Management Issues And Need For Improved Management Structures With The

Reference Of Pakistani Construction Industry

2Many topical issues which have implications for the construction industry have, so far, only
been discussed to a significant extent in the context of the industrialised countries. It is often
considered that these matters do not (or not yet) concern the developing countries.

MANAGEMENT ISSUES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS

Construction industry development is a deliberate process to improve the capacity and

effectiveness of the construction industry in order to meet the demand for building and civil
engineering products, and to support sustained national economic and social development
objectives.Construction industry development promotes:

2(a) increased value for money to industry clients as well as environmental responsibility in the
delivery process; and (b) the viability and competitiveness of domestic construction enterprises.
The construction industry, by nature, has many special problems and requirements. The
importance of taking measures to improve the performance of the construction industry has
now been recognised in several countries at various levels of socio-economic development.
Dedicated agencies have been formed in many countries to administer the continuous
improvement of the industry, although they have different objectives, responsibilities and levels
of authority. In the UK, the Construction Industry Board is an industry initiative, whereas its
counterpart institutions in developing countries are government agencies. They include the
Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia, the Institute of Construction Training
and Development of Sri Lanka and the National Construction Council of Tanzania. Singapore’s
Building and Construction Authority is also a government agency. The recent formation of
construction industry development agencies in the Southern African countries, with a regional
initiative to co-ordinate efforts and pool resources where necessary, is encouraging. It is
heartening that many of the institutions are industry inspired, or involve the industry’s active
participation. Such initiatives potentially have greater sustainability and chances of success
because the main stakeholder and beneficiary is directly included in the planning and
implementation processes. Considering the nature of the industry’s needs and problems, and in
many developing countries, the resource constraints, formation of an agency does not
guarantee the success of construction industry development.

The followings are the some issues in construction industry in developing countries like
Pakistan:

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1. Shortage of qualified workers

The construction industry has been on the rise for the past few years and is expected to
continue to grow in future. Despite this growth, 70% of contractors say that they are having a
difficult time finding qualified workers or professionals to fill these growing positions. This
misalignment between the number of available jobs and the number of skilled workers will
continue to be in issue the construction industry will face in future. Due to this point,
companies have taken some steps to try and combat this issue such as increasing pay and
benefits and investing in training. Despite these efforts, it is a continuing problem that the
industry has yet to resolve.

Many firms are concerned that the lack of a skilled workforce will negatively affect safety. 47%
of contractors say that an inexperienced labor force is a safety concern. Firms will also have to
be aware of safety concerns and adjust appropriately.

2. Generational Differences

Another conflict that may arise in construction industry is the conflict between generations.
More and more millennials are entering the job force who have very different work ethics and
sets of skills than different generations in the field. This difference of opinion may cause
conflicts to arise, in particular between veteran employees and new employees.

3. Technology adoption

Technology has transformed the industry, and whoever cannot keep up will be left behind. This
has become especially true as competition increases both in attracting workers and competing
for projects. Necessary construction technology includes cloud-based software, integrated
collaboration, and mobile project management. Companies must be strategic when
implementing new technology to not upset the veteran employees who are set in the
traditional way of doing business. Companies must implement technology slowly and steadily
to reap its benefits with minimal blowback from employees.

The use of building information modeling (BIM), laser scanning, and virtual reality will also
become more used on this time and become a necessary practice for firms. BIM and laser
scanning are becoming more commercially affordable, and despite the initial investment, save
the company money in the long run by streamlining processes. BIM is starting to be introduced
to students in higher education and is expected to become more prevalent in the upcoming
years.

4. Environmental sustainability

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The construction industry continues to face issues combatting their adverse effect on the
environment as they produce 25-40% of the world’s carbon emissions. As these problems
become more at the forefront of the global agenda, they will have to make changes to avoid
negative attitudes from the public. This is not an easy feat for the construction industry and will
take many years to accomplish. Making significant changes in carbon emissions requires an
entirely new project management approach focused on reducing energy emissions and water
consumption. Taking care of the environment is a social obligation that the construction
industry holds and must make steps to maintain.

