Regular Challenges in Project Management

If you scan available sourecs - internet, journals, magazines - there are always tips and tricks which can help Project Managers to get through their days a little easier. This article gives some ideas of how to avoid time wasters in particular.

Useful references - The Inclusion of Sustainability in Project Management

As a field of knowledge, Sustainability enjoys the attraction of being "cutting edge", relevant and constantly changing, aspects which should be bourne in mind by Project Managers and Construction Professionals.

 

References here provide a good set of guidelines to Project Managers and Construction Professionals working in the sustainability field, or simply including aspects of sustainability in their projects.

 

Sustainability or the lack thereof is a regular hurdle in the development of golf courses. The recent Masters tournament brings Golf Courses and their construction to the fore.

e-Tolling and the Media

The e-Tolling debacle contnues. Unfortunately lazy journalism by ill-informed hacks doesn't help to build a nation trying to strengthen its economy.

Despite this article's inference, only a limited number of the contractors registered with SAFCEC are involved in the GFIP. Reference to a "community" clearly shows ignorance of how concession projects are put together. Clearly there is no understanding of the EIA process required by law, including public participation, and it is unlikely that equity and debt funding participants as well as parastatals accept "shallow feasibility studies" (whatever that means), as the basis for spending billions of rands.

It does seem that journalists (and academics drafted in to write for the newspapers) have established themselves as judge and jury, vigilantes writing what ever pops into their heads in a splatter-gun approach betraying a moment of excitement - perhaps seeing themselves as our saviours!

Of course the construction industry is happy to build something if someone will pay for it, Vaughan Mostert - when you don't get paid you may begin to understand the principle. Your implication that Consultants and Engineers can be bought and sold is libellous and indicates your ignorance of the codes of conduct established by SAICE and ECSA.

We have faith that level-headed engineers and project managers will again resolve the issues created by politicians and the media...!

The Work Breakdown Structure - an essential planning tool

A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) gives project teams both a deeper understanding of the overall work required and a way to identify problems before they become too costly. By forcing the project team to break complex tasks into bite-sized chunks, according to workstream and resources, it promotes clearer thinking an prevents projects from failing through lack of planning.

The Project Management Institute has produced a number of good documents on the development of WBS's, and most good project management courses include the development of WBS's as part of the syllabus.

A WBS can be used to link estimates, budgets, schedules, and cost control through a common visual language. When executed properly and consistently across several projects, a WBS can also be used to generate historical data that can ultimately benefit companies by providing their projects’ teams with valuable price comparisons and future estimates. A good primer on the subject is here.

The construction process is improved in these three key areas — communication, logic of process, and cost comparisons — making a WBS a worthwhile component in the planning of any major construction project, so that it meets the ultimate goal of delivery within budget.

Project Management and Leadership

The difference between planning, project management, line management and leadership

The Construction and Engineering environment requires clear, quick decision-making under time and budget pressures, Leadership and taking responsibility are two traits crucial to achieving success on site or in the design office. Of course, the design office, fabrication plant or construction site are simply individual cogs in the larger environment of a larger business. This means there is planning, project management, line management and leadership required at all levels, on site, and at higher management levels, for example. Getting one's head around the difference between the project management/construction management function and the business management function is an art not easily mastered.

 

A good summary of these topics from a generic management perspective can be found here.

Communication is key, part 2

A previous post outlined the importance of communication in Project Management. As most will know, poor or inadequate communication can destroy projects. Bad communication leads to low morale, negative attitudes, missed deadlines, higher staff turnover, disgruntled clients, delays and frustration (amongst others) and adds to an overall impression of bad management.

 

PMBOK outlines a structured regime of communiction tools, but often the soft skills of communication are what's really lacking. Technical approaches to this sort of skill set are not always the answer.

 

With this in mind, consider the technique of "Active Listening". This skill is a useful way of deliberately communicating with project participants, and enables and empowers people who a. believe they have been heard, and b. get their message across and receive what's being communicated. In one example of an active listening technique, the acronym CAPS stands for Clarify, Acknowledge, Paraphrase and Summarise, all steps to greater understanding between participants. A good summary of the techniques can be found here with additional references.

 

The following phrases are examples of how to put Active Listening into practice:

1. Clarify:  "What exactly are you trying to say?"
2. Acknowledge:   "I hear what you are saying is ....."
3. Paraphrase:  "In other words, you are saying that....."
4. Summarise:  "So in short we're saying that...?"

At first glance the phrases may seem very similar, but each of the actions they are conveying are quite different, and these actions can be used in different parts of a discussion very effectively to clearly understand the other's point of view, and allow them to feel really heard and valued.

