-power: site surveyor, civil engineer, contractor,
labourers,
Concrete work equipment: concrete mixer, pavers, road
rollers, compactors
Formwork: timber boards, bars and boards
Material testing equipment:
Scaffolds: metal bars and landings
Structural steel Skilled man-power: structural engineer, structural works
subcontractor, labourers
Hoisting equipment: Builders hoist, passenger hoist, mobile
cranes, forklifts
External works Skilled man-power: civil engineer, site engineer, geo-
technical surveyor, civil-works subcontractor, labourers
Earthmoving equipment: backhoe loader, trencher
Excavation equipment: backhoe loader,
Hauling equipment: backhoe loader, trucks, wheelbarrows,
Hoisting equipment: Builders hoist, passenger hoist, mobile
cranes, forklifts
Scaffolds: metal bars and landings
Floor slab Skilled man-power: architect, structural engineer, structural
works sub-contractor, labourers
Hoisting equipment: Builders hoist, passenger hoist, mobile
cranes
Conveying equipment: wheelbarrows
Concrete works equipment:
Compacting equipment
Brick works Skilled man-power: architect, contractor, labourers
Conveying equipment: wheelbarrows
Mortar mixing equipment: mortar mixers
Hoisting equipment: Builders hoist, passenger hoist, mobile