As every building and construction project consists of a series of tasks that need to take place at a certain time, in a certain order, the success of a building project lays within how well the different tasks and resources are organised together. The project manager of a building project needs to oversee the entire process from start to finish, and coordinate tasks, resources and people responsible for the individual tasks. A good project manager defines and organises chaos, establishes schedule and plan, enforces and encourages teamwork, maximises resources to use financial and human resources efficiently and economically, controls costs, manages change and quality and documents every step according to industry standards and organisational policies and procedures.
This module will help you acquire the knowledge and skills to work effectively as an individual and in groups. It will give you the basis to contribute to the goals of the organisation which employs you. It is essential that you begin your training by becoming familiar with the industry standards to which organisations must conform.
As you progress through the learning, you will learn how to:
- Identify operational requirements
- Plan for construction operations
- Prepare project schedule
- Determine required resources
- Prepare and submit condition reports.
The planning process is a central aspect that lasts until the closing of the project and needs a great deal of consideration from both parties. The design of projects is complex and lengthy, and projects vary in size and form.
Project Management Preparation (PMP) is important since it determines the phase and the execution of the project. The project plan for building serves as a map that helps the team complete a project's steps. The project manager (PM) must always understand the needs and expectations of the client so that the plan remains consistent with the project. To ensure that they dot their i's and cross their t's, PMs might also recommend basing the planning phase on a construction project planning checklist.
Types of project planning
Strategic planning
The project owner's business planners typically go beyond strategic planning. You want both the end-user and the owner to be happy, so the strategic planner should create a master delivery plan for construction that defines criteria decided on in the strategic and contracting plans.
Operational planning
This begins at strategic planning, operational planning includes the construction teams working together to accomplish the strategic objectives with comprehensive plans.
Baselines
These are the accepted starting points (cost baselines, scope, baseline schedule) of the construction project that are used to determine whether the project is on ‘track’.
Baseline management plan
Projects deviate from the course, so the documentation about how the baselines differ and how to handle them requires baseline management plans. With further preparation, management will decide how the team will behave as variances to the baseline occur.
Documentation
In the planning stage, documentation and sketches are advantageous because they provide a picture of what will be installed. Blueprint sketches and specifications, submittals and permissions, scope paperwork, permits, fees, and licenses are some examples of construction planning documents.
