Management of a Project with a focus on the Quality and Human Resource

1.0

Introduction

1.1

Project Overview

GIBB (Mauritius) Ltd was awarded the design, supervision and project management contract of
a school for physically disabled children in Morcellement Pinewood Garden located at Wooton.
The new school will be a single-unit building spanning over 9145m 2 of land. The building itself
has an area of around 2000m2 and shall be used to provide primary co-education to children
below 12 years old born with disabilities. In addition the school shall have the capacity of
housing over 100 students.
The design started in January 2014 while the construction started in March 2014 and is set to
complete by December 2015. Following the tendering process the contract for construction was
awarded to Pad & Co Ltd.
The Architectural design of the school has been done by Dan Mootoosamy and Architects. The
building layout has been designed such as to maximize the use of sunlight and thereby reduce the
consumption of electricity by creating 4 rectangular wings each joined together in the form of a
cross. A large spacious hall lies at the center of the building.
The school is equipped with various facilities specific to the disabled such therapy rooms,
kitchen, cafeteria, staff room, changing rooms, classrooms and toilets for disabled children.

1.2

Project Goal

In an effort to provide quality education to physically disabled children requiring specialized aids
and facilities the Curatus Trust Company (Mauritius) Ltd has endeavored to commission the
building of specialized school at Morcellement Pinewood Garden.
The initiative forms part of the companys Corporate Social Responsibility as a contribution to
the betterment of the condition of physically disabled children by helping them build their future
through a combination of specialized education in appropriate areas and therapy.

1.3

The Client

Curatus Trust Company (Mauritius) Limited is a privately owned management company,

registered in Mauritius, specializing in the management and administration of international client
interests. It provides services for structuring of international business, ensuring compliance with
legal & regulatory requirements, organisation and coordination of meetings and assistance in
banking needs.
http://www.curatustrust.com/1/#/Curatus Trust Company/0

1.4

The Engineering Consultant

GIBB (Mauritius) Ltd is an engineering consultancy firm in the construction industry that
provides specialist services in various fields of construction engineering including design, project
management and supervision of the construction works from initial planning to final approval as
a means to administer the contract as described in the Contract Documents. GIBB (Mauritius)
Ltd possesses a Quality Management System compliant with ISO 9001:2008 and applicable to
Consulting, Design and Management Services and site based projects.
The mission of GIBB (Mauritius) Ltd is to:

Build and maintain a team of dedicated and motivated professionals

Deliver innovative engineering services and sustainable solutions
Adhere to the highest standard of values
Exceed Clients expectations

The vision of GIBB (Mauritius) Ltd is to be the benchmark for engineering excellence.
The values upheld by the company are:

To maintain professional integrity

To provide quality and cost effective services
To ensure client satisfaction
To maintain financial stability
To invest in staff and provide equal opportunity
To promote teamwork
To provide State of the Art technology
To encourage Innovation
To be proactive

http://gibbmauritius.com/

1.5

The Contractor

Pad & Co Ltd is a dynamic A-grade integrated construction services company, with the
capability of undertaking a diverse range of projects. Pad & Co Ltd has made substantial
contributions in the social and economic development of Mauritius through the construction of
commercial and office buildings, High rise buildings, luxury hotels and villas, civil works
including roads, bridges, sewage treatment plants, and marine works, power stations and
networks, and structural steel works.
http://padconstruction.com/aboutus/companyprofile.php

2.0

Project Management

Management of a project is the overall planning, coordination and control of a project from
beginning to completion. The aim is to meet the Clients requirement in order to deliver a
functional and cost-effective project.
The prevailing model of management in this case is the design-bid-build model implying that the
engineering consultant is responsible for the design and supervision of the construction works.
For this project the engineering consultant has also been awarded the contract for project
management.

2.1

Responsibilities of Client

The Client also known as the Employer has responsibilities towards all stakeholders at each and
every stage of the project. A Client's role during project development and implementation is
crucial to the success of the project.
The Client is responsible for providing the project requirement, preparation of a business case
and development of a strategic brief to appoint consultants. As shown in the graph below the
Client has a responsibility to define his requirements to increase value at the preparation stage
where opportunities for change are high while costs of changes to the design are low.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110118095356/http:/www.cabe.org.uk/buildings/cli
ent-role
During construction phase the Client is responsible for provision of access to site to all parties
involved in the construction works.

