Project Management in Civil Engineering: A Practical Case Analysis

This case study delves into Gilbane Building Organization's approach to creating paperless processes for construction projects, highlighting the implementation and impact of project management software like iBuild, Blue Beam, and BIM 360. It examines the challenges in the construction industry, such as fragmented information processing and communication difficulties, and how adopting electronic communication and storage solutions can improve project management. The study compares the company's processes before and after implementing iBuild, focusing on modules like submittals, RFIs, and daily reports. It showcases how these technologies streamline workflows, enhance collaboration, and reduce costs, ultimately improving efficiency and decision-making in civil engineering projects. The document is available on Desklib, a platform offering AI-based study tools and a wealth of academic resources for students.

CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE
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ABSTRACT
Every project of the construction normally generates huge amount of the data. There is an urgent
need to be more competitive and also have more control over the process of the construction by
the companies. Most of the organizations are really striving to have their conventional format of
the paper changed alongside the improvement on the innovative ways of circulating the
information. By actualizing advanced record on the board virtual products, construction
management can make data all the more effectively available from anyplace, powering quicker
undertaking consummation and a superior stream of data(Spangenberg 2013).
This paper presents Gilbane Building Organization's methodology for making paperless
procedures for development projects. They were capable to accomplish their objectives, by
exploiting real energy in the field which has quickly developed to tablets and iPads stacked with
illustrations sets put away in the cloud. PDF and distributed storage have been joined together to
make a suitable path for the designer and filed workers to see project content and work together
in manners never observed. The advantages of taking out papers are various: reduced costs,
streamlined interchanges and basic leadership, and improved collaboration. Also, it gives
moment access to extend refreshes among all constituents and wipe out waste that originates
from data storehouses.
INTRODUCTION
The industry of the construction is highly fragmented due to the many phases and also
stakeholders that are involved in the projects of the construction. This has actually led to the
problems of the processing the information. One of the challenges that most of the managers of

the companies have indicated is the difficulties in communicating very crucial information to the
members of the team. The present management of the projects is normally isolated and is also
connected to the various stages of the projects. This normally leads to the problem of reworking.
The main cause of the problem of the reworking is as a result of the provided conflicting
information. Also the information is never received at the required time of the day or the month.
The concerned parties now end up making very irrelevant information or choices.
The traditional project management manner has got the main weakness of the lack of the
standard process. The projects have had their managements done as per the experience of the
project managers that have been appointed specifically for the same task. It is important to note
that each and every manager prefers to follow his/her experience that has been developed over a
particular period of time. These practices normally results into the bigger variations in the
practices of the management. This significantly impact on the ability of controlling the project
information. This extends to the coordination as well.
The construction project management best practices require certain documents to be produced
and have their contents updated regularly in the entire project. The major documents include the
request for the information. This is commonly refer to as the RIFs.The request for the proposal
that is commonly referred to as the RFP,the schedule,budget,estimates and finally the request for
the quotation. The practitioners and developers of the software within the company of the
construction have actually realized the achieved advantages by the use of the electronic
communication alongside storage to assist in the project management. These practices have help
in the achieving of the major goals. The declining price of the final computing and
communication network has further fueled the growth of the same technologies. As building

project become more complicated with the schedules that are considered too short the
management practices becomes very relevant.
BACKROUND
Generally, the sum total of what records have been imprinted on paper however has been
evolving. The present circumstance in the construction industry is that a blend of various age
strategies is utilized to oversee reports. A great deal of the archives today is still exchanged by
printing them out and sending them to alternate groups via mail or dispatches.
A marginally more refined technique is that records are both created carefully and exchanged
carefully as email connections. This paces up the report exchange. However, regarding record of
the executives this barely offers any enhancement over the present circumstance since finding a
report in someone else's PC might be significantly more challenging than on his/her shelves and
draws . Construction projects executives requires successful joint effort and coordination among
every one of the partners which is accepted to be significant for a fruitful task(Zhou,
Istanbulluoglu and Vivoni 2013).
The same number of experts are normally task to check and ensure that this is accomplished .In
the event that the traditional processes or the activities have not met the requirement, then a
higher level administrators will be tasked on the same. The project requirements that are
generated should be able to meet the stated requirements. As far as project group associations are
topographically isolated and project group structures are ending up progressively perplexing, the
utilization of electronic by the executives can give more powerful correspondence.
Finding a path for project developers, draftsmen, engineers, specialists, temporary workers, and
subcontractors to impart, collaborate, and share data is the most ideal approach to reduce the

