Construction Site Planning and Logistical Operations

Site-Focused Management for Builders

Randy R. Rapp, Bradley L. Benhart

• Publisher: Purdue University Press
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781612493121
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Construction & Architectural Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Organizing and administering a construction site so that the right resources get to the right place in a timely fashion demands strong leadership and a rigorous process. Good logistical operations are essential to profitability, and this book is the essential, muddy boots guide to efficient site management. Written by experienced educator-practitioners from the world-leading Building Construction Management program at Purdue University, this volume is the ultimate guide to the knowledge, skills, and abilities that need to be mastered by project superintendents. Observations about leadership imperatives and techniques are included. Organizationally, the book follows site-related activities from bidding to project closeout. Beyond outlining broad project managerial practices, the authors drill into operational issues such as temporary soils and drainage structures, common equipment, and logistics. The content is primarily geared for the manager of a domestic or small commercial building construction project, but includes some reference to public and international work, where techniques, practices, and decision making can be substantially different. The book is structured into five sections and fifteen chapters. This facilitates ready adaptation either to industry training seminars or to university courses: Section I. The Project and Site Pre-Planning: The Construction Project and Site Environment (Randy R. Rapp); Due Diligence (Robert Cox); Site Organization and Layout (James O'Connor). Section II. The Site and Field Engineering Issues: Building Layout (Douglas Keith); Soil and Drainage Issues (Yi Jiang and Randy R. Rapp). Section III. Site Logistics: Site Logistical Procedures and Administration (Daphene Koch); Earthmoving (Douglas Keith); Material Handling Equipment (Bryan Hubbard). Section IV. Leadership and Control: Leadership and Communication (Bradley L. Benhart); Health, Safety, Environment (HSE), and Security (Jeffrey Lew); Project Scheduling (James Jenkins); Project Site Controls (Joseph Orczyk); Inspection and QA/QC (James Jenkins). Section V. Planning for Completion: Site-Related Contract Claims (Joseph Orczyk); Project Closeout (Randy R. Rapp).

SECTION IV

LEADERSHIP AND CONTROL

Many readers will find this section of particular interest, since its subject matter underlies the primary activities and functions of project-level managers: lead the project team to be safe, stay on schedule, remain within budget, and deliver specified work quality. Schedule, budget, and quality are the tripod legs of project success, and safety is its foundation. It is easier to establish these imperatives on paper than it is to organize the site and its operations in order to implement them. Leadership and control imperatives for superintendents are examined in chapter 9.

Safety should never be compromised. Allowing unsafe acts or practices is unethical and commonly eventually harms people and property. Profitable companies do not retain unsafe employees. Ignorance of site conditions that affect well-being or safety requirements—whether imposed by the owner, the government, or the contractor—offers no excuse for jeopardizing life or limb. Chapter 10 helps the superintendent plan and execute safe operations.

While owners vary in their demands, earlier research finds that achieving the schedule is probably the most important criterion for pleasing them. Commercial owners are especially sensitive to timely completion. Techniques explained in chapter 11 assist superintendent management of the schedule. Although the schedule is important for keeping the client informed, the superintendent should prepare and monitor the schedule to assist his/her supervision of the complexities of the work. While the schedule is seldom larded with an excessive number of tasks not of interest to the client, administrative tasks relating to satisfaction of environmental and safety matters—among others—will be important to wise owners.

Partly linked to the work schedule is project cost. Comprehensive cost controls can be more accurate and timely in the automated and digitized world than in decades past. The discipline that ensures full and prompt application of cost control processes remains as important nowadays as before. When the actual cost exceeds the budget, the contractor suffers, whether it’s a firm-fixed price or cost-reimbursement contract. Requirements and recommendations by which to hold the work within the budget are offered in chapter 12.

Although designers establish the required functionality and aesthetics of the work in the project specifications, site operations and workmanship deliver that mandated quality. The speed of project delivery in modern days makes contractor knowledge and implementation of quality-control procedures more important than ever. Chapter 13 offers superintendents perspectives that are critical to achieving requisite work quality.

CHAPTER 9

LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION

Bradley L. Benhart

INTRODUCTION

It does not take long to see that the superintendent on a jobsite has to be a strong leader who is capable of communicating with a large, diverse group of people. On a given day, a superintendent might have a conversation with a client’s CEO and moments later a laborer digging a ditch. Many would agree that leadership and communication skills are often more important than technical building skills for the superintendent.

Over the years, many analogies have been drawn for superintendents. All are applicable in one way or another:

•Orchestra conductor: Ability to read music (plans) developed by others and to lead different performers (trades) to work together and end on time, while pleasing the audience (client).

