FAQ'S
Because most projects involve new ideas and learning (even a project to build houses or flats may involve new materials or unusual soil conditions or there may be new initiative for tenant selection or co-ownership schemes) project management has evolved a discipline to manage the new and unusual.
Its objective is to:
•define the project
• reduce it to a set of manageable tasks
•obtain appropriate and necessary resources
• build a team or teams to perform the project work
• plan the work and allocate the resources to the tasks
•monitor and control the work
• report progress to senior management and/or the project sponsor
•close down the project when completed
•review it to ensure the lessons are learnt and widely understood.
•A continuous process is not a project. A project is characterized by time and cost limits at a required quality.
3)How is a project different to any other work?
Typically a project manager will be nominated to lead a project and will be expected to be fully accountable for meeting its objectives. The project manager will be the leader of the project team and will be responsible for ensuring the following are completed in a timely way:-
• Gaining approval for the project aim and terms of reference
•Selecting and leading the team and setting individual objectives
• Ensuring a feasibility study is complete
•Ensuring that the project is planned in appropriate detail
•Allocating and monitoring the work and cost
• Motivating the team
•Reporting progress back to the organization
• Helping the team to solve project problems
•Achieve, through the team, the goals
•Reviewing and closing down of the project
4) What does a project Manager do?
Very broad skills and a deal of experience are needed to manage a large project successfully. They include business knowledge, technical skills and individual and team leadership skills.
•Individual Skills:
The personal skills are likely to include good presentation and persuasive skills, good written skills but allied to goal orientation, high energy and credibility. Good project managers know their own strengths and weaknesses and will compensate for these in selecting the team.
•Team Skills
A good project manager appreciates the differing needs of both individuals and the project team at different stages of the project. They will be aware of different team types.
• Technical Skills
The project manager will have technical skills in setting objectives, planning complex tasks, negotiating resource, financial planning, contract management, monitoring skills, managing creative thinking and problem solving, as well as their own specialist topic.
5) What skills does a project manager need?
Yes, General contractors generally quote impractically low prices to increase the likelihood of obtaining a job. I's called 'going after price.' It ultimately means that it will cost you more even though you were given a low initial quote. A general contractor’s quote is elastic, whereas a project manager’s like Quality Project Management’s isn’t.
6) Is there really a difference between project managers and general contractors?
A Project Manager (PM) is there to manage and coordinate the entire process of design and construction. A PM brings hands on experience with all of the inner workings of a construction project. The job of a PM is to make life easier for the owner so that they can focus on their day to day operations.
A project manager can support you and your staff with a demonstrated strategy to deliver the best possible projects, on time and within budget. The project manager provides the knowledge and experience needed to oversee construction projects with your agency’s needs in mind. A project manager can represent you in such crucial areas as:
•Contract document development
•Contract bidding, negotiation and awarding
•Schedule development and monitoring
• On-site construction management and coordination
• Contract administration
• Budget management and change control
•Quality and safety monitoring
•Project completion and close out
8) How can a project manager help me?
A project management firm should be the very first firm hired for a project, even before the architect and contractor. A project management firm is most effective when it is not only afforded the opportunity to manage the construction, but also be part of the design, as it can bring great value to a project before the contractor is on-site. In addition, a project manager brought onto the project early on also can provide front-end help in reviewing construction documents such as contracts, as well as keep the project on schedule and budget from day one
9) When should I hire a project management firm?
Construction projects inherently contain a high degree of risk in their projections of cost and time as each is unique. Buildings may be prototypical, but when constructed on different sites, each project presents its own challenges to accurate cost, time projections, and control .Construction projects in the industrial sector will quite often require intricate interface with technology that demand construction techniques be varied to suit the different projects. This can contribute to unique subcontracting arrangements, extensions to schedule, and increases in capital cost.
10) Why are Construction Projects Unique?
The unique attributes that are specific to the construction industry and are important in construction. These are:
•Safety Management
•Environmental Management
• Financial Management
•Claim Management
11) Project Management in the Construction Context
While some aspects are universal to all projects of these attributes are especially important in construction projects. Interpersonal Skills Interpersonal skills are important for construction projects due to the different groups of people involved. Leading. On a project, the project manager is generally expected to be the leader. Leadership is not, however, limited to the project manager, and may be demonstrated by different individuals at different times throughout the duration of the Project. In a construction project, the construction manager is frequently the on-site manager and the project manager interfaces with executive management on Schedule, cost, and scope only but not on on-site construction issues. Communication. Project communications management is the application of a communication protocol for the specific needs of a project, for example, deciding how, when, in what form, and to whom project performance should be reported. In construction, an example would be the request for information (RFI), which is a request for information on drawings, or specifications, or the request for proposal (RFP) from a contractor, which can occur before or during construction. Negotiating. Negotiating involves conferring with others to come to terms with or reach an agreement. In construction, negotiating occurs throughout the whole project so as to make sure that any tradeoffs made do not affect the project deliverables. Problem Solving. Problem solving involves a combination of problem definition and decision making. Problem definition requires the distinction between causes and symptoms .Corrective action and preventive action are all part of problem solving. All of the skills described are characteristic of the requirements of managing the construction project particularly those involved in negotiating and problem solving.
12) What are the skills needed for project management in the construction industry?
Discussing the feel costs and budgets are an essential component to discuss prior to starting any design project. One quick and easy way to get a sense of a project’s cost is to use common square footage costs for similar projects that Project have completed.
