Construction Project Management

An Integrated Approach

Peter Fewings, Christian Henjewele

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781351122016
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Pratique professionnelle en architecture

Construction Project Management: An Integrated Approach is a management approach to leading projects and the effective choice and use of project management tools and techniques. It seeks to push the boundaries of project management to take on board future needs and user issues.

Integration of the construction project, meaning closer relations between the project team, the supply chain and the client, is long overdue; however, despite some signs of growth in this area, the industry nonetheless remains fragmented in its approach. The role of the project manager is to integrate diverse interests and unify objectives to achieve a common goal. This has now broadened to include a responsibility, on the parts of both client and team, to ensure that construction addresses current and future societal needs. From an economic perspective, a great deal of waste is connected with conflict, thus a holistic approach that increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the task at hand will inject energy into project management. This third edition now takes on board the impact of technology in building information modelling and other digitised technologies such as artificial intelligence. Together, they open up avenues for more direct and incisive action to test creative design, manufacture directly and communicate spontaneously and intuitively. In time, such technologies will change the role of project managers but will never take away their responsibility to be passionate about construction and to integrate the team. A new chapter has been added that considers future societal needs. This edition is also reordered to make the project life cycle and process chapters clearer.

This book combines best practice in construction with the theories underpinning project management and presents a wealth of practical case studies – many new. It focuses on all construction disciplines that may manage projects. The book is of unique value to students in the later years of undergraduate courses and those on specialist postgraduate courses in project management and also for practitioners in all disciplines and clients who have experienced the frustration caused by the fragmentation of construction projects.

1 Project life cycle and success

Project management (PM) is not a new concept, but it has emerged since the Second World War as a methodology that can be applied to intensive periods of bounded work with a specific objective, which can be isolated from general management so that expenditure can be ring-fenced and the synergy of a team is engaged. By definition it is temporary, with a start and a finish, and it integrates across specialities to deliver a whole. However, not all managers are able to cope with the dynamic nature of projects, where decisions have to be made fast and planning and control have to be very tight. Large projects such as the NASA space programme, the Polaris submarine programme and the Channel Tunnel developed techniques for project management that have set a pattern for subsequent ones. These projects have also had to develop specific roles and create management structures to suit and satisfy various interests, both within the project and contract and outside. Many tools and techniques are specific to PM, but some have been borrowed from general management. Construction work in particular lends itself to project management because of its temporary and unique nature, but sometimes fails in its collaborative aspects. Project management, though, is an effective management process used in many contexts.

This chapter will look at the project as a whole from inception to completion. The objectives are to:

• define integration and the construction project life cycle

• distinguish specific project management activities and roles in the life cycle

• investigate factors which affect the way that projects are managed

• understand complexity and maturity models for project management

• discuss critical factors for project success.

Project life cycle

The life cycle of a construction project from a client’s point of view starts when there is a formal recognition of project objectives, generally termed inception, when a project team is assembled, through to the delivery of these objectives, called completion or project delivery. Activities relating to the conception of a project take place over an extended period before the project starts. Figure 1.1 indicates the main elements of its life cycle. At the end of the life cycle there is a commissioning process in order to ensure everything is working and to hand over the completed project with its associated documentation so that it can be used effectively.

The life cycle of a project varies depending upon the viewpoint of the participant. Different parts of a life cycle are often managed by different people and not all organisations are involved in the project all the way through from inception to completion of a building project. For example, a main contractor gets involved from tendering through to handover of the building before the client’s fitting out – just two parts of the client’s project life cycle. For contractors, it is a complete project with an inception and a completion with handover of their work. Traditional procurement puts an emphasis on this fragmented view of the project life cycle where most are involved for only a part of it.

Figure 1.1 Life cycle of construction projects

Source: Developed from the CIOB Code of Practice for Project Management for Construction and Development.

