1

Construction
Management
ENGR. UBAID AHMAD MUGHAL
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING,
U.E.T LAHORE
Related Books 3

 (PMBOK® Guide) – Fifth Edition [ Project Management Institute ].

 “Construction Project Scheduling and Control” By Saleh Mubarak.

 Project Management By Garry R. Heerkens. [ McGraw-Hill ].

 Construction Planning and Scheduling By Jimmie W. Hinze.

What is a Project ? 4
The Project Management Institute (PMI 2008) defines a project :-
‘‘A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product,
service, or result’’
The key words in this definition are temporary and unique:
 Any project must have a starting point and an ending point,
5
and it must have a deliverable product or service that is
unique.
 Subprojects: These are segments of the original project that
are divided according to specialty, responsibility, phase,
area, or other criteria.
Task/Activity 6
 In project management, a task is an activity that needs to be
accomplished within a defined period of time or by a deadline
to work towards work-related goals.
 A task can be broken down into assignments which should also
have a defined start and end date or a deadline for
completion.
 For Example
 Construction of a Hospital is a Project
 Sub Projects will be Construction of different parts of that
Hospital.
 Activities will be like Leveling, Excavation, Termite Proofing,
Concreting etc.
Milestones 7

 Milestones are significant events that are either reached within the
project (such as completion of a phase of work) or imposed upon a
project (such as dead line by which to apply for funding).
 Because milestone itself doesn’t normally include any work,
milestones are represented as tasks with zero duration.
Deliverable 8
 Deliverable is a term used in project management to describe a
tangible or intangible object produced as a result of the project
that is intended to be delivered to a customer(either internal or
external).
 A deliverable could be a report, a document, a work package, a
server upgrade or any other building block of an overall project.
Management ..? 9
 Management in businesses and organizations is the function that
coordinates the efforts of people to accomplish goals and objectives
by using available resources efficiently and effectively.
 Management includes
 planning

 organizing

 staffing

 leading or directing and

 controlling

an organization to accomplish the goal.

PLANNING 10

 Planning aims at formulation

of a time based plan of
action for coordinating
various activities and
resources to achieve
specified objectives.
 Planning is a general term
that sets a clear road map
that should be followed to
reach a destination.
 The term, therefore, has been used at different levels
to mean different things. 11

 Planning involves the breakdown of the project into

definable, measurable, and identifiable
tasks/activities, and then establishes the logical
interdependences among them.

 Generally, planning answers three main questions:

1. What is to be done ?
2. How to do it ?
3. Who does it ?
“A GOAL WITHOUT A PLAN IS JUST 12

A WISH” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

“Plans are nothing, Planning is

everything” (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

“Good Luck is the result of Good

Planning”
PLANNING & SCHEDULING 13

 Planning and scheduling are two terms that

are often thought of as synonymous.
However, they are not. Scheduling is just
one part of the planning effort.
 We commonly hear about financial
planning, such as retirement planning and
college education planning. Although this
type of planning may include other aspects
(such as what to do after retirement or
which college to choose for your child), the
main focus is on finance. Governments, as
well as large corporations, have planning
units or teams in almost every department.
 At the individual level, a young person may have plans for
marriage, a career, and so forth. However, in the context of 14
this subject, the term planning is restricted to meaning
project planning, with an emphasis on construction projects.

SCHEDULING
Scheduling is the
determination of the
timing and sequence of
operations in the project
and their assembly to give
the overall completion
time. As mentioned
previously, scheduling
focuses on one part of the
planning effort.
 Project planning answers the questions What is going to be
done How Where By whom and When (in general terms, the 15
project’s start and end) Scheduling deals with when on a
detailed level.
 To get an idea about the relationship between project planning and
scheduling, assume that you are planning a vacation ‘‘project’’ for next
summer. Your plan may include considerations such as these:
• Who will go on the trip?
• Which places do you want to visit?
• What is the time frame for the vacation (just the starting and ending
dates)?
• What is the total budget for the ‘‘project’’
• What types of activities do you want to participate in during the trip ?
• What means of transportation do you plan to use (your car, a rental car, air,
• train, bus, RV, bicycles, etc.)?
• What other issues, such as accommodations, food, and clothing, need to
be addressed?
The project schedule will be such as this:
 Leave home in Tampa, Florida, on June 8, 2010. 16
 Arrive in Panama City, Florida, on June 8, 2010.
 Leave Panama City on June 15, 2010.
 Arrive in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 15, 2010.
 Leave Atlanta on June 22, 2010.
 Arrive in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on June 22, 2010.
 Return home to Tampa on July 7, 2010.