When the contract is ready for signing, the Employer for the contract is responsible for payments
to the contractor and other professionals and may also take handover of the building when
complete. It is in the best interest of the client to make provisions for safety on site to prevent
delays or litigation due to injury or death of workers.

2.2

Responsibilities of the Contractor

There are many duties which a building contractor must complete on a daily basis in order to
ensure that the construction project is completed in a timely and correct manner. The first duty of
the building contractor is to implement a plan in which to carry out the construction project. In
addition to implementing the construction plan, the building contractor is responsible for hiring,
supervising employees.
The building contractor is also responsible for obtaining materials for the project. This involves
various forms of correspondence with necessary material suppliers. The contractor is also
responsible for quality control. He is required to do tests on materials and provide the test results
for assessment by the Consultant and provide compliance certificates where applicable
Throughout the construction process, the building contractor is also responsible for reviewing the
progress and implementing any changes along the way. The building contractor needs to follow
the specific building project closely and make changes when he deems it necessary to do so.
Lastly, the building contractor is the individual who deals with all emergencies which relate to
the project and occur on-site. The contractor is also responsible for health and safety on site by
providing workers with secure working conditions and appropriate equipment to ensure safety.

2.3

Responsibilities of the Engineering Consultant

The responsibilities of the Consultant include management of the project at the design phase
including site surveys, preparation of reports, design of structures, preparation of specifications
and contract documents.
At the construction stage or contract administration phase the consultant has a duty to ensure that
the contractor abides by the terms of its construction contract and that the contractor follows the
plans and specifications in constructing the project.
The means by which a consultant ensures that a contract is being adhered to is through on site
field reviews or site inspections. Although the consultant is not required to be present on site at
every moment of construction his presence is required at every crucial stage of the construction

and requests for inspection of works is solicited by the contractor. In this way the Consultant
provides Quality Assurance.
In this project the engineering consultant is also the project manager, so regular site meetings are
conducted and chaired by the consultant to assess the progress of works on site and make
constructive comments regarding delays, revised program of works, extensions of time and any
issue pertaining to site works. The project manager is also responsible to advise, coordinate,
manage and administrate the project activities. The Consultant has a duty of care regarding safety
on site and is required to point out safety issues to be addressed by the Contractor.

2.4

Project Management Process

The basic project management process shown below is generally used to manage all projects at
GIBB (Mauritius) Ltd and the same sequence has been used in this case.

Assem
ble
Team

Define
Project
Objectiv
es

Define
Project
Scope

Constru
ct an
Initial
Plan

DEFINITION

Close
Project

Analyze
current
Status

Adjust the
plan &
manage
Project

Consult
progress
informati
on

Publish
the plan

EXECUTION / Demings Cycle

2.5

Project Definition and Planning

Add
resourc
es,
costs,

Convince
stakehold
er to buyin

PLANNING

Following the preparation of the proposal by the Consultants proposal manager and approval of
same by the Client, signing of the contract agreement signals the commencement of the services.
At the Feasibility and Design stage the proposal manager is then required to conduct a start-up
meeting which is regarded as an internal procedure necessary for quality management. The startup meeting is conducted in the presence of with the Director of Operations, the Proposal
manager and the Project Manager ear-marked on the project in order to:

Give a brief of the project requirements

Transfer documentation (the proposal) to Project Manager
Discuss the Terms of References and scope of agreed services
Discuss technical and financial risks and the mitigating measures
Discuss the planning of resources with respect to time, cost and quality

In order to enable planning of resources with respect to time, cost and quality, the following has
to be carried out:

Inform Project Manager of budget allocated to the project

Brief Project Manager on invoicing and payment conditions

Agree on staff selection and deployment

Agree on a Programme of Work / Schedule of activities

Establish milestones (Include all deliverables)

Determine the frequency of submission of status report

The chart next page best represents the management process involved during the start of a
project. The technical committee comprises of experts who lead each technical discipline in
construction. Reviewers are assigned by the Director of Operations from the Technical
Committee. Each task leader is assigned a reviewer from the technical committee. The reviewing
process is a form of quality assurance of the deliverables.
The minutes of the start-up meeting is recorded and a quality plan is thereafter created by the
Quality manager to detail the tasks to be managed

