MSc BIM and Digital Built Environments Module: Project and Production Management Critical Reflection on Achieving Accelerated Construction Projects and Programme Delivery with Reduction in Time & Cost using BIM, Lean and IPD
By Iftikhar Ismail Date: 11.05.2018
Image ref: Never Waste a Good Crisis, 2009. Constructing Excellence.
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Table of Contents
Page Number
1.0
Abbreviations
04
2.0
Executive Summary
05
3.0
Introduction
06
4.0
Project Management Tools & Techniques
08
4.1
Accelerated Construction
10
4.2
Crashing a Project
10
4.3
Fast Tracking a Project
11
4.4
Case Study – Crashing a Project (New Build Housing)
12
4.5
Offsite Construction & MMC
13
4.6
Factory Thinking
13
4.7
Case Study – Offsite (Modular) Construction
15
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0
Project Monitoring and Control Strategy
16
5.1
Project Scope
17
5.2
Project Time
17
5.3
Project Cost
18
5.4
Project Risk
18
Project Resource Management Strategy
19
6.1
Lean Tools & Techniques
20
6.2
Lean Case Study – Highways England
20
Health & Safety on Construction Projects
21
7.1
Quality Management
21
7.2
Post Construction & Project Handover
22
Project Management Best Practices
24
8.1
24
BIM/IPD/LEAN
9.0
Recommendations
27
10.0
Bibliography & References
28
_________________________________________________________________________________ Task B: Link to Problem Sets
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1.0
Abbreviations
AIM
Asset Information Model
BIM
Building Information Modelling
CAD
Computer Aided Design
CAFM
Computer Aided Facilities Management
CDE
Common Data Environment
CDM
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
CPA
Critical Path Analysis
CPM
Critical Path Method
FM
Facilities Manager (or Management)
GSL
Government Soft Landings
IPD
Integrated Project Delivery
KPI
Key Performance Indicators
LPS
Last Planner System
M&E
Mechanical and Electrical
MEP
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing
MMC
Modern Methods of Construction
O&M
Operations and Maintenance
OSC
Off-Site Construction
OSM
Off-Site Manufacture
PDCA
Plan-Do-Check-Act
PM
Project Manager (or Management)
PMBOK
Project Management Body of Knowledge
QA
Quality Assurance
QM
Quality Management
RIBA
The Royal Institute of British Architects
RFI
Request For Information
ROI
Return on Investment
TPS
Toyota Production System
TVD
Target Value Design
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2.0
Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to consider various project management (PM) styles with regards to delivery methods that will enable an organisation to procure projects using an ‘accelerated’ approach to construction, and to ascertain how projects may be delivered along with reductions in time and cost using best practice project management, BIM and Lean methods.
Good project management processes and techniques are also analysed and defined to enable companies to align themselves with the UK Government 2025 Construction Strategy targets. The 2025 Strategy itself was established through a collaboration between industry and the UK government with the goal of cutting construction emissions and speeding construction times by +50%, whilst lowering construction costs by -33% by the year 2025. The main findings of this report also looked at the rapid development of BIM for achieving these targets through collaboration, and how concepts such as Lean and programme acceleration can dramatically increase efficiencies if enabled early in the construction timeline. Hence, various types of project acceleration and associated challenges and risks are investigated followed by best practices aligned to BIM and Lean principles.
Currently traditional construction delivery methods do not work as too little preparation time is allowed for at early stages of design and estimation. Hence, the need for a fresh look and ‘reevaluation’ of traditional project delivery methods. The final section of this report will look at how project aims and objectives can be met by integrating key project management ‘enablers’ such as:
Lean Construction Principles applied to project management within construction
BIM processes & procedures as recommended by the UK BIM Task Group
Enabling communication & collaborative working practices using Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) methodologies (from the US) to achieve efficient and effective project delivery
Innovative construction processes aligned to good project management techniques.
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3.0
Introduction
According to Cartlidge (2015), construction projects traditionally use a management structure known as a ‘temporary multi-organisation,’ as a project team often includes people who don’t usually work together – sometimes from different organisations and across multiple geographies. All must be expertly managed to deliver the on-time, on-budget results, learning and integration that organisations need. In recent times, with the publication of Latham (1994) and Egan (1998) reports and the introduction of partnering, alliancing and more collaborative working such as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), the construction team has been encouraged to move away from the traditional fragmented approach to delivering projects. Nevertheless, the need for project management (PM) remains unaltered. Decades after the publication of the above reports, construction still has a tendency to operate within a ‘siloed’ approach; and overcoming this mentality is a major challenge for construction project managers.