Planning, scheduling, and project control are extremely important

components of project management. However, project management
includes other components, such as cost estimating and management,
procurement, project/contract administration, quality management, and
safety management. These components are all interrelated in different ways.
The group of people representing all these disciplines is called the project
management team. It is usually headed by the project manager (PM).
PROJECT PLANNING 17

 Project planning is done to increase the likelihood

that a project will be implemented efficiently,
effectively and successfully.
 Project planning covers the first three stages of "the
project management cycle." This cycle, illustrated
in the next slide, describes the various stages for
conceptualizing, planning, implementing and
evaluating a project and recognizes that even
when a project is finished, it may provide the
starting point for a new one.
“Project 18
Management
Cycle”
1. Conceptualize project scope and objectives: 19
Explore the problem, identify priority needs, consider project
solutions and evaluate organizational capacity.
2. Plan the project:
Establish the project scope; clarify goals and objectives;
choose the most appropriate course of action; identify the
inputs and resources required in terms of: people,
materials, time and money; develop a budget and draft a
project plan.
3. Prepare project proposal:
Present the project to important stakeholders, receive their
feedback and secure the necessary material, human and
financial resources.
4. Implement the project: 20
Implement the project by following a work-plan and
completing pre-determined tasks and activities. Monitor
progress and adjust as
necessary.
5. Evaluate the project:
Review what has happened, consider the value of what has
been achieved, and learn from that experience in order
to improve future project planning.
Project Planning Steps 21
The following steps may be used as a guideline, or checklist to develop a
project plan:
1. Define the scope of work, method statement, and sequence of
work.
2. Generate the work breakdown structure (WBS) to produce a
complete list of activities.
3. Develop the organization breakdown structure (OBS) and link it
with work breakdown structure o identify responsibilities.
4. Determine the relationship between activities.
5. Estimate activities time duration, cost expenditure, and resource
requirement.
6. Develop the project network 7. Monitor or Evaluate the project.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 22

 The WBS is described as a hierarchical structure which

is designed to logically subdivide all the work-
elements of the project into a graphical presentation.
 The full scope of work for the project is placed at the
top of the diagram, and then sub-divided smaller
elements of work at each lower level of the
breakdown.
 At the lowest level of the WBS the elements of work is
called a work package. A list of project’s activities is
developed from the work packages.
WBS Example 1 23
To visualize the WBS, consider the image which shows a house construction project.

Level 1 represents the full scope of work for the house.

In Level 2 the project is sub-divided into its three main trades, and in
Level 3 each trade is subdivided to specific work packages.
WBS Example 2 24

Level 1: The entire project.

Level 2: Independent areas.
Level 3: Physically identifiable sections fully contained in a level 2 area, reflect construction strategy.
Level 4: Disciplines set up schedule.
Level 5: Master schedule activities, quantity, duration.
Organizational Breakdown 25

Structure (OBS)
An Organizational Breakdown
Structure defines the different
responsibility levels and their
appropriate reporting needs.
The Figure on the right
describes responsibilities of
different individuals in the
form of an Organizational
Breakdown Structure.
How WBS can be linked to the OBS. 26
 WBS Coding 27
 A project code system provides the framework for
project planning and control in which each work
package in a WBS is given a unique code that is used in
project planning and control.
 An example of this coding system is the MasterFormat as
shown in image which was developed through a joint
effort of 8 industry & professional associations including:
Construction Specifications Institute (CSI); and
Construction Specifications Canada (CSC).
 MasterFormat is the specifications-writing standard for
most commercial building design and construction
projects in North America. It lists titles and section
numbers for organizing data about construction
requirements, products, and activities. By standardizing
such information, MasterFormat facilitates
communication among architects, specifiers, contractors
and suppliers, which helps them meet building owners'
requirements, timelines and budgets.
The Master format is divided into 16 divisions as follows:

 1) General Requirements. 28
 2) Site work.
 3) Concrete.
 4) Masonry.
 5) Metals.
 6) Woods & Plastics.
 7) Thermal & Moisture Protection.
 8) Doors & Windows.
 9) Finishes.
 10) Specialties.
 11) Equipment.
 12) Furnishings.
 13) Special Construction.
 14) Conveying Systems.
 15) Mechanical.
 16) Electrical.
 Bar Chart 29
 A bar chart is ‘‘a graphic representation of
project activities, shown in a time-scaled bar
line with no links shown between activities’’
 The bar chart was originally developed by
Henry L. Gantt in 1917 and is alternatively
called a Gantt chart.
 It quickly became popular—especially in the construction industry—
because of its ability to graphically represent a project’s activities on a
time scale.
 Before a bar chart can be constructed for a project, the project must
be broken into smaller, usually homogeneous components, each of
which is called an activity, or a task.
30
31
Assignment # 1 [5] 32
 What are the Advantages and Disadvantages
of Bar Charts ..

Assignment # 2 [5]
 Prepare a Work Breakdown Structure of any Project.

Assignment # 3 [5]
 PrepareOrganizational Breakdown Structure of any
Organization.
Project Stakeholders 33
 Stakeholders include all members of the project team as well
as all interested entities that are internal or external to the
organization.
 The project team identifies internal and external, positive and
negative, and performing and advising stakeholders in order
to determine the project requirements and the expectations
of all parties involved.
 The project manager should manage the influences of these
various stakeholders in relation to the project requirements to
ensure a successful outcome. Figure illustrates the relationship
between the project, the project team, and various
stakeholders.
34
The following are some examples of project 35
stakeholders:
Sponsor
 A sponsor is the person or group who
provides resources and support for the
project and is accountable for enabling
success. The sponsor may be external or
internal to the project manager’s
organization.
 The sponsor may also be involved in other
important issues such as authorizing changes
in scope, phase-end reviews, and go/no-go
decisions when risks are particularly high.
Customers and users 36
 Customers are the persons or organizations who will approve and
manage the project’s product, service, or result.
 Users are the persons or organizations who will use the project’s
product, service, or result.
 Customers and users may be internal or external to the
performing organization and may also exist in multiple layers. For
example, the customers for a new pharmaceutical product
could include the doctors who prescribe it, the patients who use
it and the insurers who pay for it. In some application areas,
customers and users are synonymous, while in others, customers
refer to the entity acquiring the project’s product, and users refer
to those who will directly utilize the project’s product.
Sellers
Sellers, also called vendors, suppliers, or contractors, are external companies that 37
enter into a contractual agreement to provide components or services
necessary for the project.
Business partners
Business partners are external organizations that have a special relationship with the
enterprise, sometimes attained through a certification process. Business partners provide
specialized expertise or fill a specified role such as installation, customization, training, or
support.
Organizational groups
Organizational groups are internal stakeholders who are affected by the activities of the
project team.
Functional managers
Functional managers are key individuals who play a management role within an
administrative or functional area of the business, such as human resources, finance,
accounting, or procurement. They are assigned their own permanent staff to carry out the
ongoing work, and they have a clear directive to manage all tasks within their functional area
of responsibility. The functional manager may provide subject matter expertise or their function
may provide services to the project.
Other stakeholders
Additional stakeholders, such as procurement entities, financial institutions, 38
government regulators, subject matter experts, consultants, and others, may have a
financial interest in the project, contribute inputs to the project, or have an interest in the
outcome of the project.
Responsibilities and Competencies of a
39

