The overview of the project

The project structure

Stakeholder analysis
Risk management (time, cost, quality and overall performance)

The objective of construction planning and controls, a basic project management

function, is to ensure a well-coordinated and successful project. A basic element of
planning is the set-up of objectives and risk management. The objectives will guide the
many decisions made during the project's life. These decisions involve trade-offs
between schedule, cost, quality, and other performance attributes and risk management.
Effective monitoring of the progress of construction projects requires the integration and
quantification of the various aspects of performance and risk management. The
traditional performance indicators in the construction industry are completion time, cost,
and quality.

Most current project control systems measure quantitatively cost and schedule status
and forget other major aspects of project performance like cash flow, profitability, quality,
safety, project team satisfaction, and client satisfaction which are in some cases as
important as cost and schedule. Very few project management systems quantify the later
project attributes and they do so independently without proper integration to the overall
project performance. Yet it is considered a failure by upper management because of the
low quality and safety performance records. Conversely, a project can be behind
schedule and over budget and still be considered a successful one because it was
completed with high quality, excellent safety record, and to the satisfaction of the client.

Objectives or goals provide the project management team a sense of direction by

focusing attention on priorities. A structured goal hierarchy for a project:

 Provides an analytical platform for decisions and corrective action plans.

 Provides a clear and direct method of communicating objectives.
 Serves as a basis for project performance evaluation.
 Provides a rationale for the quantification of the overall project performance.

Without objectives it is difficult to measure results and performance against prior

expectations and the project leader may not have any idea of whether the project is on
the right track or not.

Because project objectives must be consistent with the policies and procedures of the
organization, the objective setting process for construction projects is an extensive
exercise that involves many functional departments within the contractor's organization.
Some of the areas that are usually part of the objective setting process are: operations,
quality, safety, cost/schedule control, human resources, and finance. Once the project
objectives are set, sub-objectives are defined in order to track the variance in each main
objective. This will enable management to monitor progress for any specific project
objective during the project's construction.

In addition, executive management needs to support the project objectives and needs to
motivate those who will achieve them. This is best accomplished by developing the
project objectives at upper management level with input from the various functional
areas of the company. This will ensure that the project objectives are in line with the
overall company goals. During the execution phase, the project management team
should review the performance indicators periodically, analyse any overruns, propose,
and implement corrective actions. It is the ultimate responsibility of the project manager
to make sure the project objectives are communicated and accomplished.

Primary mechanisms are used to directly communicate objectives to project participants

and can include items such as:
 Scope of work
 Contract clauses
 Policies and procedures
 Written objectives and priorities.

The following is some of the reinforcing mechanisms can be used for this project to
manage the risk,
 Weekly progress meetings
 Progress reports
 Safety reports
 Project instructions
 Cost and schedule reports
 Toolbox safety talks
 Upper management reviews.
 Project quality reports

The objectives of the project must be made known to all project personnel and team
leaders at every level of the organization .If the project goals are not timely and
accurately communicated, then it is entirely possible that functional managers and
project leaders may all have a different understanding of the ultimate project objective, a
situation that generates conflict among competing objectives.

The proposed goal hierarchy is systematic, and flexible enough to handle specific project
requirements and manage the risk in different stage.

Figure: Hierarchy Design for the Project Performance Model

Sustainability and Importance of usage of Recyclable Materials

In recent years there is a risk of depletion of natural resources and the need to find new
materials and construction techniques. Thus, we seek to build with more responsibility,
thinking in the future, or in other words looking for sustainable construction. Within the
theme of sustainability are important concepts such as recycling which is the reuse of
materials by using them as raw material for a new product, reutilization, which is the
reuse of materials, such as recycling, but without going through industrial processes and
is therefore a more advantageous solution and deconstruction, or selective demolition to
facilitate the processes of recycling and reutilization, with economic and environmental
benefits. Sustainable materials must have all the benefits of a conventional product and
still have a sustainable performance. So, there are starting to appear on the market
several new examples of sustainable constructive solutions, which is a fast-growing
market.