Image ref: History of collaborative working. Constructing Excellence
Project management is a key area that can help drive change within construction and to achieve the UK Government’s targets set within its 2025 Strategy report. As well as considering what ‘best practice’ within construction is, it is important to analyse recently built assets that have been delivered to draw comparisons with – looking at both current working processes, as well as future working practices.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT According to Cartlidge (2015), project management is thought to have its roots in the nineteenth century. Three early pioneers of project management were:
Fredrick Taylor (1856-1915) Henry Gantt (1861-1919) William Edwards Deming (1900-1993)
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From 1995 to now, the emphasis in project management had been on execution and completion of projects but during the end of this decade there was an increasing emphasis being placed on project management at the ‘front-end’ of projects. In addition, there was growing interest in risk and valueengineering, with a greater emphasis on project life-cycle. This period witnessed the development of project management systems, and professional bodies dedicated to project management training and development and the introduction of project management certification.
Latham (1994), had called for construction to learn lessons in project management from other industries earlier, hence this period was dominated by the advances related to the internet that dramatically changed business practices from the late 1990s, resulting in the development of internet and web-based project management applications, and the emergence of BIM during this period is also a significant milestone for project management even though similar technologies had been used in other sectors such as in manufacturing and aerospace industries.
Therefore, to understand the successes and failures of current construction projects, it is important to consider the various planning tools/techniques used and how technological advancements can drive change and minimise waste by using tools such as BIM, Lean and IPD, and how projects can achieve production thinking using methods such as accelerated construction, factory thinking and off-site production.
Image ref: List of Project Management Certifications (www.cio.com)
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4.0
Project Management Tools & Techniques
Project management requires a broad variety of skills and the ability to interface with a diverse range of organisations and people in order to lead the project from concept to construction completion. Thomas Carlyle, a famous historian and author, stated: “Man is a tool-using animal. Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all” (Schwalbe, 2006).
As the world continues to become more complex, it is even more important for people to develop and use tools, especially for managing projects. Various tools and techniques can assist project managers and their teams in carrying out work. Some popular time-management tools and techniques include Gantt charts, project network diagrams, and critical-path analysis. Some commonly used tools and techniques used are discussed below.
Construction planning and scheduling involves sequencing activities in space and time, considering procurement, resources, spatial constraints, and other concerns in the process. Traditional bar charts were used to plan projects but were found to be unable to show how or why certain activities were linked in a given sequence, nor could they calculate the longest (critical) path to complete a project (Eastman et al. 2011). Today planners typically use Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling software tools such as Microsoft Project, Primavera and Asta Project.
The CPM (also known as Critical Path Analysis) is based on a deterministic scheduling method that considers the effect that planned risks could have on the project programme (Carmichael, 2006). The information required to construct a CPM includes:
List of project activities Time duration of each activity Dependency on one activity on another End points, such as defined milestones
The project planner will be able to identify the ‘critical’ activities and create a structured network from them. These activities cannot be delayed without having an adverse effect on the entire project, and will allow flexibility on those items, without delaying the overall project.
The methods described above, however do not adequately capture the spatial components related to these activities, not do they link directly to the design or BIM model. Scheduling is therefore a manually intensive task, and it often remains out if sync with the design and creates difficulties for project stakeholders to easily understand the schedule and its impact. The image below shows a
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traditional Gantt chart which illustrates how difficult it is to evaluate the construction implications of this type of schedule display.
Image ref: Construction Project Plan - Gantt chart (www.matchware.com)
According to Eastman (2011), assessing the feasibility or quality of a schedule based on a Gantt chart is often difficult for many project participants and requires manually associating each activity with areas or components in the project since there is no visual associations with referenced areas to a drawing or diagram. Only people thoroughly familiar with the project and how it will be constructed can determine whether the schedule is feasible. Recent BIM technologies have evolved to address these short-comings. The first is 4D BIM, which refers to the 3D BIM models that also contain time associations. Here, the construction schedule is linked to 3D models, allowing visualisation of sequential construction of the building. 4D tools such as Synchro, Asta BIM allow programme schedules to visually plan and communicate activities in the context of space and time.
Another approach that is becoming more popular as part of Lean construction practices is “pull driven scheduling” (Eastman et al. 2011), where work teams assume assignments only when all conditions are fulfilled, essentially delaying tasks until the ‘last responsible moment.’ This approach to detail scheduling is in fact production control, and is called Last Planner System (LPS).
According to Ayala (2018), LPS ‘pull scheduling’ is a work plan method that is based on the following: 1. Creating a backlog of tasks that are ready for execution (make-ready) 2. Committing on tasks that will be achieved in the next sprint–weekly work plan (e.g., one week, two weeks, three weeks, etc.)