In general, project managers have the responsibility to satisfy the needs:

task needs, team needs, and individual needs. Effective project
management requires that the project manager possess the following
competencies:
• Knowledge—Refers to what the project manager knows about project
management.
• Performance—Refers to what the project manager is able to do or
accomplish while applying his or her project management knowledge.
• Personal—Refers to how the project manager behaves when performing
the project or related activity. Personal effectiveness encompasses
attitudes, core personality characteristics, and leadership, which provides
the ability to guide the project team while achieving project objectives
and balancing the project constraints.
Interpersonal Skills of a Project Manager 40
• Leadership,
• Team building,
• Motivation,
• Communication,
• Influencing,
• Decision making,
• Political and cultural awareness,
• Negotiation,
• Trust building,
• Conflict management, and
• Coaching.
 41

These functional competencies represent official duties of the

typical project manager.
42
The Project Manager’s “Unofficial” Job Duties
43
 Babysitter
This refers to the apparent need to provide close
guidance or detailed instructions to certain individuals.
This situation results from any number of root causes. The
target may be underqualified, lack confidence, or
simply crave attention.
 Salesperson
There will be times when you’ll have to rely heavily on
your ability to influence others to sell an idea, sell
yourself, or perhaps sell the virtues of project
management. Most of your selling situations will be
helpful and have positive outcomes. However, if you find
yourself spending too much time selling project
management, that may signal deeper underlying
problems, such as issues of trust or confidence. If most of
the selling you do is to your management, you’re in
trouble. This is a signal that your life as a project
manager may be exceptionally challenging.
 Teacher
44
This is an example of an unofficial role that actually yields
positive results. In fact, superior project managers will be able
to educate and develop those they work with as they
manage the project. Acquire this skill or reputation and you’ll
be in very good shape.

 Friend
Maintaining friendships and professional relationships with the
same people is difficult. However, if you can do it, you'll
benefit greatly. An open, informal, and comfortable
communication linkage is much more likely to keep you
supplied with more of the information you need than formal,
rigorous, and stiff team meetings. Finally, avoid the trap of
believing that because you’ve been put “in charge” of a
project you’ve risen above your peers and friendships no
longer matter. Big mistake!
Network 45
 A network is a logical and chronological graphic
representation of the activities (and events) composing a
project. Network diagrams are basically of two types: arrow
networks and node networks. Arrow networks were more
popular in the 1960s and 1970s. Network scheduling has
revolutionized the management of construction projects.
ARROW NETWORKS 46
Arrow networks are also called the arrow diagramming method
(ADM), activity on arrow (AOA) networks, or the I–J method
(because activities are defined by the from node, I, and the to
node, J). Following are some of the examples of arrow networks.
 47
Solution

In the above example, the project has only five activities, each represented
by an arrow. Each arrow connects two nodes (depicted by circles with
numbers in them): the from node and the to node. These nodes represent
events: an event is a point in time when an activity starts or ends.
Activity A starts the project. Activities B and C follow, but independently.
In reality, depending on the availability of resources and other factors, 48
activities B and C may occur concurrently, overlap, or occur consecutively.
However, both B and C cannot start till A is complete. Activity D must wait till
activity B is complete. Once both C and D are done, activity E can start. The end
of activity E means the end of the project. Activity A is considered a predecessor
activity to activities B and C. Similarly, activity B is a predecessor to activity D.
Conversely, we can say that activities B and C are successor activities to activity A,
activity D is a successor to activity B, and so on. Activity A has successors but no
predecessors. Activity E has predecessors but no successors. All other activities
have both successors and predecessors. As mentioned previously, a node in an
arrow network represents an event or a point in time. This event is the starting or
ending point of an activity (or activities). Node 10 represents the start of activity A
(and hence the start of the project). Node 20 represents the end of activity A and
the start of activities B and C. Node 30 represents the end of activity B and the
start of activity D. Node 40 represents the end of activities C and D, and the start
of activity E. Node 50 represents the end of activity E and the project.
Example 2 49
Solution A 50

The main problem in this case is that both activities B and C start from
node 20 and finish at node 30. Hence, both are identified as 20–30. This
situation will create an identity problem. To solve this problem, we
introduce a fictitious activity and an additional node. This fictitious
activity is called a dummy activity, d.
 Correct Solution 51

 In this case, activity B is identified as 20–30, whereas activity C is 20–40.

