Strategic and Operational Management Module Case Study Assignment

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of a case study on strategic and operational management, focusing on a three-story educational building construction project. The report begins with an overview of the project plan, including Gantt charts and network diagrams, and discusses the allocation of working days and critical path method. It then delves into resource leveling techniques, highlighting the principles and benefits of leveling approaches, such as critical path techniques and fast-tracking, for realistic project timelines. The report also examines the procedures for a further construction program and the development of a management control system, particularly focusing on the 'roofing' activity. It further analyzes a specific construction activity, floor finishing, detailing the methods, resources, and outputs involved. Finally, the report concludes with a risk analysis, identifying potential issues and proposing qualitative ratings and control measures. This analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the project's strategic and operational aspects, offering insights into project management, resource allocation, and risk mitigation.

Strategic and Operational Management
Module UBLLXF-30-3
Case Study
Coursework Assignment
2019
Student Name
University
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Task: 1
Figure: Gantt chart Yitmen, I. (2013)
As shown in above figure, the complete construction program has been provided according to
project plan and allocates working days. In this case, there are 26 weeks in order to complete
each activity within time period. The complete program has been preparing using computer
application with different activities such as critical path method and network diagram. The
above figure shows the complete procedure of three story educational building.
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Figure: Network diagram
As shown in above figure, the Network diagram of 3 story educational building has been
providing using computer software. As shown in above figure, the diagram has been highlighted
into two separate area i.e. RED and white box. The diagram indicate that the RED boxes have
critical activity and consume more time than actual and WHITE boxes activity may not consume
more time than allocate. The Network Diagram assists to project manager for proceeding
construction activity and allocate work according to expertise, knowledge and skills base. The
critical path method and Network Diagram suggest the approximate allowable time period in
order to complete each activity.
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Task: 2 histogram of all labour resources
Move on to site
Drainage
Steel frame
Stairs
External wall foundations
External blockwork Grnd Floor
External blockwork 2nd Floor
Floor Finishes
Brickwork 1st Floor
Windows Grnd Floor
Windows 2nd Floor
Straw panels
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1
2
3
4
5
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Series1
No. of operativitives
Principles of resource leveling and benefits :
In order to work according to project planning and resources, the project manager reset the
schedule for making shorter project duration without changing project aim and objectives.
Therefore, there are leveling approaches that bring the projects which are lagging behind back on
the track. There are generally three resources which leveling the techniques help the realistic
project timelines. In this case, the critical path technique, fast-tracking and crashing is the useful
approach for resource leveling. The resource leveling demonstrates imbalances while resource
allocates and ensures your resource from actual work overtime. The leveling approach suggests
how the projects progress and that will obtain from the critical path methodology. The following
are provides the advantages of resource leveling for construction project.
The resource leveling ensures that the project delays may not arise due to poor allocation.
The resource leveling assists the project manager for allocation and suggests using the
unused bench time.
The resource leveling ensures that the engineer, supervisor and authorized person are not
over allocated, if limited availability of the resource.
In this case, there are no authority for go ahead on boarded on the projects which are not
prepare for the construction activities.
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There is not assign any resource, which activity is irrelevant according to knowledge and
area of expertise.
This will reduce various issues which are harm the project schedule when assign the
resources breathing room between the various tasks.
The actual resources are allocated if complete visibility
The resource leveling approach is utilized to manage the resource which may have limited
schedule as per the project management professional aspect. The resource leveling has common
constraint about the projects. So, the leveling and balancing is useful approach for maintaining
and efficient approach. Still, there is not necessary about the dependency between the projects
activities due to limited resources, these kinds of activities may depend on the project resources.
The resource leveling approach allows making maximum and minimum resource usage about the
project. For example, the project manager decided to use 12 manpower or engineering team for
four week of the project and 6 engineers for the second months. This is called resource leveling
as per requirement of the construction project.
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Task: 3 procedures a further construction program:
Task: 4 produce a management control:
As per the given specification and construction activities, the “roofing” activity is not going
according to project plan due to various projects and controlling issues of the construction. The
project plan needs to complete within 26 weeks but the roofing activity may having various
issues such as assign duration of activity. The following key elements need to consider in order
to follows the standard procedure to control activity.
a. setting standards :
In order to provide cost effective and ensure to complete activity in given time period, estimate
standard cost and prepare time table for particular activity.
b. measure actual performance :
Perform quality and data analysis, in order to measure actual performance of the particular
activity and ensure the delivery possible within given time limit Ssegawa, J. (2013).