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3. Reviewing and assessing the success of those commitments, and track progress, remedy issues, feedback and learnings via continuous improvement.
Image ref: Benefits of Lean Construction Management, Rebeca Ayala (2018)
When implementing LPS, detailed knowledge of exactly where your team is at every stage of the project (progress tracking), and where they can execute most productively in the next sprint (lookaheads) is required. What comes from the above process is that ‘Kaizen’ (meaning continuous improvement) features prominently. Hence, this means that the LPS relies on a philosophy that commits to continuous improvement which is a key feature of Lean construction.
4.1
Accelerated Construction
It is often common for clients and project stakeholders to want to shorten a project schedule. By knowing the critical path, the project manager and his team can use several duration compression techniques to shorten the project schedule. For example, the project manager can shorten the duration of critical path activities by allocation more resources to those activities or by changing their scope. Some common techniques are listed below.
4.2
Crashing a Project
According to Schwalbe (2006), crashing is a technique for making cost and schedule take-offs to obtain the greatest amount of schedule compression for the least incremental cost. By focusing on tasks on the critical path that could be finished more quickly for either no extra cost or at a small cost, allowing the project schedule to be shortened. The main advantage is shortening the project time. The main disadvantage of crashing is that it often increases total project costs. If used too often, however, crashing can affect staff negatively by lowering morale or causing ‘burn out.’
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Image ref: Project Monitoring & Control Process. www.iesgeneralstudies.com (Aug 2017)
Project crashing costs and indirect costs have an inverse relationship; crashing costs are highest when the project is shortened, whereas indirect costs increase as the project duration increases. This time-cost relationship is illustrated in the above image. The best, or optimal, project time is at the minimum point on the total cost curve (shown dotted).
4.3
Fast Tracking a Project
Fast tracking involves reviewing the critical path to find out which activities can be performed parallel or partially parallel that you would normally do in a sequence. Usually, sequential activities can be fast tracked by 33%. This means if the previous activity is 66% completed, you can start next activity. Here, both activities will be partially overlapped. Although it will increase the risk, the level of risk impact should be within acceptable limits. The main disadvantage of fast tracking is that it can end up lengthening the project schedule, because starting some tasks too soon often increases project risk and results in rework (Schwalbe, 2006).
Fast tracking and crashing are two schedule compression techniques that help you shorten the duration of your project. Fast tracking does not involve any cost but it increases risks. On the other hand, crashing does not introduce much risk but costs more. With crashing it is also possible that you may not produce an effective work output because of lack of skilled resources. You cannot bring people together and expect them to perform immediately. Hence, it is important to pay due diligence before going for crashing, as it may increase the cost significantly with a poor reduction in schedule compression (Usmani, 2018).
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4.4
Case Study – Crashing a Project (New Build Housing)
The case study below outlines the project acceleration for a new build housing scheme using crashing as a method to reduce project schedule. The critical path for the house building network in the figure below is for activities 1-2-3-4-6-7 and the project duration is 9 months (or 36 weeks). If the house builder expects completion in 30 weeks and wants to know how much extra cost would be incurred to complete the project by this time.
Image ref: Project Monitoring & Control Process. www.iesgeneralstudies.com (Aug 2017)
The following table represents the time and costs before and after project crashing. The total cost of crashing the project to 30 weeks is 2,500. Hence, the contractor could inform the client that an additional cost of 2,500 would be incurred to finish the project in 30 weeks.
As shown above, project acceleration may be taken on small or large-scale projects. The decision for undertaking acceleration is relative to whether the additional costs outweigh the end results. If a project is due to open on a key date (eg. sports facility) or if bonuses are involved for an early finish, then it may be financially productive to accelerate critical project activities, and for the same reason, acceleration may be undertaken to avoid late-finish penalties.
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4.5
Offsite Construction and MMC
Offsite construction (OSC) often referred to as MMC (Modern Methods of Construction), is increasingly being employed within construction projects (Cartlidge, 2015). It is a method of delivery that is fast gaining strength amongst contractors and designers. The role of offsite manufacturing on any project is broad ranging and can extend from the supply of common M&E products such as corridor modules with pipework, ductwork and electrical components to much larger products where the building structure and fabric is incorporated, for example in plant rooms. Cartlidge (2015) states: “There is almost no restrictions on the use of offsite manufacturing – the main considerations that can impact decisions is to use it is logistics and access.”
But what constitutes MMC? Cartlidge states MMC should be considered as: “Those systems which provide products of better quality in less time, defined as: prefabrication, offsite production and offsite manufacture (OSM). But while all OSM is MMC, not all MMC is OSM.”