There is a need to be flexible in the construction project life cycle, as there are now many different forms of procurement, which put a different emphasis on who leads the different stages of the cycle than the traditional approach. For example, design and build is more integrated with the client as the designer, the contractor and the client are all involved at an early stage. The project life cycle model in Figure 1.1, by indicating a possible overlap of the phases, is robust enough to cover a wide variety of procurement approaches and allows for the development of innovative approaches to best meet client requirements. The development cycle is wider and tracks the building or structure to a change of use or to demolition and recycling for the next development opportunity (this is better shown in Figure 12.1, in Chapter 12). The end of a construction project is the handover to a facilities management team, which maintains the structure and services.

The life cycle of construction projects starts at inception, at the stage where a client’s business case for a building or refurbishment is communicated to a professional team to develop the constraints. Outline planning consent may have been achieved, but only if a site has already been chosen. The inception process may involve an extended period to outline a business case. Keeping the client fully involved in all stages is the key to integrated projects.

In order to proceed, a client needs to test the feasibility of their business case. The fundamental go ahead is in place by the beginning of the inception stage and the main focus for the project manager at this stage is to define options for project feasibility and their financial viability or benefits. The feasibility stage can include investigation of new build or refurbishment, alternative site locations, funding options, design option appraisal, value enhancement, comparative estimates and life cycle costing. It considers the associated project constraints and marketing implications and is closely tied up with the strategy for the project. At the end of this period a feasibility study tests affordability (fit within an outline budget and cash flow), within project constraints. It may only become financially feasible by adjusting scope and the client needs to make critical decisions that suit the needs of their business. A key part of this is to identify and allocate risks and to carry out a functional analysis to optimise value for money. The user or facilities management groups may be involved at this stage. Early stage feasibility in complex projects is sensitive to political, economic and market changes.

Typical outputs at this stage are a funding source, a basic risk assessment of external and internal factors, design drawings and a concept statement, which are discussed with the development control authorities, and a discounted net cash flow or cost–benefit analysis within a budget. Feasibility is time-sensitive.

Strategy is a parallel activity to feasibility as the viability is often dependent on the strategy. For example, the funding of the project is tied up with the time schedule and the cash flow availability. It deals with how a project is carried out and controlled, including the correct procurement route, setting up the budget, deciding on methodology and setting control systems in place for time, cost and quality. Strategy also needs to determine the organisational structure of the project. Strategy lends itself to a digitised approach whereby different inputs can be integrated and many iterations compared quickly. The brief needs to be developed to ensure a full understanding of the client’s requirements and the design and construction strategies need to be co-ordinated within the project constraints. The brief can be frozen at the completion of feasibility and strategy. Value is tested and design adjusted.

A key output at this stage is the project execution plan (PEP), which identifies and allocates the risk issues. It also specifies how the project is going to be scheduled and organised through the subsequent stages of its life cycle in a master programme that shows key dates for approvals and presents an outline design. If a construction manager can be brought in at this stage, more reliable information is available for construction scheduling and methodology.

Pre-construction (design and tendering) appoints the full design and construction team and includes the full development of the design scheme, detailed drawings, tendering and mobilisation of resources for construction and discussions with regulating authorities. There is a clear responsibility to manage design and early procurement lead times and to identify a start date for construction that is related to the handover and occupation of the building. Risk and value factors continue to be managed so that the client gets best value. Outputs include statutory permissions, such as full development approval, building regulations, integrated design drawings, tender documents and tender information for a later health and safety plan, contractor appointment, an agreed contract price and contract programme and a risk register. It is notoriously difficult to control diverse design activity to meet deadlines, anticipate the timing and nature of statutory consents and predict a market price that will comply with budget constraints.

The construction phase is self-explanatory, but it has a particular emphasis on the detailed control of time, quality and cost and the management of many other issues such as the supply chain, health and safety planning, the environment and change. Outputs at the beginning of the construction include construction stage programmes, construction health and safety plans, method statements, cash flow forecasts, quality assurance schemes and change orders. In taking on a contractor, there is a risk of conflict if information is not available, if things get changed a lot or if the project is delayed. Conflict management, leadership and team-building skills are used a lot in this stage. Building is ready to test.

Engineering commissioning is distinctive as its outputs should include the efficient functioning of the building. The management of the process includes the signing off of various regulatory requirements, such as building regulations, fire and water certificates, gas and electrical tests, airtightness and mee...