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c. corrective and preventive action plan :
In order to ensure the roofing activity must finish within the given time-limit and ensure
delivery, the test results indicate the issues regarding cost, time and activity. For “roofing”
activity it is require taking preventive and corrective actions.
As per the given specification, there is systematic management control needs to applied in order
to overcome issues regarding “roofing” activity.
a. Cost estimation :
Cost of roof: L 243
Cost of worker: L 50
Cost of equipment and material: L 100
Additional cost : L 60
b. Budget :
The budget for roofing includes the material cost, maintenance cost, worker and tools cost. The
cost of roofing is considered as above provided budget and standard costing.
Task: 5 construction activity:
As per the given construction activity in appendix section, among the given activities in
appendix, the floor finishing is important and useful activities among the provided construction
activities. In this case, the following are discuss detail statement for the one of the activities of
complete construction program Hegazy, T. et.al. (2010).
a. Method :
The floor finish is the construction activity in which the liquid is involve and
applied to the resilient tile floor and keep drying in order to make hard material,
durable and smooth surface finish. The surface finish is about the thickness of
the waxed paper and this is expect to protect and extend the considerable life
span of the floor area while provides an aesthetic appearance and slip resistance
over the floor surface.
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In order to provide effective and high quality floor finish, that may be
containing various ingredients. Many of the ingredients or chemical elements
may evaporate while the other elements remain on the surface after drying. The
ingredients which evaporate are known as the volatile elements and the
ingredients which stay over the floor surface known as non-volatile components.
The unstable chemical contains may assist for the chemical film formation,
drying and curing of the finish elements and then evaporation. The non-volatile
elements are the solid elements which stay over the floor surface and ensure the
floor finish surface Kamardeen, I. (2009).
The chemical elements uses in order to make the floor finish that combine to
develop the balanced blend of the physical and effective characteristics. There
are useful examples of the floor finishing and necessary characteristics i.e.
tough, hard, gloss, clarity, resistance, slip resistance, water and detergent
resistance, removability, buffability and toughness. The floor finish contains
mainly five basic categories which may includes the polymer, emulsions,
modifiers, water, preservatives.
For effective flooring system, the following are useful and effective criteria for
selection and construction:
Require durability
Easy to clean
Smooth and noiseless
Effective and aesthetic appearance.
Free from the dampness
Should be fire resistance
Should be considerable low maintenance.
b. Operation require for flooring and floor finishing :
Collect elements like pipes, cables, conduits that need to complete that may
includes the plastering work which needs to completed. It must be fixing of the
door, windows frame needs to complete. It is additionally includes the fixing of
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the door and windows frame operation require to complete before completing the
floor area Doloi, H. (2012). Make sure the heavy work in the room area where the
flooring needs to done or should completed within given timelines. Ensure that
the outlets and complete leveling to the slopes where the floor is required.
Figure: floor finishes surface area
c. Resource :
In order to construct or prepare floor finishing area the necessary resource require in order to
prepare the surface finish or floor finish as per given specification. The following resource
requires planning, preparing and constructing floor finishing as per project plan, duration and
allocating timelines.
For construction of floor area, the resources such as cement, lime stone or concrete, flagstones,
glass, ceramic, plastic, bricks, wood, mud and murram, lineoleum, asphalt and rubber require for
floor finish. Additionally, the cork, bamboo, linoleum, glass tiles, concrete, wool carpet, PET
berber carpet, rubber, leather and reclaimed hardwood require for floor finishing Amedzro St-
Hilaire, W. (2014).
d. Output :
Working elements require after taking up the flooring work:
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1. Stone grinding :
In this case, the grinding is the procedure to make the stone surface parallel and
uniform. In this case, it is require removing all the ledges, bridge flatness and
roughness to the floor area. It is also needs to remove the deepest scratches area
and stains.
2. Stone honing :
In honing process, it is surface finishing and smoothening procedure. In this stage, the
scratches and stains need to remove by uniform floor finishing and the stone behave like the
impressive as per requirement.
