Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering - Analysis

This report synthesizes key findings from multiple research articles on project management skills within the civil engineering field. The articles explore the critical importance of project managers possessing strong organizational, communication, budgeting, and leadership skills for successful project delivery. The studies highlight the significant impact of these skills on time management, cost control, team performance, and overall project outcomes. The report covers topics such as risk management, the application of Fuzzy AHP for decision-making, the effects of project management practices on project success, and the correlation between leadership competence and project performance. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the need for project managers to adapt to evolving industry demands, including client integration and the management of diverse stakeholder groups. The research underscores the importance of continuous skill development and the application of appropriate project management models to optimize project outcomes in the dynamic construction environment.

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 1
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING
Name
Course
Professor
University
City/state
Date

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 2
Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering
Oke, A.E., Omoraka, A.E. & Ayeni, I. (2017). Effect of project managers’ skills on construction
project delivery. International Journal of Management and Decision Making, Vol. 16, Issue 2,
pp. 107-130.
Summary
This article analyzes the importance and effects of managers’ skills on successful delivery of
construction projects. The researchers used questionnaires to collect data from different
construction professionals. The results obtained showed that the top three skills that most project
managers possess are: organizational skills, communication skills and budgeting skills. Most of
these top three skills were exhibited by builders and architects. The researchers concluded that if
there is no trained personnel that is given the responsibility of managing a construction project
then builders and architects are the most suitable candidates to take up this responsibility. It was
also found that project management skills have a significant effect on time, cost and team
performance of construction projects. From this study, it is evident that construction
professionals with appropriate management skills are likely to deliver construction projects
successfully than those who lack these skills. Therefore acquiring project management skills is
very important in the civil engineering field.
Zhu, W., Zeng, R., Li, X., Zhu, Y. & Zhang, Z. (2017). Managerial drivers of Chinese labour
loyalty in international construction projects. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management,
Vol. 23, Issue 8, pp. 1109-1122.
Summary

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 3
This study investigates the managerial drivers on the loyalty of employees involved in
international construction projects. The managerial drivers that the researchers focused on
include: project host country’s macro-environment, job system, organizational living
environment, communication and rewards. Hypothesis were proposed then tested by a structural
equation model. The results showed two key relationships between managerial drivers and
employee loyalty. The first finding was that macro-environment, communication and job system
have significantly direct effects on loyalty of employees in international construction projects.
The second finding was that rewards and organizational living environment and rewards have
positive indirect effects on loyalty of employees in international construction projects. It was
further concluded from this study that the first and second relationships can be used to as a long-
term and short-term strategy of improving international construction labour loyalty respectively.
From this study, it is clear that construction project managers in charge of international projects
should know what kind of approaches to apply in order to enhance labour loyalty in the host
country.
Prascevic, N. & Prascevic, Z. (2017). Application of fuzzy AHP for ranking and selection of
alternatives in construction project management. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management,
Vol. 23, issue 8, pp. 1123-1135.
Summary
The main aim of this study was to demonstrate how Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP)
can be used to make decisions that are essential in successful delivery of construction projects.
The researchers used a new method to determine eigenvectors and eigenvalues based on fuzzy

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 4
numbers. They also proposed a new formula based on reduced generalized fuzzy mean, which
was used to rank fuzzy numbers. The proposed method was then used to accurately rank
alternatives based on their impact and importance on successful delivery of the project. This
study demonstrates that realization of a construction project involves numerous decision making
process. Each decision that is made has other alternatives hence it is important for project
managers to able to develop methods, tools and models for analyzing alternatives critically and
rank them based on the requirements and constraints of the project. Once the right alternatives
are chosen, it becomes easier to accomplish the project that meets the required quality and is
completed within the stipulated time and budget.
Serpell, A., Ferrada, X., & Rubio, N.L. (2017). Fostering the effective usage of risk management
in construction. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, Vol. 23, Issue 7, pp. 858-867.
Summary
This study aimed at demonstrating the importance of construction project managers having
appropriate risk management knowledge and capabilities. The researchers designed a system to
prove that effective risk management is very crucial in successful delivery of construction
projects. Their aim of designing this system was so that project clients and contractors can use it
to develop the right capabilities of managing construction risks effectively. They selected several
companies that have already applied the system and used them as case studies. The researchers
found that the system can be used in any country since risks of construction projects are similar
regardless of geographical location of the project. This study has emphasized the fact that risk
management is one of the key elements of construction project management as the construction

