Site Management and Project

Supervision

Tutor Guides
[D39MG]

School of the Built Environment

 Heriot-Watt University 2008

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Module leader:
Dr Fiona Grant
School of the Built Environment
Heriot-Watt University
Riccarton
Edinburgh
EH14 4AS
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 131 451 4662

Fax: +44 (0) 131 451 3161
e-mail: F.Grant@hw.ac.uk

Author:
Dr Fiona Grant BSc PhD FRICS, MCIOB FInsCPD FHEA
School of the Built Environment
Heriot-Watt University
Riccarton
Edinburgh
EH14 4AS
UK

First published November 2008

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Unit 1

Unit 1 focuses on one of the most significant aspects of any project – tender
planning processes and procedures. It describes how planning activities are
integrated into a construction company’s strategic goals and competencies and
goes to the heart of any business involved in contracting (i.e. winning contracts).

Given the four basic reasons for project planning are to eliminate or reduce
uncertainty, to improve efficiency of the operations, to obtain a better
understanding of the project’s objectives and to provide a basis for monitoring
and controlling work; this unit seeks to give the students an understanding of how
companies set about managing their contracting businesses.

Clearly, if a company does not undertake this professional approach or

something similar, it will have no idea how it can make money from any tender it
submits and wins

The efforts of all the staff and supply chain members involved in the tender are
invariably utilised by the project management team if the tender is successful.
These form the base-line for all the site strategies but they will be modified,
refined and even replaced by methods and procedures adopted by the site staff
to suit the conditions and their experience, in an effort to improve efficiency and
profitability.

The units that follow describe the transition of a successful tender into a
successful project

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Unit 2
Unit 2 sets out to show the student the organisational approaches and
techniques to manage the fragmented elements that go into the construction
process, not least in providing an understanding of the different roles of the
organisations and professionals involved in a project. To be a successful project
you need to understand the goals and the key success criteria and know how to
manage these elements. During this planning and design phase, major cost
savings may be obtained during the eventual construction and operation phases.

Students need to know that the time, cost and quality of every construction
element must be understood and managed, in a safe and sustainable manner.
They also need to understand that there are a number of tried and trusted
techniques to achieve this and that they must use the best techniques to suit the
project environment, and that that may not necessarily be the same as the
proposal developed by the tender team

This unit provides an overview of the construction management and design

process and the specific functions and techniques useful for project
management, including project planning, risk assessment, cost estimation,
forecasting and economic evaluation and it addresses programming and
financing issues, such as contracting and bidding for services, financing,
organising communication and ensuring effective use of information including
techniques for the control of time, cost and quality during the construction phase.

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Unit 3
Unit 3 describes effective management of construction and the application of
sound management principles, theoretical knowledge and practical experience
by those working in the industry. It gives the student guidance on marketplace
methodologies, techniques and documentation that are used to control project
key constituents; labour, plant, materials and sub-contractors

Unit 3 is developing the theories outlined in unit 2 into practice guidance and the
development of tools to improve the likelihood of a successful outcome of a
project.

This is not a definitive guide as to how to run a construction site because no two
sites are identical. It should be stressed that project management is all about the
adaptation of good techniques to suit the one-off project environment

The unit also introduces aspects of the legal liability for the project manager and
emphasises the importance of maintaining a safe working environment on the
project.

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Unit 4
Unit 4 introduces the student to the processes and that are used on site to
manage the spending of costs on the project works and the recovery of the value
from the client. First off there is a practical version of the cost management
theory that has been employed to minimise spending and recording the costs
spent on activities. Then there is a methodology for looking at the variance from
the projects financial targets.

It is important to understand that “time is money” on a construction project and

that costs on their own do not describe the full picture. Being on cost target and
a particular moment in time would be meaningless if the works were way behind
programme, which would result in excessive cost later in the project, either
through running late or by accelerating to make up the lost time on the project

The unit looks at the important subject of change on projects and the
methodology for ensuring costs involved in changes are properly estimated,
recorded and recovered. The importance of managing change should be
emphasised and the ability to estimate the full impact of any change cannot be
over emphasised.

The unit then goes on to the counterparty to cost – value. These are effectively
unconnected but the relationship must be stressed. Costs and values are
reconciled on site on an ongoing basis to give a developing picture of how
profitable the project is (and projecting end of project outcomes), allowing
management to take steps to enhance profitability (or reduce losses) on
individual activities as well as the overall project figures. This is another tool for
the project manager to utilise to establish how well a project is going.

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Unit 5
Unit 5 introduces the student to the site, to its organisation, to staff organisation
and to motivation of the workforce. It looks at some very typical organisation
structures and shows who is involved and how the chain of command develops.
It is important to stress that each site will have its own unique staffing
requirements and that no standard organisation will be appropriate

Students need to learn how the site management primarily aims to marshal the
contractor’s current and potential resources so as to undertake to fulfil a contract
within its agreed parameters of time, cost and quality.