In terms of growth of OSC and MMC, UK construction turnover is approximately £100bn per annum, around 6% or £6bn is currently MMC. And there is evidence that eventually OSM and MMC can account for up to 50% of construction spend at an annual growth of around 25% per annum. Cartlidge (2015) also states: “Project managers can generally work on the basis that offsite products could save as much as 15% compared with traditional methods, and at worst give a cost neutral outcome.”
Boasting the above benefits of accelerated project timescales, time and quality certainty and extended product life-cycle with reduced maintenance costs, offsite manufacturing is credible option for both the reduction in project timescales as well as an increase in sustainability and functionality.
4.6
Factory Thinking
Another name given to offsite manufacture is ‘Factory Thinking’, ‘Factory Production’ or ‘Production Thinking.’ The New Civil Engineer (2017) states: “The benefits of OSC are too strong to ignore; higher efficiencies and certainty around build, programme, cost, quality control and Health & Safety.”
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It also states that in the decade after the financial crisis, offsite grew very fast and now accounts for more than 7% of total construction output, worth more than £1.5bn to the UK economy. It also states that 57% of over 22,000 homes planned by 17 of the UK’s largest housing associations will be constructed using offsite methods, including timber frame and modular construction.
Offsite construction requires skills that are different to those needed for traditional construction. In particular, offsite construction professionals need a greater understanding of the interaction between principles of design, construction, manufacturing and engineering. If the UK construction industry is to exploit the potential of offsite construction, multi-skilling, collaboration and greater flexibility within job roles is crucial. For example, Director of Bridges at Ramboll, Simon Benfield says part of factory thinking is simply about reducing potential changes and uncertainty. He states: “If you’re repeating tasks, you gain confidence in the process, you can do it better, faster. These systems reduce the time and money spent on addressing change.”
Image ref: Europe’s tallest modular tower, Construction Enquirer (Morby, 2017)
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4.7
Case Study – Offsite (Modular) Construction
Many case studies show the benefits of using offsite construction methodologies to projects with many examples from modular house-building and residential sectors. For example, Vision Modular Systems, an associate company of contractor Tide Construction Ltd, is building large residential towers in central London within a matter of months. The company makes fully fitted, concrete-based steel-framed modules offsite, fits them together then transports entire apartments by lorry to site where they are craned into place at a rate of 15 a week (New Civil Engineer, Aug 2017).
Image ref: Tallest modular building in Europe (www.tideconstruction.co.uk)
Vision Modular state that: “Everything from ceiling fittings, kitchen fittings, doors, windows – all delivered at the right amount and at the right time to ensure we are still making those efficiency gains.”
The project delivery method used in the example above, clearly illustrates the ‘Just In Time’ approach to ‘Lean construction’, a technique developed by the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota which sought to eliminate waste in all stages of the manufacturing process, to manufacture products only when required.
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5.0
Project Monitoring and Control Strategy
There are many risks related to projects that need to be dealt with in the process of ensuring completion of a project and milestones within a given deadline. They can also be in the form of project risks, environmental risks, quality management, including Health & safety amongst others. Monitoring and controlling projects involves regular measuring progress to ensure that the project is meeting its objectives and addressing business needs. The project manager, along with key staff monitor progress against plans and take corrective action when necessary. Monitoring and controlling project works includes collecting, measuring, and disseminating performance information. It also involves assessing measurements and analysing trends to determine what process improvements can be made. The project team should continuously monitor project performance to assess the overall ‘health’ of the project and identify areas that require attention. Burke (2006) states: “If a project is off course, then control in the form of corrective action must be applied.”
It is essential for effective project control that performance is measured while there is still time to take corrective action. As a project increases in size and complexity, so the progress reporting needs to move from subjective assessment to a more structured approach, as Burke (2006) states: “The unsuspecting project manager should be aware of the over optimistic reporting trap!.”
This phenomenon is shown below in the over optimistic reporting graph, where 3 lines represent planned progress, actual progress and future (revised) progress. In this case planned progress was over stated against time and percentage completion.
Image ref: Planned versus actual progress over time on a project (www.cmu.edu/cee/projects)
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5.1
Project Scope
Some of the most common forms of risk in projects includes failure to set the right scope, such as schedule accuracy, legal obligations etc. When scope is not accurately set as per project and client requirements, the team may not be able to meet the desired goals or quality required, as ineffective scope setting is one of the most common issues that has led to project failure within the construction sector (Karwowski, 2001). According to Schwalbe (2006), the main monitoring and controlling tasks performed is a part of project scope management are scope verification and scope control with key project deliverables accepted by the client. But even when project scope is clearly defined, many projects suffer from ‘scope creep’ – the tendency for project scope to grow bigger. Hence a project manager must constantly cope with the triple constraints of balancing: Scope, Time and Cost.
