Discussion: Project Management in Construction - Size, Planning, Value

This discussion post delves into project management within the construction industry, addressing the influence of project size and complexity on the project lifecycle. It explores strategies for mitigating the impact of these factors, particularly in a global context. The post also examines the critical planning stage, identifying three essential questions project managers should pose to clients to ensure project success, and explains the rationale behind these questions. Furthermore, it discusses the role of value management in enhancing project performance by optimizing resource allocation and reducing the overall environmental footprint. The post references key academic sources to support its arguments, providing a comprehensive overview of project management principles in the construction field.

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION
Project management in construction
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Author Note

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Discussion post 1: Project size and Life cycle
The concept of project management is relatively a dynamic concept in the field of
business especially in the construction management. The projects related to the construction
management are often larger in size as compared to that of the of the other projects out there in
the market (Hwang, Zhao & Toh, 2014). Not only the size but the complexity of a project also
plays a particular character in the fruitful completion of the assigned project. A project related to
construction industry is also complex as compared to that of the other projects in the industry
(Qazi et al., 2016). A typical project with a dedicated project manager involves a combination of
several phases. The combination of the several phases in the project is collectively termed as the
life cycle of project. The life cycle of any project includes some of the phases opening from the
initiation phase, the planning phase, the implementation phase to the closure phase. Successful
execution of these above mentioned four phases is important in determining the well being of the
project that is intended to fetch fortunes for the industry.
Both the size of the project and the project complexity play a major role in the lifecycle of the
project. The project size and the complexity of the project are somewhat interdependent in
framing the project lifecycle. The case where the project size is relatively small the various
phases of the lifecycle of the concerned project are also small (Eadie et al., 2013). It is due to this
fact that it becomes relatively easier for the project manager to give attention to every stage of
the project so that it becomes easier to keep a track on the successful termination of the project.
The complexity of the project is also needed to be considered while taking up with the project.
The project complexity increases according to the project size and more complexity have a

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deeper impact on the life cycle of the project. Increased complexity affects each of the phases of
the in the project life cycle.
To prepare for such a deeper impact, it is recommended to keep the project size and the project
complexity as small as possible as this will allow the manager of the project to monitor and
control the project with ease in the global environment. Complexity can be reduced to a
substantial amount with the help of integration that is through communication, coordination and
control.
Discussion post 2: Planning stage
The planning stage is the second stage of the life cycle of the project that comes after the
initiation stage of the concerned project. The planning stage of a project related to construction
is the stage where the project solution is further developed in detail and the necessary steps
required to meet the objectives of the project are structured. This is the stage where the project
management team along with the project manager identifies all the necessary work to be done in
successfully delivering the project with dedication (Said & El-Rayes, 2013). All the vitals for the
concerned project are tactically framed in this phase of the project and the future plans are
formulated. In taking up with the projects related to the construction industry there are several
questions that are needed to be asked to the clients before beginning with the various stages of
the project. Three key questions that every project manager concerned to a project in the
construction industry must ask to the clients before beginning with project are stated as follows:
 What are the deliverables of the project?
 Whether there is any deadline of the project?
 What is the benchmark of success for the concerned project?

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These three above mentioned questions are particularly chosen among all other questions that
are required to be asked to the clients before initiating with the construction project because
these three questions are considered to be the main elements that frames every project related to
the construction industry. It is necessary for the project manager to know about the deliverables
of the project because the requirements of the project are associated with it that is needed to be
delivered upon the completion of the project. The deadline of any project also performs a major
action in successfully delivering the project (Walker, 2015). The benchmark of success is also
required to be defined before initiating with the project as this allows the project team to analyze
their worth.
Value Management or VM is a technique that is mostly concerned with the defining,
exploiting and achieving the worth of cost. This is one of the collaborative approaches in the
managing projects that is built on the idea of obtaining maximum output from the limited
resources of the project (Kelly, Male & Graham, 2014). The Value Management is helpful in
increasing the performance of the project because it teaches the project team to work on the
project with the minimum amount of resources thereby reducing the global footprint of the
project.

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References
Eadie, R., Browne, M., Odeyinka, H., McKeown, C., & McNiff, S. (2013). BIM implementation
throughout the UK construction project lifecycle: An analysis. Automation in
Construction, 36, 145-151.
Hwang, B. G., Zhao, X., & Toh, L. P. (2014). Risk management in small construction projects in
Singapore: Status, barriers and impact. International Journal of Project
Management, 32(1), 116-124.
Kelly, J., Male, S., & Graham, D. (2014). Value management of construction projects. John
Wiley & Sons.
Qazi, A., Quigley, J., Dickson, A., & Kirytopoulos, K. (2016). Project Complexity and Risk
Management (ProCRiM): Towards modelling project complexity driven risk paths in
construction projects. International Journal of Project Management, 34(7), 1183-1198.
Said, H., & El-Rayes, K. (2013). Performance of global optimization models for dynamic site
layout planning of construction projects. Automation in Construction, 36, 71-78.
Walker, A. (2015). Project management in construction. John Wiley & Sons.