3. Stone polishing :
The floor or stone polishing is the procedure to develop smooth and glossy surface through
rubbing and chemical reaction over the floor area. The surface finishing and polishing procedure
provides the significant effect of the stone surface area Kiss, Z. et.al.(2016). The polishing
procedure protects the stone surface from the scrape and scrape. The effective polishing of the
stone or marble surface area increasing the toughness and ensure the surface roughness. The fine
and effective polishing provides the glossy appearance to the stone surface. The polishing
process may add the smoothness over the stone surface. The floor polishing procedure may
reduce the finger prints and smudge. The effective polished floor makes convince for clean and
maintain effective appearance over the floor surface. The polishing is the effective tools for the
stone decoration. The stone polishing shield it from the permanent stains.
Procedure for stone floor finishing:
Effective floor surface area and make sure that there is no stain spread occur on it. That must
include the wiping up the stone surface area and needs to continue till the effective and suitable
dried may not obtained. This may includes spaying over the stone surface in order to maintain
effective polish and good surface finishing. It is require taking the white terry cloth and heat
properly. In the buffing process, the floor finishing done through machine and efficient operator
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needs to handle. That observes any specific mark than needs to stop the buffing procedure for the
fix time period and needs to start the procedure in order to make effective and cleaning floor
finishing area. If there is blotch occurs continuous, it is require spraying over the floor area in
order to obtain shiny surface Zawiła-Niedźwiecki, J. et.al. (2015).
e. Time:
The floor finish require approximate two weeks as per the given drawing and specification. The
time, project planning and activity are changes as per requirement of the project planning and
key activities.
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Task: 6 Risk analysis
Very likely Acceptable risk (Medium 2) Unacceptable risk
(High 3)
Unacceptable risk
(Extreme 5 )
Likely Acceptable risk Low 1 Acceptable risk
(Medium 2)
Unacceptable risk
(high 3)
Unlikely Acceptable risk (Low 1) Acceptable risk (Low
1)
Acceptable risk
(Medium 2)
What is the chance it happens? Minor Moderate Major
Risk Identification Qualitative Rating Risk Response
Risk identification and potential issues Risk
recognition
Risk
factor
Risk evaluation Control measurement
lack of awareness about design and project planning Design 0.8 Design issues
initialization
Design Manager
Poor floor finish program and planning calculation Design and
planning
0.65 Use software and
testing procedure
Proceed according to
design specification
Poor surface finish and floor area surface
damage
0.75 Quality inspection Ensure surface finish
by instrument
Poor chemical mixing for finishing procedure Poor surface 0.75 Quality inspection Ensure by chemical
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finishing testing procedure
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References
Amedzro St-Hilaire, W. (2014). Operational risk control & Project effectiveness in Strategic Project management. Gestion 2000,
31(5), p.17.
Doloi, H. (2012). UNDERSTANDING IMPACTS OF TIME AND COST RELATED CONSTRUCTION RISKS ON
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF PPP PROJECTS. International Journal of Strategic Property Management, 16(3), pp.316-
337.
Kamardeen, I. (2009). Strategic safety management information system for building projects in Singapore. Engineering, Construction
and Architectural Management, 16(1), pp.8-25.
Ssegawa, J. (2013). Developing a strategic perspective for construction industry of Botswana. Construction Economics and Building,
13(3), pp.157-172.
Yitmen, I. (2013). Organizational Cultural Intelligence: A Competitive Capability for Strategic Alliances in the International
Construction Industry. Project Management Journal, 44(4), pp.5-25.
Yousefi, S., Hipel, K. and Hegazy, T. (2010). Attitude-Based Strategic Negotiation for Conflict Management in Construction Projects.
Project Management Journal, 41(4), pp.99-107.
Zagon, R., Matthys, S. and Kiss, Z. (2016). Shear behaviour of SFR-UHPC I-shaped beams. Construction and Building Materials,
124, pp.258-268.
Zawiła-Niedźwiecki, J. (2015). Structuring Knowledge Management – Classical Theory, Strategic Initiation And Operational
Knowledge Management (part I). Foundations of Management, 7(1), pp.253-266.
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