Construction Operations Management

Students studying construction management and related subjects need to have a broad understanding of the major aspects of controlling the building processes. Operations Management for Construction is one of three textbooks (Business Organisation, Operations Management and Finance Control) written to systematically cover the field. Focusing on construction sites and operations which are challenging to run, Chris March explores issues such as the setting up of the site, the deciding of the methodology of construction, and the sequence of work and resourcing. As changing and increasing regulations affect the way sites are managed, he also considers the issues and methods of successful administering, safety, quality and environment. Finally, the contractor’s responsibility to the environment, including relationships with third parties, selection of materials, waste management and sustainability is discussed. Chris March has a wealth of practical experience in the construction industry, as well as considerable experience of teaching, which he uses to support the theory and principles set out in the book.

Summary: This book helps the reader develop a deeper understanding of the role of the producer of building and civil engineering work in the development of the built environment. It is aimed at all construction professionals, including architects, surveyors, civil engineers and builders who want to broaden their knowledge on the production of construction work. It will also be of interest to clients and their project managers who are engaged, or about to be engaged, in building work. Importantly, each chapter includes a relevant case study. Contents: Management of information systems Decision making methodology for methods of production Construction planning Operational productivity Operational monitoring and control Resource supply and control Coordinated project information Modelling operations Simulation and simulation application: two case studies

Organising and administering a construction site so that the right resources get to the right place in a timely fashion demands strong leadership and a rigorous process. Good logistical operations are essential to profitability, and this book is the essential, muddy boots guide to efficient site management. Written by experienced educator-practitioners from the world-leading Building Construction Management programme at Purdue University, this volume is the ultimate guide to the knowledge, skills, and abilities that need to be mastered by project superintendents. Observations about leadership imperatives and techniques are included. Organisationally, the book follows site-related activities from bidding to project closeout. Beyond outlining broad project managerial practices, the authors drill into operational issues such as temporary soils and drainage structures, common equipment, and logistics. The content is primarily geared for the manager of a domestic or small commercial building construction project, but includes some reference to public and international work, where techniques, practices, and decision making can be substantially different. The book is structured into five sections and fifteen chapters. This facilitates ready adaptation either to industry training seminars or to university courses: Section I. The Project and Site Pre-Planning: The Construction Project and Site Environment (Randy Rapp); Due Diligence (Robert Cox); Site Organization and Layout (James O'Connor). Section II. The Site and Field Engineering Issues: Building Layout (Douglas Keith); Soil and Drainage Issues (Yi Jiang and Randy Rapp). Section III. Site Logistics: Site Logistical Procedures and Administration (Daphene Koch); Earthmoving (Douglas Keith); Material Handling Equipment (Bryan Hubbard). Section IV. Leadership and Control: Leadership and Communication (Bradley Benhart); Health, Safety, Environment (HSE), and Security (Jeffrey Lew); Project Scheduling (James Jenkins); Project Site Controls (Joseph Orczyk); Inspection and QA/QC (James Jenkins). Section V. Planning for Completion: Site-Related Contract Claims (Joseph Orczyk); Project Closeout (Randy Rapp).

".. integrates business knowledge, principles and practices of project managment and construction management... will help you achieve a strategic vision, continuously improve construction operations and manage industrial, commercial and institutional projects from conception to occupancy." -- Publisher's description.

Construction Management: Theory and Practice is a comprehensive textbook for budding construction managers. The range of coverage makes the book essential reading for students studying management courses in all construction related disciplines and ideal reading for those with non-cognate degrees studying construction management masters courses, giving them a broad base of understanding about the industry. Part I outlines the main industry players and their roles in relation to the Construction Manager. Part II covers management theory, leadership and team working strategies. Part III details financial aspects including: sources of finance, appraisal and estimating, construction economics, whole life costing and life cycle analysis, bidding and tendering as well as procurement methods, types of contracts and project costing. Part IV covers construction operations management and issues such as supply chain management, health and safety, waste, quality and environmental management. Part V covers issues such as marketing, strategy, HRM, health, stress and well-being. Part VI concludes the book with reflections on the future of the industry in relation to the environment and sustainability and the role of the industry and its managers. The book keeps the discussion of current hot topics such as building information modelling (BIM), sustainability, and health and well-being included throughout and is packed with useful figures, tables and case studies from industry.