Start-up Meeting: Planning and Organisation Chart

Director
Of
Operation
s

Project

Quality
Manager

External
Organisation

GIBB
Technical
Committee

Project
Manager

REVIEWER
PROJECT

PLANNING

ADMINISTRATIO
N

REVIEWER
REVIEWER

TASK
TASK
TASK

Selection and Deployment of Human Resource

In this case study, the project scope and scale are smaller compared to other projects managed by
the Company
In general, the number and selection of staff deployed on a project is largely dependent on the
scope of agreed services, fees agreed and the scale of the project. In this case study the number
of staff deemed sufficient for this project are as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

A Project Manager (PM) Years of experience: 15

A Resident Engineer (RE) Years of experience: 10
An assistant to the resident engineer (ARE) Year of Experience: 1
A Technical Officer (TO) Years of Experience: 15
A land surveyor Years of Experience: 10
A draughtsman / CAD Operator Years of Experience: 15

The selection of staff from the available pool is also dependent on their respective and current
work load, number of years of experience and capabilities demonstrated on similar projects in
the past. In case members of staff are inadequate on the project, the top management will have to
be informed regarding recruitment. Recruitment of new staff is dependent on the financial
situation of the company.
As can be seen from the above list, the key players in the team all have at least 10 years of
experience.
The youngest member in the team happened to be the Assistant to the Resident Engineer (ARE)
who was designated to work under the close supervision and guidance of the Resident Engineer
(RE). The Assistant to the Resident Engineer (ARE) was also made to attend various in-house
training sessions organised every year while on the project. Training sessions involve a sharing
of knowledge and experience gathered by members of technical staff that have over 10 years of
experience in the industry.

Project Team Chart

Project
Manager

Quality
Manager

Reviewe
Resident
Engineer

Reviewe
Assistant to
Resident
Engineer
(ARE)

CAD
Operator

2.6

Organisation of the Team

Technical
Officer (TO)

Land
Surveyor

Following the start-up meeting, the Project Manager has the responsibility to conduct an internal
meeting with all the team members designated to work on the project. This marks the first
milestone of the project whereby the Project Manager is required to:
1. Prepare and define the project scope of work, financial plan, its objectives and
milestones.
2. Assigning responsibilities.
3. Identifying the resources requirement (e.g. logistics, survey equipment, software tools
and training, protective equipment)
Definition of Scope of Works
The project involves both the design stage and the construction stage. The scope of the works for
both stages are as follows:
Feasibility & Design Stage:

To conduct surveys for data collection

To write inception and feasibility reports
To perform design calculations for structural integrity & fitness of purpose
To prepare building drawings
To obtain approval for building Permit
To prepare tender document
To evaluate bids and award contract

Construction Stage:
To carry out joint survey with the contractor
To issue construction drawings
To inspect and approve construction work as per drawings and quality standard
To record daily programs and plant & labour returns
To comment on the Contractors Programme of Work (PoW)
To track the project deliveries wrt to the Contractors PoW
To write progress and status report
To process payment applications
To write completion reports
To approve as-built drawings

Definition of Project Objectives

To produce inception and feasibility reports in line with the Clients requirement

 To produce preliminary designs in line with Clients Architectural requirement such that

they are cost-effective and add value.

To obtain clearance from the Authorities for necessary amenities on site
To produce good quality drawings for within deadlines to obtain Building Permits
To produce good quality tender drawings
To design the tender document
To ensure that the school is built in accordance with the contract within time and budget
specified

Establishment of Milestones
Essential requirement for project tracking at each stage, the project milestones have been
established as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Submission of Inception report

Submission of Feasibility report
Award of Building Permit
Submission of tender document to the Client
Award of contract post bid-evaluation
Issue of Taking Over Certificate after completion of construction phase

Job Responsibility
The responsibilities assigned to each team member are described in the following table:
No
0

Task
To Produce a Quality File for the Project

Responsibility
Quality manager

1
2

To conduct surveys for data collection

To write inception and feasibility reports

Land Surveyor
ARE / RE

ARE

4
5
6

To perform design calculations for structural integrity

& fitness of purpose
To review design calculations
To prepare engineers building drawings
To check engineers building drawings