13) How do I know how much to expect a project to cost?
If you hire a general contractor then any change will necessitate an increase in costs. Quality Project Management strives to keep the pricing consistent by consistently tracking the costs from the onset of the project to the end of the project and making sure that there is no cost overrun.
14) What if I need to alter my project, will this cost me more?
Upon completion of the full-scale design and construction drawings we will do a final price check. We will factor any agreed design changes that may have caused a modification in the agreed budget and compare that to our final pricing. If the final price is acceptable we ask you to sign off on the final price. If the final price is not we works together to revise the plans to better meet the budget.
15) What if the final price exceeds our original budget?
A number of people may be involved depending on the size of the project. They fall into a group largely classified as consultants. The most common ones in construction projects are:
—Architects – are responsible for creating a design concept that meets the requirements of the client and provides a facility suitable to the required use. It is also up to the Architect to observe construction to ensure, through regular inspection, that the site work, when complete will meet the specifications of the construction documents.
—Quantity Surveyors – The role of a quantity surveyor is to manage the costs relating to building projects. This may include new builds, renovations or maintenance work. From early design costs to final figures, quantity surveyors seek to minimize the costs of the project and enhance value for money whilst ensuring that the project meets all legal and quality assurance requirements.
—Civil Engineers – Have varied roles in the construction projects. Some of these include: Investigate sites to work out the most suitable foundation for a proposed construction. Research and advise on the best engineering solution to meet a client's needs and budget
•Produce detailed designs and documentation for the construction and implementation of civil engineering projects.
• Organize the delivery of materials, plant machinery and equipment needed for the construction project and supervise labor.
•prepare engineering calculations required for the design of projects and supervise the drafting of plans.
•coordinate and direct research development and testing of materials, processes or systems related to civil engineering works
• research, advise on and plan the control and minimization of air, water and solid waste pollution, and the management of water resources
• supervise the testing and commissioning of completed works
•analyze and interpret reports on loading, labor, productivity, quality, materials and performance
• analyze risks associated with natural disasters including wind, earthquake, fire and floods, and design structures and services to meet appropriate standards
• arrange for geological and geophysical investigations and carry out feasibility studies.
—Mechanical Engineers – Provide technical advice and support on the design, engineering and construction of mechanical systems for building projects.
16) Who else would be involved and what would they do?
A well-planned design provides the following:
—An accurate representation of what is going to be built
—A document that becomes part of the agreement between the different groups and a Construction Estimate
—A set of construction documents with which a building permit is obtained
—A document which is used for accurate pricing of your project and what items are included or excluded
—In addition, design plans perform several conceptual pricing alternatives to analyze the cost benefits of different solutions and let you choose which is best for you.
17) Why do I need design plans?
Project managers use a number of tools and techniques during a project life cycle such as:-
οVerifiable objective setting
This ensures that the objectives for the project can be measured and verified to ensure that they have been met.
οBrain storming
This technique is used at all stages of the project to encourage creative thinking and solve problems.
οWork Breakdown Structures
This is a technique to analyze the content of work and cost by breaking it down into its component parts. It is produced by:-
—Identifying the key elements
—Breaking each element down into component parts
—Continuing to breakdown until manageable work packages has been identified. These can then be allocated to the appropriate person.
οProject Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)
Network analysis or PERT is used to analyze the inter-relationships between the tasks identified by the work breakdown structure and to define the dependencies of each task. Whilst laying out a PERT chart it is often possible to see that assumptions for the order of work are not logical or could be achieved more cost effectively by re-ordering them. This is particularly true whilst allocating resources; it may become self evident that two tasks cannot be completed at the same time by the same person due to lack of working hours or, conversely, that by adding an extra person to the project team several tasks can be done in parallel thus shortening the length of the project.
οCritical path analysis (CPA)
CPA is used in conjunction with PERT analysis to identify the tasks that are critical in determining the overall duration of the project. In the example above the critical path is shown by the tasks with heavy outline boxes.
οGantt charts
Gantt charts (named after the inventor) or bar charts, as they are sometimes called, are used to display and communicate the results of PERT and Critical Path analysis in a simple bar chart format that can be readily understood by those not involved in the detail of the project.
οMilestone Planning
Milestone planning is used to show the major steps that are needed to reach the goal on time. When several tasks have been completed the milestone is reached.
18) What tools and techniques are used in Project Management?
The principle of project milestones is basically just signs that you are on the correct path and making progress. Milestones make sure that the project is on track at the correct time and budgets .Milestones are maps directing you to your destination with signs on the way as to whether or not you are on the right path. For example, if the project is to build a house then completing each significant chunk of work could be considered a milestone on the road to building the house. For example the milestones might be:-
—Planning permission granted
—Foundations laid
—Walls constructed
—Roof built
—Fixtures, fittings and services completed
—Garden landscaped
—House inspected and approved
—House sold
—For simple projects, a milestone plan may be the only plan required.
—Accrued cost and earned value analysis
—These measures enable the progress of the project to be monitored in financial terms
19) What are Milestones? Why are they important?
No – a well managed project will encourage cross functional creativity because that is what is needed in 'change projects'. An experienced project manager will know when to tap into this creativity and when to drive the project forward. It is only when project methodologies become bureaucratic and overrides common sense that creativity can be stifled.
Where do I start?
Get in touch to arrange an appointment to discuss your project and plans. We can discuss all aspects of the project including budget, work involved, location, plans and expectations you have for the project.