Learning how Site Staff need to manage the project and achieve production
efficiency “in the field” is an important part of this unit and understanding that
theoretical production levels in the industry, differs greatly from its counter part in
the manufacturing industry (i.e. factory production line operations). The unit ends
with a practical methodology for making comparison between different sites to
feedback to managers and bosses, the efficiency levels that can be achieved on
sites undertaking differing construction activities. This unit describes an
inherently unpredictable construction industry that has common variables ranging
from competitiveness of tender bids, consistency of production rates, fluctuations
of the economy, force majeure, to name but a few.

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Unit 6
Unit 6 is a very important unit for any project manager who wants to manage a
construction project. A basic knowledge of the principles of contract law and its
application to construction contracts and administration, including an examination
of main terms and conditions, potential problem areas and risk factors is a
fundamental management skill. Project Managers do not need to be lawyers but
they need to know how and why contracts are structured in the way they are, and
how obligations can be both explicit and implicit in the contract

This unit looks at contract principles and the impact these have in our Standard
Contracts. It also looks at some of the Standard Contracts and provides an
insight as to the level of contract knowledge that a project manager needs to
understand to undertake a construction project

Also provided are copies of the latest standard JCT contracts for Principal
Contractors and for sub contractors. A quick review of both documents should
be undertaken flagging up the similarities (pass-through) clauses and differences
in clauses. This allows the site manager to understand his obligations and those
of his supply chain.

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Unit 7
Unit 7 is designed to build on unit 5 and explain to students the need to
understand that the way the site support accommodation and facilities are
arranged and the methodology for accessing the building can greatly influence
the profitability and safety of the project and to ensure the regular progress of the
works

Once on the ground the site staff have a lot to do, mobilising the workforce
(through direct labour or by sub-contracting) and organising for the delivery of
plant and materials in the correct order and onto a site that is organised to deal
with all the resources in an efficient and effective manner

Construction executives must be able to deal with extraordinary scenarios by

pre-empting and factoring them into proposed designs, time schedules and
method statements, so as to enable adaptable strategies that could
accommodate the necessary eventualities.

The unit suggests standard methodology to conceptualise and plan from the
beginning a construction project to avoid impractical situations on site, and how
to include contingency plans for the unforeseen circumstances that will occur
from time to time.

An important element of the unit is studying the phasing diagrams in the

appendix and ensuring the students understand the importance of preplanning
the sequencing of the works to prevent works being suspended while new
access or storage processes and procedures are implemented.

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Unit 8
Unit 8 looks at quality in construction in an industry that has a poor reputation for
performance in respect to its product quality, the time required for completion and
the overall costs involved and this unit looks at the many reasons for this.

Students need to understand that this reputation is changing slowly in terms of

the control of the quality and the current industry has embraced more innovations
and achieved higher degrees of competence than previously before, due to
modifications and developments in mechanisation, industrialisation and
prefabrication. The enhancement of managerial resources and skills plays a
strong role in determining quality and efficiency but the importance of quality
management in the construction process, strategic planning and the appropriate
appointment of management personnel in every project is the key to improving.

The development of quality systems and philosophies are examined and there
use at site level explained.

The link between quality and cost is examined in the unit too and students need
to realise that good quality saves money if managed effectively

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Unit 9
This unit looks at the four main site functions of temporary works, namely:
access, support, protection and groundwork and it is important for th student to
understand there are tried and trusted methods for construction which have
developed over the centuries. They do not have to “reinvent the wheel” when
they go to undertake a construction project.

Students must understand the role of temporary works on construction projects

being generally any non-permanent facilities installed on site to help fulfil the
execution of the actual (permanent) contract works, and which will be
dismantled/removed from site upon fulfilment of their respective purposes.

Frequently, temporary works play multiple roles and their selection would be
based on the primary project requirements. Clearly the more roles they can fulfil
effectively, the more cost effective there implementation will be. E.g. a tower
crane will service many elements of the project but they can be costly to install
and expensive to run if not used frequently. They also may restrict progress if
competing sub-contrtactors cannot get the “hook-time” they require.

This unit details not only a typical examples of the intertwined functions of
temporary works to be expected on modern sites, but more importantly,
describes the indispensable roles that they typically function in every construction
project; roles that usually account for a significant percentage of the project’s
running costs.

