Life Cycle of Civil Engineering

Projects
Definition of Terms
Planning
Predetermined course of action to obtain the desired project activities. It also
involves the formulation of alternatives and chooses the best suitable. During
planning phase, project is required to be split up into well definable work in terms
of time and resources.
Scheduling
It is the arranging of the work plan in the sequence of time.
Scoping
Scoping is the defining the object of the project. Thus, the project must be stated in
the definite end measurable terms, which include costs, schedule or quality of
performance. Thus we obtain realistic and specific objective of the project during
scoping.
Definition of Terms
Organizing
Integrating the resources in the project is termed as organizing. Money, equipment,
time, technology, manpower, materials are resources. Putting them together to
obtain desired result in organizing.

Controlling
Controlling is the monitoring, influencing and directing the project.
The progress of project is assessed through suitable measure; deviations are
discovered and corrective measures are taken to rectify the deviation.
Definition of Terms
The following steps are involved in controlling a project.

1. Assess the progress of the project, measure quality and flow of money.

2. Compare with original schedule, specification, design. Also obtain the quality of
conformance.

3. Take necessary action to correct if there is any deviation from the earlier plans.
Definition of Terms
Directing
It is function of project leader to give instructions to subordinates, supervise their
work and corresponds to the report when they give as feedback. Basically directing
is linked with organization setup of project management team.
Staffing
This is the process of dividing the project work and placing suitable person at the
appropriate positions. Recruitment, training and their assessment are part of
staffing.
Coordinating
This is the process of interaction between different departments or functionalities
in the project management group which generally follows pyramidal structure.
Definition of Terms
Estimation
Estimation evaluates the resources in terms of cost. Planning evaluates the
resources in terms of time. Adding both together is necessary to obtain the cash
flow.
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
Civil Engineering project STARTS with an IDEA
To fulfil demands
To provide necessities

Civil Engineering project ENDS with REALITY

Facilities, recreational amenities, industrial
plants in operation
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
The phases through which a civil engineering project passes are:
1. Conceptual and Feasibility Studies.
2. Engineering Design.
3. Contracting and Procurement
4. Construction.
5. Commissioning of a project Start-up and Implementation
6. Utilization and Maintenance.
Every civil engineering project is unique in its character and varies with respect to
time and degree of emphasis with respect to the aforementioned phases during its
life cycle but these projects certainly passes through these phases
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
1. Conceptual and Feasibility Studies
In this stage, ideas generated by individuals / a group of people are studied.
Following important points are carried out to establish the viability of the project.

Conceptual development of the model and its studies

Technical and economic feasibility studies
Environmental impact assessment
Social Impact assessment
Land and geological survey-location of the project
Enumeration of major problems in translating the project to reality
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
Example: Suppose a state highway is crossing the railway line. The idea is to
construct a fly over . This is situated in a small district level town. Here the project
is the construction of the flyover. In this phase, the following points are examined-
Based upon the level of traffic, the basic model of the fly over is prepared, with
respect to width, length of the approach road, etc.
The cost of construction is roughly estimated and source of money discussed.
Is it necessary to have a fly over now ? This point is studied with regard to the
level of traffic on the road as well as on the railway line. If the traffic load is low,
the project may be discarded based on cost-benefit analysis.
How to relocate any power line coming in the construction area.
Outcome of this stage: A report dealing with investigation and studies concerning
the problems to be encountered and its solution.
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
2. Engineering Design

In this stage, project takes the definite shape. All the technical issues
related to the project are carried out. Engineers come out with the best
alternatives available.
Design phase of project is carried out in two phases -

Preliminary design
Detailed design
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
Preliminary design
This stage involves primarily the studies of various design alternative, their
economic comparative studies and architectural aspect. Also, in this stage, detailed
field investigation such as soil testing, geological, hydrological data collection,
market survey, etc. are carried out. Depending on the nature of the project, various
data is collected. It is difficult to say the end of feasibility study and the start of
preliminary design. These steps are also a part of feasibility study.
Example:
In the example of a flyover, this steps involve selection of the bridge deck type, i.e.
whether a steel or concrete, box girder bridge or pre-stressed. Also the exact
dimension of the flyover is fixed, i.e. number of piers, width of foot path,
architectural aspect, etc. Also detailed soil investigation and site investigation are
carried out to get the idea of method of construction.
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project

Detailed Design
In this stage, the project is broken down into its components and each
of the elements are analysed and designated, such that the engineer
renders the explicit drawings and specifications which is used for
construction.
This phase is traditionally involved with designers.
Outcome of this design phase : The following are the outcome of this
phase -
Drawing of the structures/facilities to be constructed
Specifications of component to be employed which contain detailed
description of the amenities to be constructed
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
3. Contracting and Procurement
In this stage, the bill of quantities are prepared, final cost estimate is worked out.
Most of the agreements are signed and relationships between different parties
involved is defined following points are generally addressed during this time. The
project has to be executed according to the drawing and specification. Also
Tender notices are advertised
Qualification of contractor / suppliers is studied.
Contract is awarded to execute the work
For many of the projects, such as industrial projects, industrial material and
equipment to be installed is purchased
Outcome of this stage: Contract document, which is a legal document describing
the terms and conditions to execute the project.
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project

