When construction managers are engaged in the early stages of a project, they are often able to add value to the project by considering owner needs relative to the construction process. For example, a construction manager may recommend a phased approach to the construction if an owner needs to get a particular production line or function up and running before the completion of the entire facility. Good construction managers are great at solving these kinds of problems, and it is a smart owner who brings them on board to discuss end-user needs during the predesign phase.
Trends in Project Delivery
It is important for anyone involved in, or planning to get involved in, construction management to fully understand the concept of project delivery, especially today. Today there is an increasing trend toward the more collaborative integrated project delivery methods such as construction management and design-build.
Bringing in construction professionals at the earliest planning stages of a project saves money in the long run and usually means that the project will be delivered earlier with fewer conflicts and higher quality. Now that awareness of these benefits has become widespread, the role of the construction manager is expanding, and by most accounts this is a good thing. The following cost-influence curve highlights this fact.
As you view the graph, consider the process of building a new home. It would be far less expensive to decide to add extra electrical outlets during the wall framing stage than it would be to make that decision after the drywall was up and the walls were painted. It would be even more cost effective to make that decision while the plans were still on the drawing board. Early contractor involvement helps flush out deficiencies in the design.
To some, bringing the contractor on board early in the planning stages may seem unnecessary and expensive, but if their input during design will help head off problems during the construction phase later when making changes becomes very costly, then the money is well spent.
Project Delivery Selection
Each of the project delivery methods I've discussed has advantages and disadvantages. It is the owner's job to select the best project delivery method relative to the requirements for the project. Some factors that influence an owner's project delivery selection include cost, schedule, quality, design, risk tolerance, and construction expertise. Every project is different, and there is not one single method suited to all situations or project types. It is very important to assess the goals for every new project being considered.
For example, if schedule is the most important criterion on a project, then selecting the design-build method would be the smartest choice because it is typically the fastest project delivery method. However, if high owner involvement in the design process is desired, then design-bid-build would be the better choice, because the owner hires the designer directly.
It is not the intention of this book to have you become an expert when it comes to project delivery, but I do want you to understand that just as scope definition has a significant impact on project risk, so does the project delivery method. The ability of the construction manager to discern the thoroughness of the scope definition and the suitability of the project delivery method goes a long way in mitigating risk from the start.
NOTE
You can learn more about the various project delivery approaches by accessing McGraw Hill's Smart Market Report entitled Project Delivery Systems at https://dbia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Research-Project-Delivery-Systems-SmartMarket.pdf.
What Does a Construction Manager Do?
You are now aware of exactly what it is that you are supposed to be managing as a construction manager—cost, time, quality, and safety, right? And basically your job is to mitigate the risks associated with each of these factors and optimize project performance. But there's more. Before you have anything to manage, you must first compete for the opportunity to actually build the project. I haven't yet talked about one definitely critical task associated with construction management: actually getting the work in the first place. (Chapter 3, “How We Get the Work,” is dedicated solely to this aspect of the process.)
So to clarify, the flow of events in construction management is to first get the work and then to do the work, and as we do the work, we must keep score by assessing our progress toward meeting the project goals for time, cost, and quality. Eight basic functions are performed to accomplish these three tasks. Some of them address only one of the primary tasks, while others overlap and apply to more than one task. Although each of the 10 functions is covered in Chapters 6 through 14, I'll introduce you to them now so that you can get an overall sense of just what construction managers do before I discuss what it actually takes to be one.
Managing the project team
Performing pre-construction services
Estimating the project
Administering the contract
Managing job site and construction operations
Planning and scheduling the project
Monitoring project performance
Managing project quality
Managing project safety
Assessing and managing project risks
Construction Management Functions
The construction management functions are typically performed by a team of construction professionals trained in various aspects of the job. The experienced construction professional will be competent in just about all of the following management functions.
Managing the Project Team
Because it takes a team to perform all of the functions associated with getting a project built, it just makes sense that management of that team would be identified as an essential function. In addition to selecting the right personnel, teaming partners, subcontractors, and suppliers, the construction manager must also work to align the team's efforts with all of the goals for the project. In most cases, the responsibility for the overall management of the team lies with the boss of the construction company, or perhaps a project executive, or a project manager, or maybe a superintendent. It's this leader's job to create a culture and working environment in which every member of the project team can excel and perform at their best. There is a lot to this management function, which you will learn more about in Chapter 6.
Performing Pre-construction Services
Pre-construction services have become an especially important function, particularly with at-risk CM and design-build project delivery approaches. These services are performed during the design phase of the project, before construction begins, and help guide the owner, architects, and engineers by providing important information associated with material selection, costs, schedule challenges,