Project Management

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Table of Contents

1.0 Executive Summary  1

2.0 Introduction  1

3.0 Task  1-9

3.1 The role of the specialist trade contractors   1

3.2 Management roles in the case study  2

3.3 Management framework based on Deming philosophy 2

3.4 Management structure of the project 3

3.5 Design and construction procurement strategy 3

  4.0 Conclusion 8

  5.0 Bibliography 9

 

 

 

• Executive Summary

This report reviews project management processes and how different organizations work together on skyscraper projects to achieve the theme 3 to zero. The following will be discussed in the report:

• Roles of specialist trade contractors.
• Management roles and contributions.
• Framework based on Deming philosophy.
• The management and organization structure.
• Design and construction procurement strategy.

 

2.0 Introduction

The skyscraper project consists of two concrete cores and high-rise systems of construction such as Façade installation, steel frame installation, staircase design and installations, Fit-out lean room and design management.

 

3.0 Task

3.1

Specialist trade contractors (STCs) management in the skyscraper study facilitated better communication, coordination, responsibility, and a shared sense of purpose. It made the STCs more likely to complete the project successfully by attending daily meetings and workshops at the lean room every night. STCs had the necessary production knowledge, abilities, and expertise to maximize the production process in factory manufacturing and on-site installations. They examine the site’s buildability in terms of performance and manage the interfaces at a highest level. The STCs were the only ones who can deal with this efficiently, had prompt participation with consultants and other STCs, produced detailed designs that are inventive, safe, and constructible.

STCs collaboration with the management to produce a weekly look-ahead plan speed up the process and help the project contribute effectively towards the success of the production process without a break in the process and for accepting to snag sign-off handovers from trade to trade. The outcome will be much better than everyone else would expect on the project. In the case study, because the mechanical & electrical services was initially coordinated with the fit-out contractor who was responsible for the finishes, the finishes design was more or less automatically coordinated. For example, the dry lining STC was involved in the coordination meetings and on-site when the M&E people were fixing fan coil units to ensure they aligned with their grilles.

Any good plan project effectively controls time, quality and safety. Therefore, it is essential to plan the job properly at an early stage of the project. In the case study, CAT A represents STC’s collaborative look ahead weekly plans showing interface coordination between various STCs. The STCs role was to meet the performance of the architects. On the other hand, the architects and engineers required information on a variety of technical aspects of the design, which places them in a position where they rely mainly on the designers of the STCs, particularly when it comes to the interfaces between pieces. As a result, the STCs provided more detailed drawings, and the design team contributed significantly towards designing working drawings for the plant room, despite the challenges set by the Architect in meeting the criteria of the performance and the requirements. Product quality can be assured right from the designing stage, increase buildability and reduce the safety risk. In most projects, the total project information supplied by the STCs exceeds that produced by the design team. In the design and manufacture of building components, STCs provided technological perfection. STCs are in charge of many material and component purchases and are involved in almost every project.

3.2

The management in the skyscraper case study were responsible for managing the project from inception to completion, to ensure that work has been performed completely. Thus the Managements are the key between the Client and the STCs. They ensured to successfully manage the Project to avoid any accidents, delays and defects.

The Management had a clear understanding of the Construction Project and the scope of works. They understood the goals and objectives of the client and ensured that the architects and other consultants had laid clear specifications in the drawings. For Example, The management team ensured to post the program, plans, drawings, and instructions on the walls to solve problems from the Project’s inception before it became an issue later. The project manager’s strategy for developing the management tools for production, progress, and targets helps the Project achieve its clear objectives. This contribution will influence the construction costs because any decision made at the beginning stage of a project life cycle has far more significant influence than those made at later stages.

The management ensured that work done is in line with the plan specifications. They had increased awareness of improved components, materials, and construction methods and involved the contractor in these methods. Increased interest in tools and techniques to improve efficiency and quality, like benchmarking, Value Management, Just in time management, Lean Construction, Concurrent engineering, and Total Quality Management, would help to satisfy not only the Client but also the delivering the Project successfully.

The management responsibilities within their roles were well defined; this allowed them to work more effectively without any interference. They had excellent communication and a collaborative team. For Example, The Package managers played an effective coordination and communication role by organizing progress meetings, ensuring the working drawings produced by the STCs are forwarded to the (D&B) design management for approval to avoid any delays on-site. It clearly shows that the 3 to zero concepts has been initiated. Another example also concludes that John encourages his construction managers also to have a three-month look-ahead. The decision initiated by John to break down the programme into short terms was a very effective contribution because it helped the managers to achieve target dates monitor and control the job more effectively.

 

3.3

Deming Philosophy 2 (Adopt the New Philosophy) – Management should actually adopt the ‘quality philosophy’, rather than merely expect the workforce to do so When the new clinical trial project is thoroughly planned and the quality matters are carefully embedded into it by the study management, while creating the atmosphere of striving for the best performance, it will penetrate into the study team at all levels, both in-house and at sites. When the management looks forward, not at the competitors, but at the customers, that will be the moment of major change. According to W. Edwards Deming Institute (2013 p.134) We can no longer accept commonly acceptable levels of mistakes, faults, inappropriate material for the job, malfunctioning equipment, and workers who don’t know what they’re doing and are scared to ask. The project management structure led by John in the case study indicates a team of expertise, skillful and sound technical knowledge to set and achieve goals to get the highest performance, time, quality, and optimize safety. For example, John led his management team to develop a strategic look ahead board for the next 22 weeks every week to control and monitor the project’s progress to avoid delays. The management also set high safety standards to control the risk in the STCs works area. For example, permit system for access onto finished floors level 06 – 24, tethering for all work at heights to all tools and all persons to be checked to ensure they are inducted working on all CAT A floors. All these factors contributed to the project achieving a 3 to zero concept.