5.2
Project Time
The main monitoring and controlling task performed as part of time management is schedule control, with project managers often citing delivering projects on time as one of the biggest challenges, as schedule problems often cause more conflict than other issues (Schwalbe, 2006). Some methods used to review and control scheduling performance on projects includes:
o o o o
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Milestone completion dates (planned and actual) Worker morale and disruption (reviewing morale and behaviour) Performance Review meetings and tracking Gantt chart progress.
Project planning is a pointless exercise unless the execution of the plans are tracked and controlled through accurate reporting on performance. Hence, the goal of schedule control is to know the status of the schedule, influence the factors that cause schedule changes, determine whether the schedule has changed, and manage changes where they occur. Burke (2006) states: “Project control should be seen as a tool to assist project managers reach their objectives, and not a weapon of attack.”
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5.3
Project Cost
According to Schwalbe (2006), the main monitoring and controlling task performed as part of project cost management is cost control. This includes monitoring cost performance, ensuring that only appropriate project changes are included in a revised cost baseline, and informing project stakeholders of authorised changes to the project that may affect costs. Several tools and techniques assist in project cost control, including: o o o o
5.4
Project management software’s such as Microsoft Project, Primavera Change control system defining procedures for changing the cost baseline Performance review meetings for controlling costs, schedules Earned value which integrates and measures scope, time and cost data.
Project Risk
According to Burke (2006), risk has always been an intrinsic part of project management, as ‘real world’ decisions are based on incomplete information with an associated level of uncertainty, and it is this uncertainty that leads to risk. He goes on to state that the highest vulnerability to risk occurs during project implementation (start-up) and commissioning. Therefore, there is a need to develop and implement a risk response (management) plan which defines ways to address adverse risk and enhance opportunities before they occur, and to continually monitor and control the risk until the project is complete.
A common tool used by project managers to identify risk is the Ishikawa diagram (see image below), also known as the ‘fishbone’ diagram or cause-and-effect diagram. This is used to identify and present in graphical format all possible causes of a particular risk. The possible causes are presented at various levels of detail in connected branches.
Image ref: Example of a typical Ishikawa diagram (www.theconstructor.org)
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6.0
Project Resource Management Strategy
The most frequent contractual disputes within the construction industry involves scope of work, scope changes, project control issues, and a lack of alignment between client and contractor. Project managers face a challenge with every project, trying to execute the tasks to meet the required quality standards, while expending minimum possible time, cost and resources. According to Burke (2006), a resource may be defined as the machine or person who will perform the scope of work. Resource management and planning is therefore forecasting the resources required to perform the scope of work within the time given. The resource constraint should be considered after the network diagram, schedule bar chart and procurement schedule have been developed.
A resource histogram is a popular planning tool because it gives a good visual presentation which is easy to understand. The diagram below illustrates a number of activities on a Gantt chart. The numbers represent the amount of a specific resource required each day and are summed up and shown graphically at the bottom of the diagram as a histogram.
Image ref: Resource histogram (www.praxisframework.org)
The ideal situation is when the resource requirement equals the resources available. Unfortunately, in the ‘real’ world this seldom happens, because it is not always possible to adjust supply with demand, so some form of re-scheduling is required. A resource over-load will lead to some activities being delayed, which could delay completion of the project. Whilst a resource underload will underutilise the company’s resources, which may have an adverse effect on profitability.
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6.1
Lean Tools & Techniques
The evolution of Lean manufacturing techniques rose to prominence in the 1980’s, the impact of which continues to evolve in many industries today and is the founding ethos behind Lean design construction. When using Lean construction, value to the customer is maximised through process improvements that optimise flow and reduce waste. These principles have been drawn from Lean production, and much has been learned from the Toyota Production System (Ismail, 2018).
Lean construction and Lean project delivery offers an ‘operating system’ that reduces waste, shortens schedules, increases productivity and quality, and can also improve Health & Safety and project relationships. Hence, Lean construction is specifically formulated to arrive at all project and program goals without the trade-offs of time, cost, quality, satisfaction and safety. Lean tools should only be used to drive value, or eliminate waste from a project. Some common Lean tools include: (Ismail, 2018)
6.2
Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) A3 Reports Value Stream Mapping BIM and Real Time Estimating Target Value Design (TVD) Last Planner System (LPS)
Lean Case Study – Highways England
Highways England is currently applying Lean methodologies and tools, including coaching and mentoring and has improved its supply chain maturity and delivered over £100m in efficiency savings between 2010 and 2015. The Lean division was initially established in April 2009 and initial focus was on creating a foundation of ideas and people to generate momentum. Drysdale (2014) states Lean has been adopted enthusiastically within Highways England cross all aspects of the business, and this methodology is based on the Toyota Production System but adapted for construction.
