Operations Management For Construction

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

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.

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).

This Second Edition focuses on the commercial issues of contracting, covering the lifespan of a contract in four stages: inception of need, bid and award, administration, termination. Written from the owners' perspective, it is appropriate for construction managers and contract administrators. New material includes the effects of the computer on construction management practices, the risks and rewards of cross-border contracts and the role of the lawyer.

This book provides scientific tools for practitioners to resolve some practical problems which are administered empirically at present and may lead to inconsistent results and human errors. The modern decision-making tools introduced in this book include Multi-criteria Decision-making Models, Artificial Neural Network, Genetic Algorithms, Construction Simulation, Rough Set Theory and Advanced Statistical Techniques for construction. Published by City University of Hong Kong Press. 香港城市大學出版社出版。

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.

Filled with procedures for successfully managing construction operations, this work features over 300 pages of methods, strategies and tactics, forms and ready-to-copy letters all laid out in a concise, easy-to-grasp style. Devoted to the design-build process, it also offers coverage of the advances in claims and dispute resolution.