characteristic dangers related with complex construction project. To speed thoughts to the real
world, project team require communitarian innovation that empowers everyone, allow for the
access of any place, solid task data, and members need to pursue institutionalized forms that
boost their proficiency and profitability. The following is a concise depiction of a portion of the
product frameworks Gilbane Building Company chose to receive on their approach to paperless
jobsite.
Options of the Software
iBuild
There has been development of the fully web-based management of the project applications that
offer the modules connected to the administration activities of the construction. This
development has been achieved by the Gilbane. The technology of iBuild offers very many
modules although the RIFs, Daily Reports, submittals and the meeting Minutes are commonly
applied on the job sites. Each and every module has a workflow that is associated with it and has
been tailored to the process of the company.
The module is very much customizable. The data of the project can be communicated through
one global, platform that is web-based. This allows the users of the website to view or see the
reports on the activities, issues on the action item, the pertinent job information and date on just
one screen. In the cases of the customizable dashboards, the users are able to see only the
information that one is interested on seeing. The iBuild also gives the total transparency of the
items to the entire project team and this basically implies that each and every individual can see
the persons who are responsible for the taken action. The use of the iBuild has allowed the team

members to provide most of their daily activities by the use of the electrical platforms. This has
led to the jobsite efficiency and saving of the time.
Figure 1:Page on iBuild software(Urken, and Schuck 2012)
Figure 2:Staement Illustrations(Urken, and Schuck 2012)
Blue Beam
The blue beam has become a widely used tool throughout the design and the construction
industry. The construction managers, the architects, engineers band the contractors of the trade
have been the main beneficiaries of the variety of the options that are offered to them. The
provided functions are never limited to the PDFs marking up. The blue beam has also been used
in the electrical management and also share of the documents of the contracts, share of the other

documents that are related to the projects like the schedules, photos and the schedules. The other
supported activities include the comparison of the drawings, the performance of the quantity take
offs among other features.
Figure 3 Photo display(Urken, and Schuck 2012)
BIM 360

BIM 360 refers to a cloud-based application of the mobile that is known to enhance the quality
of the construction processes, the system tracking, commissioning, startups and the equipment
status. This particular software has been common in the fields for the inspection, rolling
completion lists, the punch lists, and documentation of the turnover among others. The use of
this particular software assists in the elimination of the need of the paper on the jobsites. This
assist in the improvement of the efficiency as well as the collaboration.
Case Study
The main purpose of this particular paper work is to assist in provision of the presentation
regarding the present project management software into the processes of the company. The
impacts of enabling the paperless jobsite have been considered as well(Urken, and Schuck 2012).
The company’s processes just before an after the stages of the implementations of the project
management system of the software’s have been analyzed and presented as well in connection to
iBuild Impact. Prior to the rolling out of the iBuild on the jobsites, the teams of the projects were
actually using the window-based construction management applications to assist in the
management of the routine activities of the construction administrations.
The most widely recognized applications that were utilized were submittals, RFI's, day by day
reports and meeting minutes. At that particular time, the product functioned admirably for the
project team although it was exceptionally costly. Gilbane realized that they could save time and
cash by finding an alternative option. They needed an answer that never again involved printing
out various duplicates of submittals and at that point mailing them to the suitable reviewer(s). On
the off chance that they could change these procedures to wind up electronic, they could save a
considerable measure of time and money(Stansinoupolos, Smith, Hargroves and Desha 2013).

Not exclusively was Gilbane searching for another arrangement. Owners and Architects were
considered as well. Through Gilman’s Client Fulfillment Program, negative input was obtained
with respect to the current utilization of the development within the management activities.
Project developers and Architects were disclosing to Gilbane that the product was not
synergistic, couldn't be effortlessly custom-made to meet needs, and was costly because of
restrictive programming permitting expenses. Accordingly, a full market investigation was led to
audit all accessible processes of the management activities. Every item was deficient in
usefulness and accessible highlights. Along these lines, the business chosen it was beneficial to
make money related and time venture to make an apparatus that completely addresses the issues
of the organization and its Clients. In 2008, Gilbane begun taking off iBuild on every single new
venture. After six years iBuild has been taken off on all jobsites. The most widely recognized
and the most incredible modules that are being utilized: submittal, RFI and day by day report
modules. iBuild had the greatest effect on the submittal procedure.
With iBuild, subcontractors are in charge of transferring their very own records at that point
sending them to Gilbane through the framework. Once the submittal is sent, a project team part
consequently gets an email illuminating him/her that they have a movement (otherwise called
"Work process"). At that time, the part will audit that specific thing, electronically stamp it with
organization's stamp, make any remarks on the archive if necessary, and after that send it to the
suitable analyst, or commentators through iBuild as shown below(Tang and Bhamra 2012).
When the analysts finish their audit, they will send it back to Gilbane, who will then send it back
to the subcontractor through iBuild. This procedure is presently completely paperless and
considerably more effective.