Image ref: Lean support to Highways England (Highways England, 2016)
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7.0
Health & Safety on Construction Projects
The construction industry traditionally has one of the worst records when it comes to health, safety and well-being of its workers (Cartlidge, 2015). Not surprising then, the regulations that relate to Health & Safety are becoming ever more demanding, hence the need for the project manager to be aware of their responsibilities. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) came into force in April 2015, replacing CDM 2007 and provides guidance on the legal requirements for CDM 2015. CDM 2015 recognises the contribution that clients and designers can make to construction safety and this requires the client of a project to appoint a co-ordinator whose main job is to co-ordinate the health and safety aspects of the project design and construction. Hence the requirement for project managers to understand their remit with regards to CDM 2015 on projects.
Image ref: CDM Health & Safety Regulations 2015 (eprisk.co.uk/cdm-2015/)
7.1
Quality Management
In today’s competitive market companies compete on price, quality and customer service. Over the product’s life-cycle the project’s initial price is only a short term consideration (Burke, 2006), whereas the quality of the product and customer service will determine the long-term success of the project. The PMBOK defines project quality management as: “The process required to ensure that the product will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken by addressing both the management of the project and the product of the project.”
Therefore, consideration needs to be given to both the quality management system to assure you are capable of building the product, and also the quality control system which tests the product, to
confirm you have achieved the required quality. And with projects becoming larger, and more complex and more technically advanced, the need to assure the product will meet stringent requirements is the focus of quality management. These requirements may be set not only by the client, but also by insurance companies, government laws and legislation, together with national and international standards (Burke, 2006).
7.2
Post Construction & Project Handover
Towards the end of the construction stage of the project (RIBA Plan of Work Stage 5), the project manager will be concerned with the client/owner taking possession of the facility, referred to as ‘practical completion’ or handover. This heralds the start of the operations stage of the asset. One of the key challenges for obtaining a smooth project handover is communication and information, data flow, and with an estimated 90% of any project manager’s day spent on communication, it is vital to keep the flow of communication and information moving to delivering the project on time and cost (Burke, 2003).
On a modern-day project an effective method for ensuring the transition of relevant data is to transfer information to the client electronically within a Common-Data-Environment (CDE), alongside any additional O&M manuals. And if BIM processes have been used for the project much of this information such as the building/assest model and facilities management documentation could be embedded within the BIM model. BIM offers potential efficiency gains to the operations phase of the building by helping FM/asset managers to:
Understand what and where components have been used to construct the building
Understand and manage energy use more effectively and efficiently
Appreciate lifecycle costs, by giving a more complete picture
Understand how to adapt systems when re-configuration of the asset is required
Greatly simplify maintenance and replacement through parts identification.
If BIM or Government Soft Landings (GSL) has been used on the project, then instead of hard copies of drawings and specifications physically being handed over to the client, documents can instead be loaded into the BIM model linked to a Computer-Aided-Facilities-Management (CAFM) system (Cartlidge, 2015). The creation of such data should be considered at the start of the project.
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After preparing a policy for asset occupation, setting-out how the facility will be used, the client and his or her team should prepare a migration strategy setting out the procedures for moving in such a way as to minimise disruption while allowing the efficient re-use of assets from an existing facility (Cartlidge, 2015). A post review is then undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the project handover. To determine such a review, it is important for the project manager to seek the views of the contractor, designers, suppliers and the client about how well the project was managed. Cartlidge (2015) suggests this may include an assessment of how well the delivery of the project performed against KPIs such as:
Quality of briefing documents
Effectiveness of communication
Performance of the project team
Quality, and Health & Safety issues
Certification and variation of works
Claims and disputes
Collaborative working practices
An evaluation can then be made of what lessons can be learned from the approach taken on the project and an assessment and lessons learned report prepared and disseminated to all parties.
Image ref: KPIs for company BIM adoption & Implementation (Ismail, 2018)
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8.0
Project Management Best Practices
To prevent problems and improve project management, many people are attempting to discover and use best practices, such as developing more realistic estimates and forecasts (Schwalbe, 2006). What exactly are good or bad practices? The Project management Institute (PMI) lists 586 best practices and states: “A best practice is an optimal way recognised by industry to achieve a stated goal or objective.”