Specifically in the case of a building, the phases are design, construction, lifespan and
demolition. By increasing the lifespan, it ensures the reduction of material consumption
and the reduction of environmental impacts. Then, it should be taken several measures
in all stages of the cycle, to ensure this increase. So, designers must implement a
durability project and prescribe the maximum number of sustainable materials. They
must also ensure savings and reuse of water by, for example, the reuse of rainwater and
also ensure that the construction is efficient and energy renewable. To prolong the
lifespan of the construction it is essential to be created a Maintenance Management
System to prevent material degradation and get rehabilitation when necessary. At
lifespan and demolition, there will be wastes that should be minimized, recycled and
reutilized if possible, to avoid looking for new materials and benefiting the environment

Recycling is known as the reuse of materials as raw material for a new product.
Recycling has numerous environmental, economic and social benefits. In the
environment, recycling reduces the progressive accumulation of garbage and the
production of new materials. On the economic side, it contributes to more rational use of
natural resources and the replacement of those assets that are likely to be reused. In the
social sphere, recycling not only provides better quality of life for people by improving the
environment, but also has generated jobs in the area.

Strategies for Recycling Materials

To ensure an efficient recycling, there are certain strategies that should be followed and
that are being studied at this time, to maximize the recycling process, i.e., to ensure less
waste and more recycling of materials.

The strategies for the recycling of materials are:

 Use recycled materials - the use of recycled materials will encourage governments
and industry to investigate new technologies to recycle and to create a wider support
network for further recycling and reuse;
 Minimize the number of different types of materials - simplifies the process of
organizing materials and reduce transportation;
 Avoid toxic and harmful materials - reduces the potential for contamination of
materials that are segregated for recycling and also reduces the potential risk to
human health during disassembly;
 Develop a separate installation of materials with different potential for use - prevents
large amounts of material to be contaminated with small amounts of a material that
cannot be separated;
 Avoid coatings when possible - such coatings may contaminate the source material
and make recycling less convenient;
 Provide permanent identification of the types of material - many materials such as
plastics, are not easily identified and should have some identification mark "not
removable" and "non-polluting" to facilitate their future organization;
 Minimize the number of different types of components - simplifies the process;
 Use mechanical connections rather than chemical - allows easy separation of
components and materials and reduces contamination of materials and component
damage;
 Implement chemical connections weaker than the parts to be connected - when
chemical connections are used, they should be weaker than the components. For
example, the mortar should be much weaker than the bricks.

Interpersonal perspective of the project’s management

Acknowledging the value of social characteristics or interpersonal skills is important

 From a project perspective

 From an organizational perspective

In a real world context, there are ever-changing, multiple, and dynamic influences that
impact projects. Utilizing interpersonal skills helps to navigate uncertain, complex issues.
Project managers deal with day to day project challenges which include but are not
limited to cross functional politics, sub-team concerns, team member conflict, resource,
schedule, and budget constraints. Additionally, organizational goals and leadership
pressures often fall downward, to the project manager.

Over the years, if a project was assessed as a failure, the project managers were
blamed and often relieved of their duties and responsibilities. Failures were most often
identified as quantitative failures and were associated with poor planning, unreliable cost
and schedule estimating, and poor control.

While poor planning, cost estimating, or monitoring and controlling may cause project
failure, managers often overlooked the fact that failure may have been the result of
behaviour issues such as poor morale, lack of employee commitment, lack of functional
unit commitment or support, poor productivity, and poor human relations

Project managers feel downward pressure. They also feel upward demands from team
members and the day-to-day execution of project activities. Project and organizational
pressures often appear to converge at the project management level. Just as project
management is critical to business success, the role of project manager is
organizationally pivotal.

Project managers who combine his/her technical skills while understanding the
importance of interpersonal skills are well suited to managing projects. They use an
integrated project management approach which includes acknowledging and utilizing
social competencies while executing processes. This includes being aware of social
costs such as poor human relations, low morale, or employee turnover for they can
impact project performance. Essentially, it is the socially aware manager that finds a way
to connect with team members. They build relationship.

Organizations that understand social characteristic value are better positioned to provide
a culture where project managers are supported. When organizations understand social
characteristic value, promote using them, and recognize the use of interpersonal skills in
a daily work environment, it helps to create a culturally aware environment. In many
organizations this means a paradigm shift away from a results only perspective to
include an intangible understanding that social characteristics are critical to success too.

Interpersonal skills, within the project management discipline, are emerging as an area
of study. Project managers who extend this concept to an understanding of and
acceptance of other cultures are positioned for the global arena. Project managers who
adapt to diversity, including a multi-generational workforce, are highly marketable and in
demand to multi-national organizations.