The unit also looks at the various categories, methods and systems of ground
excavation, trench supports and hydro-geological control techniques and other
below ground methods of construction. The student should be advised this is
specialised work and is often designed, supplied and installed by a single
organisation, however a knowledge of the risks in every technique are useful to
the project manager as they are overall responsible for a construction site

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Unit 10
Unit 10 looks at how material are manoeuvred by various types of plant on a
construction site. This has been developing areas in construction over the past
50 years as labour becomes relatively more expensive and there is need to
reduce cost and improve productivity.

Students should understand that things are going to continue to develop

throughout their careers and they will need to understand the range of plant item
and which are multi-use flexible and which are suitable for only 1 task e.g. roof
tile hoist v teleporter hoist.

The student must also understand that the construction site cannot be operated
like a factory (i.e.) under strict and controlled conditions, due to the uniqueness of
every project.

The selection of plant and the negotiation of the costs is an important part of a
site managers role and he needs to have a clear picture of what he intends to do,
almost prior to setting foot on the site because the way he goes about
constructing the project will directly relate to the plant he needs to ustilise

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Site Visit Guide
If a site visit is organised (and the importance of this cannot be over stressed) it
should ideally come about 1/3 of the way through the projects programme when
the site is well underway – not in its start-up mobilisation phase and not in its
completion phase. This should take place after Unit 7.

The object is not to look at what is being constructed but how it is being
constructed. In particular they should identify

• how the site is accessed and any restrictions to what would be ideal
• where the material laydown areas are and if they are strategically located
• where the compound is and if it is in a position to “control” the site
• look at the quality of the site hutting and consider if it provides an
environment conducive to efficient working
• look at how plant will be secured at night
• Look at the temporary works and consider its safety and efficiency
• Look at the plant being used and consider its safety and efficiency
• Look at how the workforce access the site with and without materials and
tools and consider its safety and efficiency
• Look at the generally “housekeeping” of the site and consider if the site
staff and workforce have pride in their workplace
• Consider if you feel safe as you walk about the site
• Look at the way material are handled and protected – consider if you think
the quality control is being applied
• Look at how materials are being used, do you think it is in a sustainable
way
• Look what materials are being used, do you think it is a sustainable design
• Consider the atmosphere on site, do you think the workforce and happy
and motivated
• Finally consider whether this site is practicing anything of the lessons you
have learned to date on the course.

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 • Module Aims and Objectives
The aim of this module is to give the student of Project Supervision and site
management an appreciation of the skill and practice of preparing and managing
construction projects and the place of management techniques and strategies in
the overall project supervision process.

Objects which will be achieved on successful completion of study are:

Module aims and objectives

The Module aims and objectives are to enhance understanding of the following:

Unit 1: Company operational policies and how they relate to project tendering;
the main participants in construction contracts; tendering procedures and
processes; and the risks involved in construction contracts and how these are
negotiated

Unit 2: Project success criteria and its impact on management approaches:

contemporary management techniques like TQM; planning theory and practice
including formulation methodology; and the people most involved or dependent
on the planning and its outcomes

Unit 3: The preparation and documentation of control information; managing the

programming and the planning; and managing safety as part of the overall site
planning

Unit 4: Typical cost management systems; how to deal with changes to the
construction requirements; the difference between cost and value and how they
compare; and the key documentation necessary to control costs

Unit 5: Site organisations and staff responsibilities; site welfare provisions and
obligations; how to improve workforce and management productivity; and
methodologies for comparing the productivity in different projects

Unit 6: The principles of contract law and construction contracting law; UK forms
of contracts, their legal requirements and how they perform; the contrast between
traditional forms of contract and modern type of contracts; and what elements of
the contract the site managers need to be familiar with

Unit 7: Setting up a site and enabling works to progress; how to run a

construction site; procurement undertaken on a construction site; and pre-
contract and site mobilisation procedures;

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Unit 8: Quality management systems used in the construction process; quality
system concepts and the processes that support the system; and the
management of materials on site

Unit 9: The various categories, methods and systems of temporary access,

falsework and formwork supports; the various categories, methods and systems
of ground excavation, trench supports and hydro-geological control techniques;
the various categories, methods and systems of temporary structural shoring,
permanent underpinning and demolition techniques;and the various categories
and types of plants and equipment; and

Unit 10: Ancillary costs associated with negotiating plant hire; and many site
plant types, their capabilities and likely uses on site

Site Visits:

Recommended Textbooks

The principal texts are:

1) Dennis Lock “Project Management”, Gower

2) Kerzner, H. “Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning,

Scheduling and Controlling”, John Wiley & Sons

3) Illingworth J.R. (1993) “Construction Methods & Planning”, E & FN Spon

4) F. Harris “Construction Plant Excavating and Materials Handling:

Equipment and Methods”, Garland Pub

5) R. E. Calvert, G. Bailey & D. Coles “Introduction to Building Management”,

Laxton’s

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