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 5
industry is prone to a wide range of risks. Therefore it is important for project managers in civil
engineering field to learn, develop and apply certain capabilities so as to manage risks effectively
for the purposes of successful implementation of construction projects.
Haron, N., Devi, P., Hassim, S., Alias, A.H., Tahir, M.M. & Harun, A.N. (2017). Project
management practice and its effects on project success in Malaysian construction industry. IOP
Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 291, pp. 1-8.
Summary
As the global population and economy grows, the need for improved and sustainable
infrastructure and facilities is inevitable. This has resulted to very complex construction projects,
requiring cutting-edge project management skills for civil engineers and other construction
professionals. This study is investigating critical success factors of project management practice
and how it affects construction project implementation. The researchers used questionnaires and
semi-structured interviews to collect data from 232 respondents. The results obtained showed
that besides the typical project management success criteria of time, quality and cost, there are
other emerging criteria that includes customer satisfaction, subcontractors/suppliers’
performance, and project team competency. The lesson learnt from this article is that different
project management practices have varied effects on project implementation process hence
project managers should understand how to come up with the best combination of management
practices. There are numerous changes going on in the construction industry and project
managers have to be flexible enough to address these new demands. For instance, clients
nowadays want to be more directly involved in the project hence it is the responsibility of project

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 6
managers to use their competencies in ensuring that clients are integrated in the project and fully
updated about all that is happening.
Ahmed, R. & Anantatmula, S.V. (2017). Empirical study of project managers leadership
competence and project performance. Engineering Management Journal, Vol. 29, issue 3, pp.
189-205.
Summary
This article emphasizes the fact that project managers with good leadership skills perform better
than those with poor leadership skills when overseeing projects. The main reason is because
construction project managers interact with people from different professional fields and with
varied knowledge levels and skills on daily basis. To be able to interact with them appropriately,
the managers must have good leadership skills. The two researchers of this study developed and
tested a leadership competence model of project managers. This was done through a survey that
involved 289 project managers working on different public projects in Pakistan. The model and
study hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression
analysis. From the study, it was found that there is a significantly relationship between certain
leadership competencies of project managers with project performance. The five identified
competencies affect the project in terms of quality, cost, schedule and satisfaction of
stakeholders. Therefore all project managers should be leaders to direct the rest of the team
towards successful implementation of projects.

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 7
Dziekonski, K. (2017). Project managers’ competencies model for construction industry in
Poland. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 182, pp. 174-181.
Summary
Managing a construction project is quite challenging considering the numerous risks associated
with construction projects and the different stakeholders that are involved in these projects. This
article created a model of competencies of construction project managers in Poland. The model
created integrated different factors that are related to attributes of project managers. According to
the author of the article, the model can be used as a reference when looking for a project
manager for construction projects in Poland. This article acknowledges that each construction
project is unique in terms of complexity, deliverables, goals and objectives, constraints and team,
hence the need to have a customized project management model. This will ensure that project
managers apply the most suitable skills they have for each project. It is worth noting that all
project management competencies are crucial for successful implementation of construction
projects but some are more suitable than others depending on the project attributes. Therefore
such models can be used by construction project managers to ensure that they capitalize on the
best skills they have when overseeing construction projects.
Demirkesen, S. & Ozorhon, B. (2017). Measuring project management performance: case of
construction industry. Engineering Management Journal, Vol. 29, Issue 4, pp. 258-277.
Summary