•Military general: Ability to set a strategic objective and lead a team to success with little to no casualties (accidents and losses).

•Kindergarten teacher: Ability to help a group get along, share, and produce something that makes others happy.

While we can chuckle about these analogies, they do provide insight that a superintendent needs to not only be a proficient builder but a person who can align the most important resources on a job—people. Throughout this chapter, we will focus on the information necessary to understand the “people” side of the jobsite and how to provide vision and leadership through systems and skills.

WHO IS ON THE TEAM—THE DIFFERENT PLAYERS ON YOUR PROJECT TEAM

This section outlines the typical titles, roles, and responsibilities of the players on the jobsite. These titles represent the most common ones. Many companies may have variations on the job titles, but the responsibilities will be similar. It is important to understand the roles of these individuals and how they all communicate.

Field Titles and Roles

Director of operations: Typically manages all field operations, including equipment departments, material procurement, trade groups, superintendents, and field labor. The title often includes vice president.

General superintendent: Oversees all superintendents and is often traveling throughout the day to check on the progress of projects and act as a mentor to the on-site superintendents assigned to each project.

Superintendent: Typically assigned to one large project and is the “king” of the jobsite. All work actions are handled through the superintendent, who is ultimately accountable for the schedule, safety, materials, and progress on the jobsite. The superintendent’s financial responsibility varies by company. Some companies give superintendents complete financial control of all aspects of their projects while others assign the majority of the financial responsibility to the project managers.

Assistant superintendent: Larger projects may require assistants to the superintendent, who are typically company personnel identified as having leadership potential who are being mentored by the superintendent. On large projects, it is not uncommon to have multiple assistant superintendents, with each of them responsible for a specific trade or portion of a project (e.g., the shell and core, interiors, electrical, etc.).

General foreman: Typically related to a specific trade and responsible for all the workers in that trade (e.g., the drywall or electrical general foreman). Some projects are so large that they require a general foreman for trades with large crew sizes.

Foreman: The direct leader for a crew of tradespeople. A typical foreman may oversee up to 15 workers, and the larger the crew, the less likely the foreman will perform any of the trade work. Some companies have what are called “working foremen,” meaning they still “carry the tools.” From an overhead point of view, this is important to understand when estimating a project.

Journeyman: A fully trained trade worker. The term is typically used in union areas, but it is representative of a worker who is knowledgeable of the craft and has completed the required training and apprentice work. Most trades require five to seven years of apprentice work before a worker attains the title of journeyman.

Apprentice: A trade worker who is focused on learning the trade and is taking the required training. Apprenticeship programs typically last three to seven years. During this time, apprentice workers are paid less than their journeyman counterparts. Some unions pay apprentices on a graduated scale based on their years of experience.

Laborer: Typically considered the least skilled worker on a jobsite. Laborers do not have apprenticeship programs and are responsible for all of the unskilled work, including cleaning, moving materials, digging, and demolition.

Office Titles and Roles

Officer-in-charge/owner: There is always someone at the top, and this is typically the company owner or an individual some call the officer-in-charge. The term is important to understand from a legal perspective. Many construction contracts specifically exclude the owner, or any corporate officers, from being reimbursed from projects. The rationale is that their compensation is included in the fees and overhead on the job.

Project executive: Typically manages more than one project and is the key executive contact to the owner. Often heavily involved in preconstruction planning more than during construction, many project executives have expertise in certain market segments.

Project manager: The day-to-day manager of a project and primarily focused on procuring the materials, subcontractors, and resources required for a project. Responsible for the financial controls of the project, purchase orders, subcontracts, submittals, and all other document control, project managers communicate constantly with the superintendent to ensure resources are at the jobsite when required.

Senior project manager: Has the same responsibilities as a project manager but focuses on larger and more difficult projects.

Assistant project manager: Assists the project manager in the daily office management of the project. Similar to assistant superintendents, assistant project managers can be assigned to different trades or segments of the project.

Project engineer: Typically focuses on the processes of the project’s administration and most often manages the entire design and submittal process.

Field engineer: A staff member assigned to the field to provide technical support to the superintendent and typically works on the layout and technical aspects of the project. This is often an entry-level position for a person aspiring to be a superintendent.

Coordinator (MEP, Exterior Skin, Electrical, etc.): Coordinates the installation and shop drawings of specific trades.

Project accountant: The role of project accountants can vary by company. They typically manage more than one project and are responsible for managing the money side of projects, including monthly pay applications, sworn statements, subcontractor and supplier payments, and lien waivers.

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Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Halftitle Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Section I: The Project and Site Preplanning
• Section II: The Site and Field Engineering Issues
• Section III: Site Logistics
• Section IV: Leadership and Control
• Section V: Planning for Completion
• Index