5. Project complexity

Construction projects are becoming more demanding and complicated in the design.
Therefore, firms must be selective in what projects they choose to accept. Taking too many
projects may prevent companies from complete the job on time or cause them to lose all
profitability from date slippage. According to Accenture, only 30% of firms currently deliver
projects on budget and only 15% deliver on time. This number of firms able to deliver projects
on time and budget will only decrease as the number of skilled workers decreases and demand
increases.

8 Easy Ways to Improve Construction Efficiency

1. Improve your planning

Many construction efficiency errors are made in the planning stage.

If you didn’t do your homework on exactly how many cubic yards of concrete you need for a
project, and then halfway through you realize you need twice as much by tomorrow if you’re
going to stay on schedule, guess who’s going to have a big headache? That’s right: It’s you.

You absolutely must devote time before the project begins to figure out the people, processes,
information, equipment, and materials you’ll need before you start work. It’s the best way to
avoid delays and cost increases.

2. Find good construction management software

It’s the 21st century, which means there are so many tools out there to help you do your job
that you didn’t have access to not so long ago.Good construction management software can
keep you organized and free from the clutter of paperwork on your desk, allowing you to focus
on actually building stuff.Construction management software can handle bid management,
billing and invoicing, contractors, document management, incident reporting, leads, time

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sheets, job scheduling, and so much more. There’s also a host of mobile apps that can handle
all the tasks you’ve been trying to manage with paperwork. The emergence of the cloud as a
place to store everything also makes it easier than ever.

3. Start using Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is sweeping the construction industry. It refers to the
process of creating digital representations of buildings you haven’t even started pouring
cement for yet. These creations allow you to visualize a building before you start spending
money and commit to a schedule that may end up proving unrealistic.

For example, BIM can determine how many occupants might go in and out of a building each
day, and therefore allow you to calculate the most efficient setup of pump sizes, water heater
sizes, and other considerations.

And if you’re on a budget, there’s lots of free and open source BIM software tools you can play
around with before you commit to a more expensive BIM software.

4. Listen to your staff

Your workers are your eyes and ears in the field. If something is going wrong or could be going
better, they’ll know before you do.

Experienced workers can help you spot holes in your plan before you even get started. Get
them involved early in the planning process to spot potential problems, and then stay in
contact on a daily basis throughout the project.

5. Invest in training

Training is critical to efficiency, especially for construction supervisors who need sound
management principles and techniques to keep projects running smoothly.

By helping your employees master critical skills, you’ll immediately see benefits in terms of
efficiency in your project.For example, a supervisor could use his new skills to guide workers in
a more efficient way of installing steel beams, enabling you to get the work done sooner and
move on to the next phase.

6. Improve your communication

If you aren’t communicating with your team, that’s a recipe for big losses in efficiency.

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You should make yourself available to your crew so they know they can come to you with any
problems that arise. They also need to hear what your expectations are as far as what you want
to get accomplished next week or next month.

Make it a daily habit to meet with your project supervisors to go over your expectations for the
day, and get their feedback on what they think they can accomplish and what potential pitfalls
there are.

7. Establish performance measurements, and hold your crew accountable

Performance measurements are a great motivation tool for your workers, especially when
rewards are attached to them. Set clear performance measurements and consider attaching a
small financial bonus for each one they achieve.It will also help with your communication with
your team, making it that much more effective in terms of improving efficiency.

There are a variety of performance metrics you can set, including: being on time at the job site,
helpfulness toward colleagues and customers, completing work on time, taking initiative to
solve problems, and the overall quality of work.

8. Implement prefabrication and modular construction into your projects

Modular construction has become a big trend in construction. The technology has come a long
way, to the point that you’ve probably passed by many of them and haven’t noticed any
difference from traditionally built buildings.

You can cut down on costs by using modular, prefabricated buildings, which additionally can be
installed much more quickly than a traditional structure. You lose some customization ability, of
course, but for some straightforward building types, that’s not really a concern.