7
8
9

To review engineers building drawings

To obtain approval for building Permit
To prepare tender document

Reviewer
PM
RE/PM

10

To evaluate bids and award contract

RE/ARE

11

To carry out joint survey with the contractor

Land Surveyor/ TO

12
13

To issue construction drawings

To inspect and approve construction work as per
drawings and quality standard

RE/ARE
RE/ARE/TO

14

To record daily programs and plant & labour returns

TO

15

PM

16
17

To track the project deliveries wrt to the Contractors

PoW
To write progress and status reports
To process payment applications

18

To write completion reports

RE/ARE

19

To approve as-built drawings

RE/ARE

3.0

Execution of the Works/Services

Reviewer
CAD Operator
ARE

PM
PM

A Programme of Works prepared by the Project Manager is used to monitor the project by
keeping track of the progress and the milestone dates.

3.1

Quality Management

Equipment
During stages of the project site surveys are required. As a means of quality control, the
equipment used are recorded by means of an Equipment control sheet that is required to be filled
in and submitted to the Quality Manager. Prior to using the equipment a calibration or test is
done to ensure that the equipment is working properly and check its accuracy. The procedure is
recorded in a calibration report also retrieved by the Quality Manager for storage in Quality file
and used as a Key Performance Indicator.

Design Process
At the design stage, design software used to model the building for analysis of structural stability
are also subjected to Quality control by carrying out software validation. This is a check done by
modeling an element of the building and then performing hand-calculations to confirm the
results.
Another form of Quality control is done by having a Reviewer go through the design calculations
made by the RE/ARE by means of a design review meeting the detailed outcome of which is
recorded into the Quality File and used as a Key Performance Indicator.

Building Drawings
The production of building drawings are also subjected to checks, corrections and reviews that
are a form of quality control to ensure they are in line with the Companys standard for
consistency. The recording of drawings by use of a specific drawing number enables tracking of
drawings issued and facilitates management hence promoting quality management procedures by
keep a drawing register. The record of drawings issued to the contractor at Construction stage is
viewed as a Key Performance Indicator in the achievement of objectives set.

Reports and Tender Documents

The reports and tender documents are prepared and reviewed as a means of quality control in
order to ensure that they are in line with the Companys standard, style and format to maintain
consistency on the deliverables and services offered by the company. The Clients approval of
the Tender document is taken as a Key Performance Indicator.

Construction Stage
The standards defined in the Contract documents are generally the references needed to maintain
and monitor quality on site works. The works ought to match the technical specifications and be
delivered on time and within budget. The Key Performance Indicator used for this stage is
usually at completion by means of a Client Satisfaction Questionnaire.

3.2

Demings Cycle

As can be seen from the procedures described previously the Plan DO Check Act cycle is being
used at every stage of the project with an initial plan of the works and the tasks allotted to each
team member. The quality system in place records the checking/reviewing procedure following
which the team member acts accordingly. The cycle of continuous improvement helps achieve
quality standards already defined and help control and absorb changes.

A good example where the Plan DO Check Act cycle can be seen is during the design phase. The
PM and ARE is required to produce a Design Plan which is recorded in the Quality file whereby
the tasks and agreed milestone dates for the design process are listed.

Plan the
Design

Do the Design
Calculations

Act on the
results and
change Plan
accordingly

Check and
Review Design
wrt Clients
requirements

A design Verification Form is used during the review meeting held with the Reviewer and the
ARE that is used to record the procedure in the Quality File.

Another event during which the PDCA cycle comes into play is during management of change.
For example when the client decides to make changes with the Architectural plans at the design
stage. The design is checked to locate the extent to which it is in line with the Clients
requirement, and action is taken accordingly by making amends to the initial design plan wrt
design tasks and milestone dates. The cycle effectively helps manage changes on the project and
prevents abortive work.

4.0

Conclusion

The Demings cycle of continuous improvement is an effective a management tool to achieve

goals while maintaining quality.

The use of Project Management tools such as the Gantt chart enables project monitoring, by
tracking the milestone dates and managing resources deployed to each activity.