According to Schwalbe (2006), best practices within project management are organised into three levels: Project, Program and Portfolio. Within each of those categories best practices are categorised by four stages of process improvement: Standardise, Measure, Control and Improve. Hence, understanding and applying best practices can help improve the management of projects, programs, portfolios and entire organisations. Some of these may include:
Determining how project, program, and portfolio management will work best in your organisation.
Involve key stakeholders, including company shareholders, customers and employees in making major decisions.
Develop and follow a formal project selection process to ensure projects support business needs.
8.1
BIM/IPD/LEAN
Traditionally, construction projects involved work being passed through various stakeholders and departments, in a ‘siloed’ approach to construction procurement. The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sectors within construction are currently undergoing a radical paradigm shift by the implementation of new technologies and ways of working such as BIM, Lean and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). The combination of these areas as a construction ‘enabler’ is being considered as a credible solution to delivering projects with greater efficiencies and certainty in terms of time, cost, speed, flexibility and sustainability (Eastman et al. 2011).
BIM is seen as a fast growing process within the construction industry, driven by major public and private, as well as government owners who want to industrialise its benefits faster, more certain project delivery and more reliable cost and quality. BIM mandates by US and UK governments have helped achieve many costs benefits and project goals (McGraw Hill, 2014).
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The McGraw Hill Survey (2014) reported the following benefits of using BIM by contractors: BIM usage on construction projects reduces errors and omissions. It is key to reducing rework and overall construction costs of projects. BIM improves better collaboration with owners and design firms, with the main benefits being greater integration between team members. BIM ROI increases directly with a contractor’s level of BIM engagement, represented by its BIM experience, skill level and commitment to doing a high percentage of its work in BIM. (Ismail, 2018)
Image ref: Business value of BIM for construction (McGraw Hill Construction, 2014)
The rise of BIM, Lean and IPD within the last 10-15 years and a keen desire to utilise collaborative delivery methods (including shared risks and rewards) may eventually change the current style of project management. The trade-offs that are always part of the design process can be best evaluated using these methods – cost, energy, functionality, aesthetics and buildability. Thus BIM and IPD go together and represent a clear break with the current ‘linear’ processes that are based on traditional forms of information exchange (Eastman et al. 2011).
The AEC industry is fragmented, inefficient and adversarial because in the standard method of delivery each team is responsible for its own work and attempts to maximise their individual profits. And IPD is a new project delivery method that addresses the problems of inefficiency, and adversarial relations within the AEC industry (Gerber et al. 2011).
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The figure below compares Traditional Project Delivery with Integrated Project Delivery.
Image ref: Integrated Project Delivery, Patrick Luu (uscad.com/blog/integrated-project-delivery)
Ellerbe Becket is the US’s fifth-largest architecture/engineering firm, with offices in the US and Dubai. They have built a reputation for full-service design, construction, and management services since 1910 (Elvin, 2007). They state: “We look for strategic alliances with clients and get much more involved in the front end aspects of architecture and construction, taking much more of an early program and project management role.�
These types of projects demonstrate the dramatic cost and time savings associated with BIM and IPD based planning and facility asset management. Much of the savings are attributed to standardised work processes and capturing knowledge digitally rather than through labour-intensive manual processes.
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9.0
Recommendations
The importance of an excellent foundation of front-end pre-planning is required on projects along with creating and maintaining a smooth flow of communication and data exchange between all project participants. Organisations must have a ‘forward’ looking approach, enabled by new tools and processes such as BIM, Lean and IPD, in turn reductions in cost and time are very possible as long as these processes are ‘enabled’ from the very beginning. There is much case study analysis undertaken within these areas to support that all project stakeholders (client, builder, designers) should ‘come out’ of their individual silos and push for more collaborative means of project delivery, with project incentives aligned to a shared risk/reward system within contracts.
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10.0
Bibliography & References
Ayala, R. (2018). 5 Unexpected Benefits of Lean Construction Management. [online]. Retrieved February 3, 2018. Available at: https://blog.plangrid.com/2018/02/5-unexpected-benefits-leanconstruction-management/
Aziz, Z. (2018). Project and Production Management. Course PowerPoint Presentations, MSc BIM and Digital Built Environments, The University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK.
Burke, R. (2003). Project Management Planning and Control Techniques. 4th Edition. Burke Publishing, UK.
Burke, R. (2006). Project Management Planning and Control Techniques. 5th Edition. Burke Publishing, UK.
Carmichael, D., G. (2006). Project Planning and Control. Taylor & Francis, Abington, Oxon, UK.