 

Another useful reference is here.

Project Management in Business and the Built Environment

The influence of Project Management in business is increasing. As businesses grow, the need for internal procedures and working methods increases. This is especially the case for projects and their management. On site of course, the complexity of projects requires detailed planning, deliberate management and clear risk and communication procedures. Sometimes procedures are built up by trial and error, and in some cases external methodologies are used. Either way, the effective use of these procedures and their suitability to project size, complexity and human resources will make or break a project.

 

This article outlines some pitfalls to avoid.

Procurement woes

Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA) has issued a statement regarding procurement procedures and the difficulties these are causing consulting engineers in South Africa. In line with the transformation agenda of public sector clients, procurement procedures should "ease public-private partnership regulations, to encourage entrepreneurship and boost private sector infrastructure investment."

 

The full news report can be found here.

Greener and greener...

Whilst the trend toward green buildings is still accellerating and property owners are accepting the benefits of sustainable technology and operating procedures, there remains a requirement for education of tenants, property owners and engineers and contractors to fully realise the benefits.

 

The potential for improving the sustainability of the built environment is not only with new-build projects, but existing buildings can also be "greened". The materials used in these buildings have a large part to play in the overall impact from a sustainability point of view.

 

It is interesting to note that more developed economies seem to have more inclination to tend towards sustainable development. In developing nations, perhaps the focus should be on "appropriate" technology to achieve sustainable ends. Useful to project planners and Project Managers, this review of construction budgeting gives a Ugandan perspective.

 

In other news, KPMG has released its 2012 construction watch report, giving insight into trends in a challenging market.

Sustainability, Contracts

Its always nice to see new and innovative ways of achieving sustainable ends in the project management industry. A blog post here outlines some new developments.

 

And contracts are always worth learning about... Try this article which is written from a UK perspective and focuses on the analysis and mitigation of risk issues.

Communication is key...

Some project managers seem to be naturals at communication, while others struggle with certain aspects of effective communication. Being aware of some of the common mistakes and challenges can help you avoid or address them when they come up.

Priority #1! Construction Safety...

While the profit motive drives construction businesses, the interests of staff and workers should always be paramount. Under time and budget pressure, te temptation to cut corners or rush preparation leads to accidents and injuries. Much research has been done to show that lots time from injuries in construction makes unsafe work practices counter productive. The cost of lost-time injuries is generally more than the cost saved by rushing a particular aspect of the project.

 

The Occupational Health and Safety Association in the United States has recently released figures assessing the impact of lost-time injuries and related cost. The powerpoint presentation Workers' Compensation Costs of Falls in Construction summarises the findings.

 

In addition to accidents, ill-health related to construction activities also deserves attention. The Association for Project Safety (APS) in the UK has said in the past that "Ill-health issues need to be a serious focus of attention – so that all who are involved in construction are aware that these are matters that cannot be 'given the nod', that all processes, materials and circumstances that can give rise to ill-health should be eliminated wherever possible, or at least reduced to absolutely minimum exposure levels, so that all who work in construction on our projects can go home safe and healthy – and remain so."

Innovation in building

A Chinese firm is setting records in construction of highrise buildings. While quality of chinese construction has been questioned locally, there is no doubt that this example and others are proving that Chinese technology and methods are becoming world-beaters.

Note the focus on sustainability as well.

Promising international construction indicators

If international indicators are anything to go by, there may be light at the end of the tunnel for the construction industry. Despite our relative isolation from these economies, we may find our industry tracking the Developed economies in recovery after a period of time.

 

Recent employment figures from the United States indicate 200 000 jobs were created in December. The U.S. Labor Department reported the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent in December, from a revised 8.7 percent in November, offering the strongest evidence yet of an accelerating U.S. economy.

 

Construction news from the US also looks promising.

 

In the United Kingdom, Construction figures have been rising for some time, bouyed by the upcoming olympics amongst other projects.

PMI Project of the Year - EMAL

EMAL (Emirates Aluminium) Smelter Complex was featured as a finalist for the prestigious 2011 PMI^® Project of the Year Award on 22 October 2011 during the PMI Awards Ceremony at the PMI^® Global Congress 2011—North America in Dallas, Texas, USA.

To communicate effectively with stakeholders around the globe, the project team of EMAL Smelter Complex, working on the largest single-site greenfield aluminum smelter turned to an emerging technology.

EMAL served as the project owner, a joint venture between Mubadala, an investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government, and Dubal (Dubai Aluminium). The engineering, procurement and construction management team was a partnership between SNC-Lavalin in Canada and the Australian company, WorleyParsons (SLWP).