Effective

Construction
Management
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KOOROSH GHAREHBAGHI AND KERRY MCMANUS

ABSTRACT: The role of the project manager in construction management is one of great
responsibility. It is the project manager’s job to direct and supervise the project from
beginning to end. An effective construction manager must have many different skills,
qualities, and abilities to be able to respond to most of the demanding situations within
the construction projects.

A
construction project may be very A construction manager is a very busy individual and
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large and it may include construction he/she has many responsibilities during the life of the con-
of many different types. Projects may struction project. The construction manager must first man-
range from medium- to large-scale— age his/her time and, second, manage the client for success of
for example, sports venues, entertain- the project. Therefore one way of reducing this workload is
ment centers, schools and universi- by task delegation. Task delegation involves giving the right
ties, bridges, tunnels, roads, and highways. The cost of these task and duty to the correct person, who can achieve a suc-
projects depends on the size, complexity, and duration. Fac- cessful outcome. A construction manager must totally trust
tors that influence project success include clarity of project in the ability of the responsible person.
objectives, detailed specification of plan and a good schedule, A construction manager must also involve the client in
client consultation and involvement, and effective monitor- the main processing stages of the construction project. This
ing and controlling of the project. ensures, first, that the client is aware of the procedures and
overall progress of the project. Second, it ensures the project
Different skills and abilities enable the construction man- is heading the right way (what the client wants). The end
ager to monitor and control the progress of the project result of a successful construction project is a happy client, so
smoothly. A construction manager has very important objec- is it important to ensure the client has significant input. A
tives such as setting achievable and effective goals, monitor- successful construction manager must also know the closeout
ing and controlling the project, and ensuring the project’s procedures to bring the construction project to an end. He/
success within budget and time constraints. One of the im- she must ensure that all of the project’s goals are met and
portant tasks of a successful construction manager is to be ensure that the client is totally satisfied with the project. All
able to handle unexpected situations effectively. This is why a of the documents, including contracts, must be signed to
construction manager must possess many different profes- hand over the finished project to the client.
sional skills. These professional skills include time manage-
ment, resource management, and budgeting. Another im- THE PROJECT CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE
portant area is risk management, which is very complex and A successful construction manager must ensure that the
in larger construction projects a very demanding task. In project’s tasks are reviewed until the proper succession of
major projects the construction manager could employ a tasks is attained. A construction manager can use project
professional risk manager to oversee this complex and de- schedule as a tool to monitor and control the construction
tailed task. project. The construction manager must decide the level of

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54 Leadership and Management in Engineering

Leadership Manage. Eng., 2003, 3(1): 54-55

 detail that must be shown on a schedule to assist him/her in actual change by recording all the relevant information such

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the management of the project. A good construction sched- as the processes involved. This documentation must be con-
ule needs to show all items that affect the progress of work, sistent at all times.
by creating a relationship with the tasks that are dependent In conclusion, a construction manager must be a person
on its successful completion in one given time period, their with multiple skills and abilities. The more skills and at-
duration, resources, and costs. tributes the construction manager has, the more likelihood
The project schedule must be up to date to provide the there is of successful project completion. Although some of
construction manager with the current stage of the project these abilities may not be required at times, it is important
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against the plan. Constant monitoring of job progress and to use them in specific conditions and situations. What
effective communications with the subcontractors and sup- makes a construction manager successful is his/her ability to
pliers are musts for a successful construction project schedule. satisfy the client by completing the project within the re-
A good schedule must be well documented and reasonable quired time and budget and to deliver the desired quality. A
to ensure all involved are satisfied with their responsibilities. successful construction manager must also ensure a smooth
A construction manager must use all of the required re- operation of the project. Finally, the successful construction
sources efficiently to keep up with the project schedule. The
manager can then use his/her successful team for further
project schedule provides task breakdown procedures to en-
projects, therefore establishing productive teamwork.
sure that all individuals involved totally understand what is
The project manager needs to establish a well defined
required.
When a construction manager has expertise in the sched- scheduling system. The more tasks listed on the schedule the
uling process, he/she can then use other scheduling and plan- greater the control of the progress of the project. The project
ning tools such as work breakdown structure (WBS), and manager is in control of all activities, aggressively pursuing
Gantt and PERT charts to monitor and control the project. the plan of action and making informed decisions. In the
These are graphical planning aids, which can assist the event of changes, the construction manager must explain the
project manager in the scheduling process. change and its process clearly to all involved. He/she must
ensure the change process is smooth and goes according to
CHANGES WITHIN THE CONSTRUCTION the plan. The project manager must clearly demonstrate his/
PROJECT her course of action, monitor its progress, and correct where
Changes within a project are among the most common necessary.
causes of cost escalation and schedule delays on a construc- The project manager must also inform people about the
tion project. If changes occur, the construction manager plan of action, communicating the direction of the organiza-
must be totally aware of all the contractual obligations and tion and the vision.
the consequences. If the scope or budget of the project is
altered he/she must know the causes and effects and deter- Koorosh Gharehbaghi is a Ph.D. research fellow at the
mine who is responsible. Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Austra-
A successful construction manager can take steps to man- lia, and Kerry McManus, Ph.D., is the deputy head of the
age change. These steps include recognizing the change by school of Science & Engineering, at the Swinburne Univer-
total project documentation research and documenting the sity of Technology. LME

Leadership and Management in Engineering 䊏

55 J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 3

Leadership Manage. Eng., 2003, 3(1): 54-55