FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF MINING AND WATER RESOURCES

ENGINEERING

COURSE UNIT: CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

COURSE CODE: WAR 4205

ASSIGNMENT #1

LECTURER: MR BAAGALA BRIAN SEMPIJJA

STUDENT NAME: JOHN ACHUKA

REGISTRATION NUMBER: BU/UP/2016/514

SIGN: ………………………….

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Question: Discuss the following construction management decisions and provide indicators
for each in relation to a construction project organization: -

1) Straightforward construction project

To emphasize the nature of the construction management task a second case is described. This is
an ideal case provided by the most straight forward and certain construction project. The actions
involve highly effective internal relationships within a composed organization and are
undertaken without significant interaction with the organization’s benign physical and
organizational environments.
This is now illustrated and expressed in mathematical terms to provide a precise description of
the relationships which support the construction management aim of enabling construction to be
undertaken efficiently.
A single organization exists which comprises all necessary construction teams to achieve the
agreed objectives. Only a very small proportion of minor specialist works would be outsourced
in this scenario posing very limited contractual risks. There is a single contractual relationship
between the organization and the customer and very few other contractual relationships as
illustrated. The vast majority of relationships have been established during previous projects
because the teams come from the same organization. This has the important benefit that
relationships are not inhibited by contractual limitations.
it is important that highly effective relationships take time to develop and shortcuts in the form of
merger and acquisitions cannot replace organic growth.
The benefits of this scenario are not simply based on teams being part of the same umbrella
organization for many years, overcoming the potential dangers of departmentalization,
developing close ties and building effective relationships.

It involve one organization which organizes directly employed and fully competent construction
teams who are well experienced at working together on similar projects to undertake the
following actions.
 A single organization exists which comprise all necessary construction teams to
achieve the agreed objectives.

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  Only a very small proportion of specialist would be outsourced –posing very little
contractual risks.
 There is a single contractual relationship between the organization and the customer
the and very few other contractual relationships.
The vast majority of relationships have established during previous projects because the teams
come from the same organization. It is important that relationships are not inhibited by
contractual limitations.

Figure 1: A Straight forward projects

Indicators of straight forward projects.

 Competent teams with established internal relationships.
 Standard and readily available materials and components.
 Clear and complete brief.
 Single organization responsible for project.

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  Clear and complete design and plan.
 Efficient production and commissioning.
Construction management theory also provides proposition to guide construction away from
difficult projects towards straightforward projects.
2) In a difficult construction project.
All actions rely solely on contractually determined boundary relationships within an ill-defined
and constantly changing project organization. The figure below illustrates construction
companies comprising divisions, teams and internal relationships, which contribute to a
construction project organization and in doing so, form a complex network comprising teams and
relationships. In the worst-case scenario, the project organization is formed through folding (F),
which is a term borrowed from general systems theory. It refers to the formation of that exists in
the subsystems. In relation to a project, this would correspond to forming a project organization
where individual teams limit their relationships to contractual obligations and make no attempt to
achieve positive synergy with other teams.

Figure 2: Examples of worst case construction project

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Indicators of difficult construction projects.
 Vague and incomplete brief.
 Complex and incomplete design.
 Technologies outside the competence of local companies.
 Complex, contradictory and incomplete plans.
 Selection of numerous teams, which lack the required skills, knowledge and equipment.
 Boundary relationships used to defend individual interests.
 Construction teams are forced into accepting tough unenforceable contracts which give
rise to delays.

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References

1. Fundamental of construction management, by Dr Abimbola Windapo

2. Construction management strategies; A theory of construction management, by Millan
Radosavljevic, John Bennent

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