Generally, the project management process falls into five stages:
1 Initiating.
2 Planning / organisation.
3 Executing / implementation.
4 Monitoring and controlling.
5 Closing / evaluation.
Although perhaps a negative place at which to start an analysis of project management, it is a sad fact that many projects in the construction industry
fail to achieve a satisfactory conclusion and therefore it is essential to be aware of potential pitfalls.
1 Cost overruns – historically the construction industry has a poor repu-tation for delivering projects on budget. This is usually passed off with statements such as every building project is bespoke, or conditions (adverse weather, for example) make hitting budget very difficult.
2 Unrealistic programmes / schedules – along with cost overruns, the other curse of construction projects is finishing late. This is often explained away by the similar excuses to those given for cost overruns.
3 Failure to meet the client’s expectations – sub-optimal project per-formance is common in construction projects when the client’s perception and the design team’s perception of the finished project differ. This can be down to plain arrogance on the part of the client’s professional advisers, thinking that they know better than the client, failure to understand the need for the project, or problems in the brief-ing process.
4 Failure to clearly define the scope of the project and convey that to the other members of the project team – remember that the definition of a project is a temporary group activity designed to produce a unique product.
It is essential at the start to establish the parameters of the project and to convey this to the rest of the team. One consequence of not defining Table 1.2 RIBA Plan of Work 2013 compared with classic project management stages
RIBA Plan of Work 2013 Classic project management stages 0 Strategic Definition 1 Initiation
1 Preparation & Brief 1 Initiation
2 Concept Design 2 Planning / organisation 3 Developed Design 2 Planning / organisation 4 Technical Design 2 Planning / organisation 5 Construction 3 Executing / implementation
4 Monitoring and controlling 6 Handover & Close Out 5 Closing / evaluation
7 In Use 5 Closing / evaluation
scope is project creep, an outcome that will be discussed later. Lack of definition may also result in …
5 The project team being unclear about what has to be achieved.
6 Failure to manage risks – the construction process is one that is subject to a variety of risks, from adverse ground conditions to shortage of mate-rials. These must be managed / mitigated in order to achieve a successful conclusion to the project; failure to do so can prove disastrous.
7 Unfamiliar technology – signature building projects with unfamiliar technology will present a greater challenge to the project manager and team than those that use traditional or well-known construction techniques.
8 Inadequate business support – for project success it is essential to have both a robust business case and commitment from the project sponsors.
9 And finally – the position of the project manager is important. Not only should the project manager have the responsibility to carry through the project but also the authority.
1. Initiating the project
The first stage of any project involves putting the resources in place to com-plete the project successfully and includes:
• defining the business model,
• aligning project with business needs,
• defining outcomes / skills and resources,
• setting objectives, and
• deciding to proceed with the project.
Initiation of the project involves setting the quality and quantity parameters as well as trying to avoid the pitfalls that plague many projects. This stage may take place as part of the feasibility study, and it may be many months before the project moves forward to the next stage.
• SWOT analysis – SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) is a framework for identifying and analysing the internal and external factors that can have an impact on the viability of a project, product, place or person. The analysis is credited to Albert Humphrey, who tested the approach in 1960s and 1970s at the Stanford Research Institute.
A SWOT analysis examines four elements:
• Strengths – internal attributes and resources that support a successful outcome.
• Weaknesses – internal attributes and resources that work against a suc-cessful outcome.
• Opportunities – external factors the project can capitalise on or use to its advantage.
• Threats – external factors that could jeopardise the project.
A brainstorming session helps to fill in the SWOT diagram square (see Figure 1.8).
A more comprehensive version of SWOT analysis is thought to be:
• PESTLE or PEST analysis – short for political, economic, social, tech-nological, legal and environmental – is a tool used by companies to track the environment in which they are operating or are planning to launch a new project (see Figure 1.9).
Figure 1.8 SWOT diagram
2. Planning / organisation
The objective of the planning stage is to investigate and evaluate the best way to achieve the expectations of the client and involves the following tasks:
• organising workload / planning workload / delegation,
• scoping the project,
• drawing up project schedule with key dates,
• defining project objectives,
• defining major deliverables,
• establishing resources,
• carrying out a risk analysis and developing a transparent risk manage-ment plan, and
• taking decision to proceed with the project.
Technological
Legal Analysis PESTLE Environmental
Economic
Political Social
Figure 1.9 PESTLE analysis
Developing a project plan
The stages in developing a project plan are:
• brainstorm a list of tasks to be carried out to complete the project; this can be done in conjunction with the project stakeholders,
• arrange the tasks in the approximate order that they will be carried out and convert this into an outline plan; give each task a reference number or name, and
• estimate, based on previous experience, the length of time to complete each task and establish task inter-dependencies.
Table 1.3 shows a sample pre-contract plan.
Project management has been described as 80 per cent planning, and the success of the planning stage often determines the success of the project overall. As described previously there are a variety of proprietary software packages and programs to aid the project manager in planning projects. In addition the project manager can also utilise:
Table 1.3 Pre-contract plan
Task Description Duration Team members Start Finish 1 Select procurement
strategy
1 week DC, AC, CL 23.03.15 27.03.15
2 Select contract 1 week DC, AC, CL 23.03.15 27.03.15 3 Establish tender list 3 days DC, AC 27.03.15 29.03.15 4 Preliminary
enquiries
1 week DC 30.03.15 03.04.15
5 Tender
documentation
9 weeks DC, AC, CL 06.04.15 30.05.15
6 Tender period 4 weeks DC 01.06.15 29.06.15
7 Tender assessment 2 weeks DC 29.06.15 13.07.15
8 Contract award DC, AC, CL 13.07.15
9 Project start 4 weeks DC, AC, CL 10.08.15 07.09.15
Total 22 weeks
3 days
• Gantt charts / bar charts – these help to work out practical aspects of a project, such as the minimum time it will take to complete a task and which tasks need to be completed before others can start. In addition it is possible to use them to identify the critical path – the sequence of tasks that must individually be completed on time if the whole project is to deliver on time. Finally, being easily understood, Gantt charts can be used to keep team members and clients informed of progress and to communicate that key tasks have been completed. Moreover, they are simple to update to show schedule changes and their implications.
Figure 1.10 shows a sample Gantt chart.
• PERT analysis – similar in approach to a Gantt chart, a PERT chart can be used to schedule, organise and co-ordinate tasks within a project.
The acronym stands for Program Evaluation Review Technique, a methodology developed by the U.S. Navy in the 1950s to manage the Polaris submarine missile program. A similar methodology, the Critical Path Method (CPM), was developed for project management in the private sector at about the same time.
3. Executing / implementation
This is the stage at which the project gets carried out (built) and involves:
Figure 1.10 Gantt chart format
• selecting and appointing the resources to deliver the project with a focus on time / cost / quality and quantity, and
• identifying problems and understanding their impact.
4. Monitoring and controlling
During this phase the metrics are established to compare planned progress with actual progress of the project, which involves:
• tracking the progress of the project and writing progress reports,
• overseeing project status review sessions,
• compiling contingency plans,
• managing third parties,
• managing change, and
• managing budgets.
5. Closing / evaluation
This process of completion, feedback and review covers:
• signing off the project,
• project review, and
• exploration of lessons learnt.