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 8
The effect of project management performance on project delivery cannot be overemphasized.
This article establishes specific indicators and determinants of performance of project managers.
The researchers investigated the relationship between 14 knowledge areas and performance of
the project. Data was collected from 121 construction projects and analyzed by use of structural
equation modeling. The researchers found that some factors have direct impact while others have
indirect impact on project management performance. Factors that have direct impact included:
project integration, communication, safety, financial, resources, risk and cost management. On
the other hand, those that have indirect effect included: time management and scope. Project
managers can use findings from this study to develop strategies that they can apply so as to
improve their performance when overseeing construction projects. When appropriate factors are
applied then the efficiency and performance of project management improves. Therefore it is
very important for project managers to know the effect that ach factor has on the project
performance so that they can decide which factors to implement or focus on.
Novo, B., Landis, E.A. & Haley, M.L. (2017). Leadership and its role in the success of project
management. Journal of Leadership, accountability and Ethics, Vol. 14, Issue 1, pp. 73-78.
Summary
There are different leadership skills of project managers. These skills have a significant impact
on the success of projects. The main aim of this article was to establish the correlation between
leadership traits of project managers and the success of projects they are managing. The
researchers found that there are several leadership traits that are correlated with successful
project managers. These findings were similar to others from various similar studies, which

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 9
linked project success with leadership skills of project managers. Construction project managers
are usually in charge of a large group of technical and non-technical personnel. In most cases, the
group members have different background, knowledge levels, goals and objectives, beliefs, etc.
It is upon the project manager to use his/her leadership styles to ensure that all the members
work together as a team towards a common goal. Therefore project managers in charge of civil
engineering projects can use findings from this article to improve their project management
performance and hence the success of their projects.
Ayodeji, O., Eseohe, A., Opeyemi, J., Ebenezer, B. & Amusan, I. (2017). Project management a
panacea to improving the performance of construction projects in Ogun State, Nigeria.
International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, Vol. 8, Issue 9, pp. 1234-1242.
Summary
The performance and success of construction projects are usually measured based on time,
quality, cost, health and safety, meeting the client’s requirements and stakeholder satisfaction.
This study was carried out to establish the correlation between project managers and success of
construction projects in Ogun state, Nigeria. The researchers used cross-sectional survey
research design to collect quantitative and qualitative data from 32 randomly selected
professionals in the construction industry within Ogun state. Data was collected from civil
engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and builders by use of questionnaires. The findings in
this article show that effective project management ensures project delivery success from the
preliminary stages of the project until finish. The researchers also concluded that for construction
projects to be delivered successfully, in terms of quality and efficiency, there is need to involve
the services of project managers. The article also emphasizes the importance of ensuring that

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 10
construction project managers are properly trained and certified by relevant bodies, and that they
are involved in continuous professional development so as to be updated with the latest project
management technologies, tools and strategies.
Larsson, J., Eriksson, P.E. & Pesamaa, O. (2018). The importance of hard project management
and team motivation for construction project performance. International Journal of Managing
Projects in Business, Vol. 11, Issue 2, pp. 275-288.
Summary
Hard project management is characterized by factors such as rigid planning and control. These
practices are usually applied by construction project managers. This article investigates the
effects of team motivation and hard project management practices on delivery of construction
projects. The researchers were testing the hypothesis that there is a likelihood of hard project
management ruining project performance and delivery if there is no team motivation. The
researchers presented a structural equation model and performed empirical tests on it. They used
survey method to collect data from 2,175 respondents comprising of clients and contractors
engaged in 109 construction projects in Sweden. The findings from this research were that hard
project management can improve process performance only if there is team motivation.
Therefore hard project management can have either positive or negative effect on process
performance, depending on whether team motivation is promoted or not. To improve project and
process performance, project managers using hard management practices should ensure that the
entire project team is adequately motivated so that they do not oppose the managers.

