The Importance of Construction Project Management |
Posted: June 16, 2021 |
For construction companies, effective construction project management is crucial as it enhances the potential for successful project completion. When the construction project management is robust, a project is complete on time, within the budget, and without causing financial or legal complications. In simple words, construction project management is a professional service that utilizes specialized management techniques to monitor the planning, design, and construction of a project. Developed over time, the task of construction management is to rev up the best industry practices, prudent management decision-making, and effective and transparent project controls and reporting methods. Usually, large-scale projects require construction management as there is a higher scope of project delays and costs money. It is the responsibility of a project manager to analyze each decision and calculate its impact on the budget and schedule. For a construction company, it is highly crucial to have a construction management team as unforeseen problem risks can happen at any time, hampering the entire project. Companies rope in a construction project manager at early stages as it gives the manager more time to better plan for potential problems and brings in solutions to resolve them, ultimately saving both time and money. Project management can also provide clear lines of accountability. When a company has a construction project managementteam in place, there is little scope for confusion about who is the decision-maker or what the project objectives are. The construction manager takes the control of the project guiding the team on what they need to do and what the expected results may be. The construction manager’s global view of the project ensures that management has the potential to overcome challenges as they appear. Planning and Organizing The primary step in project management is planning and organizing. It is involved in the creation of plans, processes, budgets, and the allocation of resources. In a project, the manager is more like an architect or engineer, but with huge expertise in construction. While making decisions, he will analyze past failures and successes and ensures that no failed decisions are repeated in the current project. An agile construction manager will have the potential to analyze the contracts to confirm that no duplication exists among designer, contractor, and owner obligations. He needs to perform a constructability review as well as a schedule review to ascertain appropriate and realistic time frames for the project. Construction Phase While in the construction phase, it is crucial for the construction project management team to completely get involved in the project to ensure that no unexpected or accidental hiccups blow up in between. He needs to closely monitor the progress and quality of the construction. When a construction manager keeps tabs on the submittal process, he will be able to judge or predict the glitches and avoid delays through timely ordering, fabrication of long lead-time items, and ensuring proper sequencing of the trades. He needs to be available at every meeting as regular reporting of a project is mandatory to keep it on track and to avoid disputes. Post-Construction It is important to note that a construction manager’s duty does not end with the completion of a project. Instead, he needs to support the team on multiple occasions, wherever disputes and contract close-out issues occur. He is also responsible to obtain and review operation and maintenance manuals, supervise the punch list and warranty work, and interface with government authorities to obtain temporary certificates of occupancy. A construction manager should ensure that the project owner receives the expected final profit. And finally, whenever a project faces an issue or dispute, owners and their counsel heavily depend on the construction management team for aid in the claims process. The construction manager also needs to have the expertise to deliver important factual and technical information about the project so that the owner can defend against a contractor’s claim.
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