{"id":7768,"date":"2015-03-18T09:16:27","date_gmt":"2015-03-18T13:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.constructionspecifier.com\/?p=7768"},"modified":"2016-12-15T15:28:30","modified_gmt":"2016-12-15T20:28:30","slug":"manage-your-own-construction-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionspecifier.com\/manage-your-own-construction-project\/","title":{"rendered":"Manage your own construction project (part one)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Con_JacobsNormanJr\"HORIZONS
\n<\/span>Norman F. Jacobs Jr., CSI, CPE
\n<\/strong>Project managers are the only ones who control each and every activity in construction so they must be synergistic. In many ways, after all, the ultimate success or failure lies in their hands. A responsible project manager is the chief motivator of people and positive actions and must take initiative for all operations\u2014this means providing risk management with adequate documentation.<\/p>\n

The astute project manager must also organize his or her game plan, and prioritize all construction activities. Then, he or she must prepare an organization chart showing staff members and their responsibilities.<\/p>\n

This two-part series<\/a> examines various strategies for effective project management, from contracts and billings to scheduling techniques.<\/p>\n

Managing contracts, cost estimates, and billings
\n<\/strong>Risk management begins with reviewing, analyzing, responding to, and managing all contracts. There are essentially two opportunities to identify, manage, and resolve construction legal problems. The first, and best, is at the pre-contract or negotiation stage, while the second is during the contract management stage.<\/p>\n

All construction contracts must refer to the plans and specifications, along with the general conditions. All cost estimates must be checked and analyzed to verify they include all plan and specifications requirements. The project\u2019s schedule of values has to be prepared in the divisions shown in the specifications and be used on the monthly billings. Then, the estimate and the schedule of values can be updated to include all approved change orders.<\/p>\n

Monthly billings for all subcontractors must be gathered, along with labor and material cost by specification divisions. Proper insurance needs to cover materials stored offsite. The project manager is to attend all monthly meetings to receive the architect\u2019s approval of the monthly billings.<\/p>\n

Managing all schedules
\n<\/strong>The assiduous project manager should obtain all critical path method (CPM) <\/a>schedule input data from the subcontractors, architect, and engineers within two weeks after the notice to proceed. The schedule must include all work breakdown structure (WBS) activities, along with submit, approve, fabrication, and delivery activities. All activity logic and sequence have to be reviewed and critiqued.<\/p>\n

The project schedule requires all activity durations consider the resources of manpower and equipment. Then, the specifications must be checked if dollar loading to activities are required on the schedule.<\/p>\n

When applying durations to all activities, it is important to remember circadian rhythm<\/a>\u2014the balance of sleep and wakefulness that keeps us functioning. Research has indicated people are physiologically affected by change in the solar day cycle. Today, with the rapid trend of modern technology, every project manager must research and study the science of circadian rhythm in order to better manage the project schedule and improve productivity. The inefficiencies caused by crew size increases, or overtime work resulting from acceleration, may be avoided by working multiple shifts.<\/p>\n

Each month, the prudent project manager is required to provide a contemporaneous update of the project\u2019s CPM schedule, including all approved change orders and time extensions. With each update, one should also prepare a\u00a0fragnet,<\/a> showing each disturbance, delay, or impact.<\/p>\n

Managing CPM schedule with TIAs
\n<\/strong>Network schedule techniques are useful in evaluating delay and impact on a project. Project managers use time impact analysis (TIA) techniques as simultaneous proof of both the facts and the cause of delays or impacts to projects. Accordingly, a TIA can be an effective tool for determining whether certain work was delayed and if it had an impact on the overall project. Some of the key advantages of networking techniques and TIA use to the project CPM schedule procedures are:<\/p>\n