Application of BIM

The main factors affecting the quality of the project are: human, equipment, materials,
methods, conditions, if these factors can be well controlled, the quality of construction
can be guaranteed. The use of BIM is mainly to play an effective role in controlling these
factors. The application of BIM technology to the construction site of the different people,
reasonable division of labour, so that everyone can play its biggest role in the process of
construction, and make their own analysis on the key and difficult work, to avoid the
possible risks in the process of construction.

For the construction of the scene of the construction machinery, we can also use BIM
technology to simulate them, a variety of mechanical composition of the method to a
certain change. This is also conducive to more effective on the layout of the
corresponding changes, so as to find process design and project characteristics, can be
more efficient and cost-effective layout.

The material used in the construction of the project is the basic material of the whole
project. Whether the material is selected correctly and the reasonable use can directly
affect the quality of the project. Therefore, the material control is the key link of the whole
project. BIM technology can be a comprehensive analysis of the needs of the
construction and the progress of the project, and give the most reasonable choice of a
material to ensure that the entire construction process normal and effective. The
application of BIM technology can record the specific information and sources of
materials, and classify them according to the different types of materials, as the basis for
the later engineering inspection.

For construction projects, the use of BIM technology, can be more easily in the electronic
simulation of various construction methods to simulate the construction, at the same
time, can be combined with various strengths and weaknesses in the simulation
analysis, it is more consistent with the process of construction project. Simultaneously, it
can also be used for the construction of the program reasoning demonstration, so that it
is expected to correspond with the actual, thus ensuring the quality of building
construction projects. In the use of BIM technology, some environmental factors taking
into account the project, analysis the possible weather, geographical factors, and thus
calculate the possible environment of the project caused by the change, which can
advance preventive measures in the BIM simulation, can be more stereo showing the
effects of such environmental factors may occur, but also more convenient management
personnel to identify problems, which can save time, improve efficiency.

Value Management for the proposed project at the early stages

At the conceptual stages of a project, VM provides an objective approach that figuratively
defines the project’s scope and objectives from the client’s point of view, which quantitatively
emphasize on the predicted outcome of the project, the preparation stage. At this point, cost
estimates are prepared on basis of functional purpose, which forms part of value planning.
The Design stage follows the strategic brief where the process for project delivery is
established when concerned parties and stakeholders have mutually defined, understood
and agreed upon the project outcome expressed on the basis of estimated benefit for the
client’s business case.

A first cost plan is prepared on basis of the concept development (At stage A), a second is
conducted during the design development to see the impact of the design development on
the basis of cost(Stage B-E) and the third formal cost plan is done before the construction
stage (Before Stage F) and where Tenderers are invited for tender. This on-going monitoring
through earned value ensures that the project remains in line with the initial budget set.
Importance of modern communication systems for project management
Communications management is about keeping everybody in the loop. The communications
planning process concerns defining the types of information you will deliver, who will receive
it, the format for communicating it, and the timing of its release and distribution. It turns out
that 90% of a project manager’s job is spent on communication so it’s important to make
sure everybody gets the right message at the right time.
The first step in defining your communication plan is figuring out what kind of communication
your stakeholders need from the project so they can make good decisions. This is called the
communications requirements analysis. Your project will produce a lot of information; you
don’t want to overwhelm your stakeholders with all of it. Your job is to figure out what they
feel is valuable. Communicating valuable information doesn’t mean you always paint a rosy
picture. Communications to stakeholders may consist of either good news or bad news. The
point is that you don’t want to bury stakeholders in too much information but you do want to
give them enough so that they’re informed and can make appropriate decisions.
Methods of communicating can take many forms, such as written reports, conversations,
email, formal status reports, meetings, online databases, online schedules, and project
websites. We should consider several factors before deciding what methods you’ll choose to
transfer information. The timing of the information exchange or need for updates is the first
factor. The technologies available should figure into the plan of how will keep everyone
notified of project status and issues. Staff experience with the technology is another factor.
All projects require a sound communication plan, but not all projects will have the same
types of communication or the same methods for distributing the information. The
communication plan documents the types of information needs the stakeholders have, when
the information should be distributed, and how the information will be delivered.
The types of information you will communicate typically include project status, project scope
statements and updates, project baseline information, risks, action items, performance
measures, project acceptance, and so on. It’s important that the information needs of the
stakeholders be determined as early in the planning phase of the project management life
cycle as possible so that as you and your team develop project planning documents, you
already know who should receive copies of them and how they should be delivered.