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK� Guide) provides generalized project management guidance applicable to most projects most of the time. In order to apply this generalized guidance to construction projects, the Project Management Institute has developed the Construction Extension to the PMBOK� Guide. This Construction Extension provides construction-specific guidance for the project management practitioner for each of the PMBOK� Guide Knowledge Areas, as well as guidance in these additional areas not found in the PMBOK� Guide: * All project resources, rather than just human resources * Project health, safety, security, and environmental management * Project financial management, in addition to cost * Management of claims in construction This edition of the Construction Extension also follows a new structure, discussing the principles in each of the Knowledge Areas rather than discussing the individual processes. This approach broadens the applicability of the Construction Extension by increasing the focus on the "what” and "why” of construction project management. This Construction Extension also includes discussion of emerging trends and developments in the construction industry that affect the application of project management to construction projects.

This book provides an understanding of Business Continuity Management (BCM) implementation for local/international construction operations, with a primary focus on Indonesian construction firms as an illustrative example. It reviews the whole spectrum of work relating to organizational culture (OC) and the institutional framework (IF) as one of the key ways for companies to evaluate and implement BCM in construction operations. Once readers have acquired a sound understanding of BCM, OC and IF linkages in construction firms, the lessons learned can be extended to other companies. This is facilitated through a systematic assessment framework presented in the book using a Knowledge Based Decision Support System (BCM-KBDSS), which allows these companies to evaluate their current status quo with respect to BCM, OC and IF, and then make informed decisions on how and to what extent BCM should be implemented in their operations. As such, the book offers a unique blend of theory and practice, ensuring readers gain a far better understanding of BCM implementation in the construction industry.

This book tackles in details all aspects of project control and provides - through comprehensive and tabulated data, methods, formulas, exercises, templates, charts, figures, etc.- to project/site managers, engineers, and accountants the necessary data and guidance they need for performing their works. It highlights also the detrimental behavior and pitfalls that hinder the successful completion of projects. It covers, in addition to Cost Control which forms the core element of this book, a wide range of other project activities - organizational matters; compliance with policies and regulations; contractual matters with client and others; construction schedules of permanent and temporary works; receipt dates of construction sites and drawings; procurement of resources; quality of works; safety and environment, etc. The project control system handled in this book allows to get, at any performance evaluation date of the project, an accurate picture of the project operations for the current, elapsed construction period of the project up to this date (current report), and also, based on the current, gained output data of the operations, a projected evaluation of the project operations covering the period up to project completion (projected report). Each of the current and the projected reports of the project provides, at each performance evaluation date, for each item to be controlled, a comparison between its actual/projected and budgeted data. The items that have to be controlled, depending on the adopted control system, can cover all aspects of the project operations such as progress of works, costs, unit cost of the labor working-hour, labor-hours consumption per unit of work, material consumption per unit of work, unit costs of materials, unit costs of subcontracted items, cost of temporary site installations, cost of construction equipment and plant, cost of staff, execution period of the project, delay, quantities and qualities of the works, saving/loss cost of lump-sum projects resulted from inexact quantities takeoff of the project works and/or inaccurate interpretation of specifications and contract conditions, value of executed works, variations and additional works, amounts invoiced, amounts received, amounts claimed, supply of drawings approved for construction, amounts and periods of bank guarantees, compliance with policies and regulations, compliance with safety and environment regulations, and many others.The actual/projected status of each item to be controlled is exhibited either as (1) a comparison between its budgeted and actual/projected data and or (2) as a ratio or quotient of its actual/projected and budgeted data (called performance index "PI"). A PI value equals to 1 indicates that the evaluated task has been executed or is expected to be executed as it was foreseen in the estimate/budget or in the planning (on target performance). A PI value smaller than 1 (except for the project value, quantity of works, income, profit/loss, and others not expended items) indicates that the task has been executed or is expected to be executed with a performance better than what was foreseen in the estimate/budget or in the planning (good performance). A PI value greater than 1 (except for the items listed above) indicates a poor performance of the task. The performance indexes, selected for the project control, could be computed by means of a computer program. The input-data required for this program will be fed by the site management and other units of the project organization. These performance indexes allow the general management, the area management, the operations management, the project/site management, and other management levels to identify, at a glance, the items whose actual output data exceed, equal, or less than the budgeted ones.