4. Construction
This is the most important phase of a civil engineering project, where
the major portion of the money is invested. A lot of issues of project
management are involved during this phase. The project is realized in
the real world. The main work involved during construction is to
answer the following questions -
How to do the particular construction(Construction Methods)
How to organize labour and equipments to accomplish the construction
(Labour and equipments Management)
How to manage materials for constructions
(Material Management)
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
How to breakdown the overall work into small identifiable work
called activity and put them in sequence(Construction Planning)
How to calculate the time and resources required to complete the activity and
obtain the criticality of the activity (Construction Scheduling)
How to distribute the labour and equipment, in order to accomplish the work in
the given time (Labour, equipment, allocation, resource allocation)
How to prepare the bill for the money invested in the construction to get the
payment from the client (Construction Finance)
How to conform the construction is according to drawing the specifications
(Quality of conformance)
How to implement the safety measure taken during construction
(Construction safety)
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
How to organize the different personnel or the company involved in the
construction and define relations among them (Constructional Organization
management, construction sub contracting, construction Supervision and method
of reporting)
How to check whether the project is according to construction schedule and
quality (Construction supervision)
What to do if things are not moving according to plan (Disputes and arbitration,
Labour laws, Penalty)
How to avoid redundancy in the system (Value engineering)

Outcome of this stage : Facility or structures

The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
5. Testing & Commissioning of a project
Aim of this phase is to check that the project has been carried out according to the contract
document. All the facilities developed should function properly as envisioned in the design. Also
during this stage changes in the design during the construction is properly documented for the
purpose of technical performance and financial implications. Following activities are carried out
during this stage -
Check if each component is functioning according to design and specification
Check if the entire system is functioning accordingly as desired
To remove the defect (if any during construction work)
Dream has come to reality
This is one of the main stage, in the bigger project such as power plant, industrial project,
dam, etc. The commissioning in large project is carried out in several stages and then the
complete system is tested. Testing of components are generally carried out during
construction phase. Operational and maintenance instruction manuals are also prepared
during this phase.
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project
6. Utilization and maintenance -
Basic infrastructure facilities created should be utilized to its fullest capacity
Regular repair of the part getting damaged has to be accomplished

This stage has become a very important stage in dealing with project when we talk
about the life cycle cost of the project.
The Life Cycle of a Civil Engineering Project

CONCEPTUAL & ENGINEERING CONTRACTING &

FEASIBILITY STUDIES DESIGN PROCUREMENT

UTILIZATION TEST CONSTRUCTION

&COMMISSION

REALITY!!!!
5 Phases of Project Management developed by PMI

Project Management Institute developed the Five Phases of Project Management.

1) Initiation
2) Planning
3) Execution
4) Performance & Monitoring
5) Closure
5 Phases of Project Management developed by PMI

Once the bidding process is complete, the construction phase can begin. Although
the phases of a construction project are different than traditional project
management, they still include and follow many of the same principles.

All construction project managers should know the five phases of project
management, as developed by the Project Management Institute.
5 Phases of Project Management developed by PMI

Initiation

At the beginning of the project, you must create and evaluate the business case in
order to determine if the project if feasible and if it should be undertaken.
Stakeholders do their due diligence and feasibility testing may occur, if needed. If
all parties decide to move forward with the project, a project charter or project
initiation document (PID) is created, including the business needs and business
case.
5 Phases of Project Management developed by PMI

Planning
Next, the project team develops a roadmap for everyone to follow. During this
phase, the project manager creates the project management plan (PMP), a
formal, approved document to guide execution and control. The PMP also
documents scope, cost, and schedule baselines. Other documents included in the
planning phase include:
Scope statement and scope documentation: A document that defines the
business need, benefits, objectives, deliverables, and key milestones.
5 Phases of Project Management developed by PMI

Planning
Work breakdown structure (WBS): A visual representation that breaks down the
scope of the project into manageable chunks.
Communication plan: This plan outlines the communication goals and objectives,
communication roles, and communication tools and methods. Because everyone
has a different way of communicating, the communication plan creates a basic
framework to get everyone on the same page and avoid misunderstandings or
conflict.
Risk management plan: This plan helps project managers identify foreseeable
risks, including unrealistic time and cost estimates, budget cuts, changing
requirements, and lack of committed resources
5 Phases of Project Management developed by PMI

Execution

This is when the work begins. After a kick-off meeting, the project team begins to
assign resources, execute project management plans, set up tracking systems,
execute tasks, update the project schedule, and modify the project plan.
5 Phases of Project Management developed by PMI

Performance and Monitoring

The monitoring phase often happens at the same time as the execution phase. This
step is all about measuring progress and performance to ensure that items are
tracking with the project management plan.
5 Phases of Project Management developed by PMI

Closure

This last phase represents project completion. Project managers sometimes hold a
post-mortem meeting to evaluate what went well in the project and identify
failures. Then, the team creates a project punch list of any tasks that didnt get
accomplished, performs a final budget, and creates a project report.