Note that the dummy could be inserted in different positions, as shown
next. They all serve the same purpose.
Other Possible Solutions 52
Example 3 53

 The problem in this example is how to draw the preceding logic

correctly. We need to show that activity E depends on both activities
B and C, whereas activity D depends only on activity B. The solution
can only be achieved by using a dummy activity.
Solutions 54
A

C
Example 4 55
Solution 56

The solution requires two dummy activities (or simply dummies).

Dummy Activity 57

 From the previous examples, we can define a dummy activity as a

fictitious activity inserted in an arrow network to maintain proper logic
or distinguish activities’ identities.
NODE NETWORKS 58
 Node networks are also called activity on node (AON) networks.
In node networks, we use a different notation for representation:
a node represents an activity. Nodes (activities) are connected
with arrows (or lines) that represent the logical relationships.
 59
Example 2

Solution
Draw a Node Network for the 60
following project
Solution 61

For aesthetic reasons only, we like to start any network with one node
(whether this node represents an event or an activity) and end it with one
node. Doing so may require one or two fictitious activities in node diagrams
that start or end with more than one activity. We call these activities PS
(project start) and PF (project finish),displayed as diamond-shaped nodes.
Draw a Node Network for the 62
following project
Solution 63
Lags and Leads 64
 In some situations, an activity cannot start until a
certain time after the end of its predecessor. A
typical example is concrete operations. Let us
imagine this sequence:
 1. Form the concrete column.
 2. Install steel reinforcement (commonly known as
rebar).
 3. Place the concrete.
 4. Wait for the concrete to set (attain sufficient
strength).
 5. Strip the forms.
 Note that the fourth step is not a ‘‘real’’ activity to which we
must allocate resources and a budget. It is merely a waiting 65
period, commonly known as a lag.
A node network can accommodate such a lag if we simply put the lag
on the relationship line between Place Concrete and Strip Forms, as
shown in figures. This 3-day lag means a minimum waiting period of 3
days. Waiting less than 3 days violates the preceding logic, whereas
waiting more than 3 days does not violate the logic. In some networks,
the lag number is put inside a little box for better visibility.
LAG 66
A lag is defined as a minimum waiting period between
the finish (or start) of an activity and the start (or finish)
of its successor.

LEAD
The term lead simply means a
negative lag. It is seldom used
in construction. In simple
language: A positive time gap
(lag) means ‘‘after’’ and a
negative time gap (lead)
means ‘‘before.’’
Critical Path Method (CPM) 67
Suppose that you meet with two friends and decide to go on a
hunting trip. One friend will go to get the food, the other will go to
get the hunting gear, and you will go to prepare your Jeep. After
each person finishes his or her assignment, you will drive together
to the hunting location. Also suppose that the first activity (getting
the food) requires 2 hours; the second activity (getting the
hunting gear), 3 hours; and the third (getting the Jeep ready), 4
hours. If all three activities started at 8:00 A.M. (when each of you
would leave to perform his or her task), the following activity
(driving to the hunting location) cannot start until all three of you
return (i.e., when all three preparation activities are complete). If
everything works according to plan, the first person will return with
the food at 10:00 A.M.; the second, with the hunting gear, at
11:00 A.M.; and you, with the Jeep ready, at 12:00 P.M.
 Now, ask yourself the following question: Which activity ‘‘drives,’’ 68
or controls, the schedule?
 The answer is the third activity (preparing the Jeep). Any delay in
your return will delay the trip (past 12:00 P.M.). In contrast, your first
friend will have 2 extra hours to ‘‘waste,’’ and your second friend,
1 extra hour. They can choose to use the extra time however they
like. For instance, they could do the following:
 Get an early start, finish early, then take a break
 Get a late start (10:00 A.M. for the first person and 9:00 A.M. for
the second) and finish at 12:00 P.M.
 Take breaks between work periods.
 We will call this extra time float.
 69

Bar chart for introductory hunting trip example

70
71