CONSTRUCTION METHODS AND

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

CHAPTER 1
An Overview to Construction
Methods and Project Management

C onstr uction Pr oject Li f e C ycl e

This module provides a discussion

on the concepts of Construction
Project Life Cycle and other
relevant concepts
2.1 CONSTRUCTION PROJECT LIFE CYCLE
Every large construction project has a life cycle The four most important phases of Construction
which can be compared to a biological life cycle Project Life Cycle are:
where activities begin gradually and build rapidly
as the project commences to final deliverables. 1. Project Initiation
When a project reaches its final days, activities 2. Planning Phase
taper off and slow down. So far as life cycle 3. Implementation and Execution Phase
models are connected, there is no standard as 4. Project Closure
each industry uses its own variations.
Preferences and the name used for life cycle
phases differ from industry to industry. One
industry may name the first phase as the
‘concept phase’ whereas another may name it
the ‘initiation phase’. Some industries use six or
more life cycle phases, while others may need
four life cycle phases only.
I. Project Initiation
During the first phase, the objective and the
feasibility of the project are determined. This is a
crucial stage of the whole process since it can
indicate whether this project is a good opportunity
or not. If necessary, a feasibility study is
conducted and based on its results a
recommended solution/plan is issued.
Once everything is decided, a project initiation
document (PID) is created. The project initiation
document provides the groundwork for the
construction plan and is one of the most vital
artifacts in project management.
II. Planning Phase
The project planning stage is where the team
singles out all the work to be done. It’s an
ongoing activity almost to the end of the project.
The main priority, during the planning phase, is to
plan time, costs and resources for the project.
Based on those requirements the team is
developing the strategy that has to be followed.
This is also known as scope management.
Another important document that has to be
prepared is a work breakdown structure (WBS), a
checklist that divides all the necessary work into
smaller more functional categories.
III. Implementation & Execution Phase
In the execution phase, the construction project
management plan is put to work. As a rule, this
phase is divided into two main processes: the
executing and the monitoring and controlling. The
project team makes sure that the required tasks
are being performed. At the same time, progress
is being monitored and changes are being made
accordingly.
As a matter of fact, a project manager spends
most of the time in the step of monitoring and
depending on the information that he gets to
redirect the tasks and maintains the control of the
project.
IV. Project Closure
The final stage of the project represents its
official completion. The project manager is
evaluating what went well and refers to any
potential failures. In the end, the team conducts a
project report, calculates the final budget and
offers information about any tasks that remain
unfinished.
The project report in combination with the
analysis of the potential failures will be valuable
feedback for future construction projects.
2.2 PROJECT OBJECTIVE
Objectives are describing what the project is
trying to accomplish, or what business value the
project will achieve. Generally, any project
objectives can be described as follows:

• To ensure finishing and delivering the project on

time
• To ensure the delivery of the project within
budget.
• To ensure reaching the required level of quality,
through reducing errors, improving effectiveness,
and applying the appropriate control.

Triple Triangle Constraint in Project

Management
2.3 TRIPLE TRIANGLE CONSTRAINT IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

In the modern corporate landscape, a project is The triangle comes into play when something
typically “bound” or constrained by three affects one of its “legs.” If that happens, you may
elements, which may be expressed in different need to adjust one or both of the other elements
ways. The triple constraint theory, also called the to accommodate the change. For example, if a
Iron Triangle in project management, defines the client suddenly shortens a time frame, then a
three elements (and their variations) as follows: project will likely need more resources, or
perhaps a scope reduction.
• Scope, time, budget
• Scope, schedule, cost
• Good, fast, cheap
While the names of the three elements of the
triangle may change, they all measure essentially
the same thing: a fixed budget, a fixed schedule
or timeline, and a fixed set of expectations or
deliverables.
For example, let’s say that 10 people are working on The concept of “quality” is sometimes
creating and launching a microsite consisting of 25 web introduced as another factor in the
pages of copy by September 1st. The client may then project constraint triangle, or as a fourth
realize that an important event is happening on August “leg” in what would be a project
15th, and decide those pages should launch two weeks diamond. However, there are varying
earlier on the 15th. The project management constraint views on this, as quality is subjective.
triangle builds can help accommodate this shortened Does the quality of a less-in depth web
timeline: Add more resources (in the form of more people page suffer, or can it still be a high-
working on the project or other resources), or limited the quality page with reduced scope? These
content for this launch - perhaps there are fewer pages, or are questions a project manager must
the design is more basic. always consider and keep in mind
In another case, a company may have two competing during conversations with stakeholders
projects, but not enough staff to fully support both. A and clients.
project manager may then need to move employees from
the first project to the second, which affects either the
scope of the first project, or the timeline, or both. In other
words, a project manager can make these changes, but
something’s got to give.
2.4 TEN KNOWLEDGE AREAS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Another set of guidelines that project managers can find helpful when weighing the triangle for their
project is the “10 knowledge areas” of project management. The Project Management Institute
publishes the text, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), which
outlines these factors that help inform and shape the project triangle.
1. Integration Management: The overarching plan of 6. Human Resource Management: This is how team
managing a project, which takes into account all schedules members are assigned their roles and responsibilities on a
and process, and identifies the actual deliverables and project, as well as the hierarchy of who oversees who and
scope of a project. what.
2. Scope Management: This element helps focus a 7. Communications Management: This element guides
project’s scope, which in turn allows project managers and how stakeholders and project managers communicate,
resource managers to plan and assign resources to it. including the communication cadence.
3. Time Management: This element enables the building of 8. Risk Management: Identifies, analyzes, and responds to
processes and schedules, and ensures time frames are risk factors during a project.
realistic and achievable. 9. Procurement Management: This element applies to
4. Cost Management: Performing this exercise allows you contractors and vendors, and all other third parties that may
to plan a project’s overall budget, from estimating to contribute to a project over time.
financing to controlling costs. 10. Stakeholder Management: This element helps project
5. Quality Management: This element identifies everything managers design effective stakeholder management
needed to plan and produce a project that is effective and strategies and tools.
meets or exceeds the stakeholders’ goals.