 

Deming Philosophy 3 (Cease Dependence on Inspection) – Quality does not come from inspection; mass inspection is unreliable, costly and ineffective. Of course, we can never cede the monitoring, however ‘quality embedded’ projects will allow us to reduce the level of scrutiny over clinical sites without giving up on the quality of deliverables (i.e. clinical data), genuinely improving cost effectiveness. The data collected by monitoring, i.e. inspection, should be used for better process control. Salazer (1989 p.22) States that Dr. Deming showed the Japanese industry how to accomplish continuous quality improvement using a technology. John and his package management team in the case study initiated an excellent level of collaboration during the design process by checking and forwarding the design from STCs to the (D&B) design management to approve their working drawings. This allows them to continually search for problems in the entire design system and constantly improve them. Furthermore, John and his team developed effective plans showing various interfaces for electrical installations to ensure a delivery schedule is generated. The required materials are delivered to the site when needed to avoid interference and interruption of on-site activities.

 

3.4

The management structure of the skyscraper case study provided the necessary environment to integrate the design and construction process. The roles of the management and the executives within the organization enable everyone to know whom they must report to. The D&B contractor’s project organization chart gives a clear overview of different organizations within clusters under a manager to ensure integration. For example, the project organization chart illustrates the collaboration between various organizations within a cluster and gives a bird’ eye view of a command flow in the management.

The responsibility of the executive director and the principal designer to manage the relationships with the client, the architects, the engineers, and others higher up was a very good decision as the client was backing the Architect to delay the STCs design. The client’s are sometimes the most challenging job in the design and construction processes. For example, the interior fit-out STC was well behind on the fit-out design; although they made maximum effort to push the architects to sign off the design, they kept tweaking the design with only six weeks to go.

The project manager of basement 3 to level 3 (B3 to L3) demonstrated good leadership by creating the right environment for STCs from different organizations to communicate and collaborate to meet the project’s goals. For example, the project manager runs coordination meetings held at the ‘tab room’ every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays with all the STCs working on that part of the project, including every member of each STCs. Further held. Separate meetings at ‘commissioning room’ every Wednesday with project managers from other teams to coordinate the work of the whole of the building.

The package manager played an important role and demonstrated good communication skills by justifying the piecemeal method to the client and their Architect. In addition to that, the package manager went further to prepare a workshop to prove to the client and the Architect how the piecemeal method will advantage the project to achieve 3 to zero. Furthermore, the package manager again played an important coordination role to avoid interference and interruption during the installation of the Staircase STC’s. Therefore, coordinate between Staircase STC, handrail STC, Concrete STC to have safe access for stairs users and fixings positions.

 

3.5

Procurement is the process of locating and agreeing on terms with an external source in order to obtain goods, services, or works, usually through a tendering or competitive bidding procedure. This processes allow you to make purchasing decisions in times of scarcity when good data is available, economic analysis methodologies such as cost-benefit analysis or cost-utility analysis should be used. Therefore, procurement strategy identifies the client’s needs in the early stages of the project. Sometimes this is not always possible, but changes in technology may result in changes being introduced to the project. For example, in the early stages of the skyscraper case study, Synchro was used to link the BIM model but rather unfortunate, the additional tower crane (Tower crane 6) was introduced. Synchro’s model did not reflect their delivery strategy anymore; it proves how the design processes impacted the procurement strategy. At the outset of the project, it is essential to consider the extent to which the design can be completed and the possibility of changes occurring.

The customized nature of construction projects increases genetic risks. These risks include the work not strictly required in the project completion and late delivery or costs more than the client pay. These kinds of risks will impact the client’s core business. At an early stage, the procurement strategy balances these situations. Time: Speed and certainty of completion by the deadline are the two primary points that are co-dependent and usually in conflict—cost: The amount of money spent and the amount of money spent with certainty. Quality is determined by the performance and functioning of the product.

Procurement strategies accomplish cost and time certainty for the design developed by an architect, consequently a slow process—traditional procurement or design-bid-build processes. The design is a contractor’s responsibility in cost certainty and relative speed. On the other hand, design and build procurement, clients will gradually lose control over the design process. Management contracting or construction management refers to the virtual speed with which an architect’s design is produced, and the cost is unpredictable until completion.

Example of standard tool used for the procurement strategy is the evaluation Matrix. The matrix allows STCs to score and weight supplier’s responses against the predefined award criteria. At the same time, the evaluation is a vital part of determining the outcome of your procurement exercise. It helps if you remember that the outcome of any evaluation is ultimately dependent on the award criteria and weightings that you choose for your procurement exercise.

After careful analysis of the skyscraper case study, it is clear that the main factors essential for the project are time, cost, and quality. In terms of time, money, and quality, time takes precedence, followed by cost and quality. So the procurement method selected should be very efficient and fulfill all requirements and objectives of the project. The selection of a procurement system depends upon the nature and objectives of the project.

 

4.0 Conclusion

Project management processes primary purpose is to organize the plans and activities of the construction company. These necessary steps help ensure the business that the project will become successful. Project risk management plans to determine design pitfalls and create contingency plans and managing design. The process includes achieving 3 to zero, zero accident, zero delay, zero defects.

 

5.0 Bibliography

The W. Edwards Deming Institute (2013). The essentials of Deming: Leadership principles from the father of quality. McGraw-Hill Education

Salazar, Noe A. Professional Safety; Des Plaines Vol. 34, Iss. 12,  (Dec 1989): 22

 

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