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 11
Aneesha, K. & Haridharan, M.K. (2017). Ranking the project management success factors for
construction project in South India. IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Vol.
80, Issue 1, pp. 1-11.
Summary
Construction projects are faced with a wide range of challenges. One of the strategies used to
overcome these challenges is effective project management. This article identifies key success
factors in construction project management. The researchers identified 26 critical success factors
from respondents who included project managers, civil engineers, construction managers, site
engineers and contractors. They used SPSS software to analyze the data and using regression
analysis, they found the following six factors as the most important ones in construction project
management: support from top management, competent project team, realistic time and cost
estimates, problem solving abilities, communication/information, and project manager’s
competency. The first priority was awarded to effective communication between different
stakeholders whereas client involvement, project goals clarity and good leadership received
second priority. The authors of this article also found that informal communication, such as face-
to-face conversation, is a better method of exchanging information between stakeholders than
formal communications, such as written formats. Therefore it is important for project managers
to use their skills to ensure that top success factors are given more attention in order to improve
project performance.
Mesaros, P. & Mandicak, T. (2017). Exploitation and benefits of BIM in construction project
management. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 245, Issue 1, pp.
1-7.

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 12
Summary
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is one of the latest and most advanced technologies that
are transforming the construction industry worldwide. BIM is simply a data creation and
management process that is used to improve process and performance efficiency of the building
throughout its life cycle. Today, BIM is a very important management tool in civil engineering
field. Construction projects usually involve numerous participants. These projects are also
associated with large volumes of information, including design, construction, economic
efficiency, cost and time parameters, sustainability, etc. For these projects to be delivered
successfully, all the participants must be informed about every activity and/or any changes made
to the project, however small they may be. Previously, keeping participants timely updated was
very challenging but BIM is being used to overcome this challenge. This paper examines the
impact that BIM has on project management in Slovak construction firms. Considering the
potential benefits of BIM, it is mandatory for civil engineering project managers to have BIM
skills so as to improve their effectiveness.
Demirkesen, S. & Ozorhon, B. (2017). Impact of integration management on construction
project management performance. International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 35, Issue
8, pp. 1639-1654.
Summary
Performance of construction projects depends on a wide range of project management
dimensions. One of the most important dimensions is integration management, considering that

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 13
construction projects involve different stakeholders who must work together as a team for the
project to be delivered successfully. This article examines different integration management
components and their influence on project management performance of construction projects.
The components investigated are: project charter development, process integration, knowledge
integration, supply chain integration, staff integration, and variations integration. The project
management performance factors investigated are: cost, quality, safety, time and client
satisfaction. The researchers used questionnaires to collect data from construction professionals
involved in 121 different projects. Data analysis was done using SPSS AMOS software and
structural equation modeling. The study found that there is a strong connection between
integration management and project management performance. Therefore project managers in
civil engineering field must acquire relevant knowledge, skills, tools and strategies of facilitating
effective project integration management.
Luo, L., He, Q., Jaselskis, E.J. & Xie, J. (2017). Construction project complexity: research trends
and implications. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 143, Issue 7.
Summary
Complexity of construction projects has continued to rise over the years due to attaining a
balance between technical, economic, social, environmental and sustainability elements of
structures being built. This has made understanding the complexity aspect of the project very
important in construction project management. In other words, civil engineering project
managers should have the capability to analyze and understand the complexity of the project.
This article examines research status and trends related to construction project complexity. The
researchers reviewed 74 relevant articles published between 1996 and 2015. The findings of the

Project Management Skills for Civil Engineering 14
study are that most research related to construction project complexity focuses mainly on the
following four areas: factors influencing project complexity; methods used to measure project
complexity; impacts of project complexity; and factors to consider when managing complex
construction projects. The researchers identified the need for future research to focus on specific
factors associated with construction project complexity and establishment of project management
strategies to address these factors. This article is important in civil engineering field as it
emphasizes the need for project managers to understand the complexity of the project in order to
manage it efficiently and ensure that the project is delivered successfully.