Carnegie Mellon University. (2018). Cost Control, Monitoring and Accounting. [online]. Retrieved April 26, 2018. Available at: https://www.cmu.edu/cee/projects/PMbook/12_Cost_Control,_Monitoring,_and_Accounting.html
Constructing Excellence. (2009). Never Waste a Good Crisis. [online]. Retrieved April 25, 2018. Available at: http://constructingexcellence.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2014/10/Wolstenholme_Report_Oct_2009.pdf
Constructing Excellence. (2018). Key Industry Publications. [online]. Retrieved April 15, 2018. Available at: http://constructingexcellence.org.uk/key-industry-publications/
Deutsch, R. (2013). BIM and Integrated Design. Hoboken, New Jersey, USA.
Drysdale, D. (2014). Lean Construction – The Way Forward. [online]. Retrieved May 7, 2018. Available at: http://www.infrastructure-intelligence.com/article/oct-2014/lean-construction%E2%80%93-way-forward
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Eastman, C., Teicholz, P., Sacks, R., Liston, K. (2011). BIM Handbook – A Guide to Building Information Modelling. John Wiley & Sons Inc, New Jersey, USA.
Egan, J., 1998. Rethinking Construction - The Report of the Construction Task Force. [online]. Retrieved April 16, 2018. Available at: http://constructingexcellence.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2014/10/rethinking_construction_report.pdf
Elvin, G. (2007). Integrated Practice in Architecture, Mastering Design-Build, Fast Track, and Building Information Modelling. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc, New Jersey, USA.
Fischer, M., Khanzode, A., Reed, D. and Ashcraft, H. (2017). Integrated Project Delivery. Somerset: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, UK.
Ghassemi, R. & Gerber, B. (2011). [online]. Transitioning to Integrated Project Delivery: Potential barriers and lessons learned. Retrieved December 21, 2017. https://www.leanconstruction.org/media/docs/ktlladdread/Transitioning_to_Integrated_Project_Delivery_Potential_barriers_and_lessons_learned.pdf
IES GS. (2017). Project Management: Chapter 4: Project Monitoring & Control Process. [online]. Retrieved May 3, 2018. Available at: http://iesgeneralstudies.com/project-management-projectmonitoring-control-process/#11
Ismail, I. (2018). IPD and BIM within the Construction Industry. [Unpublished Student Report for Integrated BIM Projects module, MSc BIM and Digital Built Environments]. School of the Built Environment, The University of Salford, UK.
Karwowski, W., 2001. International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors. CRC Press.
Latham, M., 1994. Constructing the Team: The Latham Report. [online]. Retrieved April 16, 2018. Available at: http://constructingexcellence.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Constructing-theteam-The-Latham-Report.pdf
Liker, J., K. (2004). The Toyota Way - 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer. McGraw-Hill Companies, USA.
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McGraw Hill Construction. (2014). The Business Value of BIM for Construction in Major Global Markets. [online]. Retrieved December 9, 2017. Available at: https://www.icnsolutions.nl/pdf/bim_construction.pdf
Morby, A. (2017). Europe’s Tallest Modular Tower Rises at Wembley. [online]. Retrieved April 9, 2018. Available at: http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2017/04/19/europes-tallest-modulartower-rises-at-wembley/
New Civil Engineer. (2017). Factory Thinking - Transforming Construction. [online]. Retrieved May 2, 2018. Available at: https://www.newcivilengineer.com/tech-excellence/factory-thinkingtransformingconstruction/10022527.article?search=https%3a%2f%2fwww.newcivilengineer.com%2f searcharticles%3fkeywords%3dfactory+thinking
Nichani, A., D. and Rajendiran, A. (2016). BIM and IPD in the AEC Industry. MSc BIM and Integrated Design. School of the Built Environment, The University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK.
Praxis. (2018). Resource Histogram. [online]. Retrieved March 16, 2018. Available at: https://www.praxisframework.org/en/library/resource-histogram
Schwalbe, K. (2006). Introduction to Project Management. Bob Woodbury, USA.
Underwood, J. (2017). Introduction to Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Course PowerPoint Presentations, MSc BIM and Digital Built Environments, The University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK.
Usami, F., 2018. Fast Tracking and Crashing – Schedule Compression Techniques in Time Management. [online]. Retrieved May 6, 2018. Available at: https://pmstudycircle.com/2012/09/fast-tracking-crashing-schedule-compression-techniques-intime-management/ __________________________________________________________________________________ TASK B - Problem Sets:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4uxjox8csfh8hro/ismail_iftikhar_problem_sets_2018.pdf?dl=0 or
https://issuu.com/iuidesign/docs/ismail_iftikhar_problem_sets_2018
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