Construction Management Essay Research Paper Construction ManagementAnywhere

Construction Management Essay, Research Paper

Construction Management

Anywhere you visit throughout the world today, there is a very good chance you will come across some type of construction taking place. It could be the construction of new schools, roads, buildings, bridges, shopping centers, restaurants, or subdivisions. Construction has become a complex process, which involves different levels of education and experience. The construction worker must be ready to work around the clock because of problems such as bad weather, delays and project deadlines. A person who works in construction could be a machine operator, job supervisor, project planner, safety supervisor, materials manager, contractor, or have a number of other duties. One very important worker in the construction field is the construction manager. The construction manager plots and administrates all activities for each project, usually works over forty hours a week from a central office or field office, and has to have hours of work experience and education in the construction industry.

Construction management is the term applied to the technique of managing the various designs and construction processes of a building project on behalf of an owner or client (Volume 2). Construction management became a formal construction concept in the 1970 s by the Public Building Service of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Before then, when an owner wanted to start a new project, he would call upon an architect. Usually chosen on the basis of reputation and status, the architect would handle every aspect of the construction process from start to finish. For many years, this construction process worked just fine. However, as buildings and their systems became more complex and as costs rose rapidly in the 1970 s, this way of handling construction began to fail. In 1971, the GSA found that the federal government could no longer afford to rely on the traditional bidding process for larger, complex projects, and therefore the need of a construction manager came into play (Volume 2).

The term construction management implies a greater professional duty than a contractor, although many construction management firms today were originally general contractors (Volume 2). The construction manager assists in the supervision of the entire construction process from start to finish (Handbook Online). Before a project even begins, the owner or client calls on the construction manager for preconstruction consulting (Volume 2). The construction manager provides the client with advice and council about different ways to go about the construction. This advice includes selecting important members of the construction team, such as the architect and engineer, assisting in the preparation of the project budget, planning and scheduling, estimating alternate designs, and all of the other elements of the project. The construction manager may even assist the client in obtaining financing for the project (Volume 2).

Once construction starts, the construction manager has many important roles that he must fulfill and execute properly in order for the construction to go smoothly. One important role is scheduling. A large part of the construction manager s time is spent preparing and working with schedules. Scheduling is a principal function of construction management. Scheduling is simply planning in advance the events to be accomplished over time and putting them into a document (Volume 2). The schedule must be very precise and detailed. While on the sight, the construction manager must stay informed of progress being made and make sure that schedule deadlines are being met (Handbook Online). When problems and delays occur, the construction manager must be able to work things out and adjust the schedule to where the deadline can still be met (Volume 2). Without scheduling, the construction project is not likely to be completed on time.

Another important role of the construction manager is controlling the costs of a project. Cost control of a construction project begins with the development of a budget. The budget is prepared very early in the construction process and once prepared, becomes a vital tool throughout every stage of the construction (Volume 2). The main approach to budgeting is the very detailed and precise, analytical approach. Using this approach, the construction manager builds up the budget with an estimation-type technique, taking off quantities of materials and labor and extending these quantities using unit costs (Volume 2). Without proper budgeting, many projects are abandoned or the owner suffers severe financial distress.

The construction manager must also be able to communicate well with all team members working on the construction project. Members must know what is going on during the project at all times. They must have a system to raise issues and solve problems that arise during the project (Volume 2). The construction manager holds project meetings at least once a month to bring team members together to discuss the status of the project. Here members try to work out any problems that may have occurred, and make sure that everything is going as scheduled. All meetings are documented and handouts are passed out to the rest of the construction team and any members that could not make it to the meeting to be sure that everyone knows what is going on with the project