Project team never again squander days via mailing the reports starting with one group then
onto the next. The RFI procedure is slightest affected by iBuild, as the steering in the past
programming is like the directing in iBuild. In the two projects the subcontractor will compose a
RFI in that specific program and afterward forward it along to Gilbane. Gilbane will then survey
the RFI and forward it along to the proper reviewer(s). Once the reviewer(s) have addressed the
RFI, at that point they will send it back to Gilbane. Now the steering between projects is a bit
unique. With the past programming, the undertaking specialists would need to download a
duplicate of the RFI and its connections to a nearby drive on their PCs. At that point they would
need to send a duplicate of the addressed RFI to the subcontractor by means of email, and also
printout of a particular number of duplicates to circulate to the subcontractor’s foreman,
administrator, and different exchanges that may have been influenced. With iBuild, when
Gilbane surveys the addressed RFI, they have the choice to forward the RFI through iBuild to the
subcontractor, subcontractor's foreman, administrator and whatever other exchanges that was
influenced(Mitsch 2012). iBuild not just spares the Gilbane engineers time by appropriating the
RFI consequently, however it likewise gets the reaction to every single influenced party speedier
than the past programming did.
Likewise iBuild bigly affected the manner in which every day reports were handled.
Subcontractors can never again submit hand composed day by day reports; rather they have to
sign into iBuild to round out a day by day report for every day. When they have filled out the
report for that specific day, it is sent to the Gilbane director through iBuild for endorsement.
Since this process is currently totally electronic, Gilbane sets up a portable stand on each activity
which enables the foreman to get their dailies submitted (Figure 5). This procedure not just
spares paper, it additionally wipes out the need to physically figure month to month labor reports

with programmed reports that you can keep running whenever(Lockton, Harrison and Stanton
2016).
Blue beam Impact
Prior to the rolling out of the Bluebeam, the project teams used to spend considering amount of
time in the management of the contract documents. On the actual project, there would be
production of at least two sets of drawing and also the requirements of the specification. The
Gilbane architects would have a duplicate, and the administrator would have a different
duplicate, the two of which should have been kept up and refreshed to mirror the most
breakthrough data. On most jobsites you would see that the engineers duplicate was state-of-the-
art; however the administrator's set were normally missing current data. Not just was this unsafe
because of the way that they were possibly working off an old out dated illustrations, yet project
team were likewise copying their work(Seager, Selinger and Wiek 2012).
A group of Business Consultants around the nation contacted different jobsites to check whether
they were doing anything diverse to make their jobsite more effective. They discovered that a

few projects were utilizing Blue beam to deal with their contract documents and the procedure
functioned admirably. The Business Consultants began investigating possibilities of Blue beam
to ensure the framework was fit for meeting Gilbane's approaches without evolving excessively,
or go out on a limb. Following half a month of testing and moving Blue beam out on a couple
littler occupations, Blue beam was the appropriate response. Gilbane chose to take off Blue beam
as the new standard PDF device and promptly introduced the program on all representatives'
PCs.
Gilbane realized that not all activities would utilize the product to deal with their agreement
illustrations immediately. They didn't need this change to impact occupations that were at that
point setup which implied that the rollout would take a few years to land all positions on
management. The reason for taking off Blue beam to all clients promptly was so that they could
at any rate exploit alternate highlights of Blue beam. The project could quickly benefit from the
PDF increase, amount take-off and photograph the management instruments. Staff on every new
activity beginning up were then prepared and guided on the most proficient method to deal with
their contract illustrations through Bluebeam(McCormicket al 2014). It has been a year since
Gilbane previously taken off Bluebeam and there are presently in excess of 100 employments
dealing with their contract documents electronically and offering them to the whole project team.
FINDING ANALYSIS
One of the real battles Gilbane needed to confront was the manner by which to get all project
team prepared rapidly on every one of the three programs. In addition to the fact that they had to
stress over getting everybody prepared, they needed to attempt and change the attitude that a few
people had in regards to the new program. Another reoccurring deterrent was getting clients to