UK Professional Development

Academy

Module – Introduction to Construction Management

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Introduction to Construction Industry
The construction industry is one of the world’s most lucrative industries that play a
significant role in the development of the economic sector as well as the
development of the country. Traditionally, the construction industry is divided into
three different sub-sectors;

• Construction of Buildings
• Construction of Infrastructures such as roads, highways and rail tracks
• Specialty trades

On the other hand, the modern construction industry is also divided into two
categories which are general construction including the construction of buildings,
houses, infrastructure and special trade work.

Construction activity is an important part of any country’s infrastructure and

industrial development, and it is poised for the additional growth on account of
industrialization, economic development, expansion and rising expectations for
enhanced quality of living. It includes the schools, towns, hospitals, houses, urban
infrastructures such as sewerage, water supply, drainage, highways, railways,
airports, etc. From these activities, we can see that construction is a wide spectrum
and it is basic input for social and economic development. Beside all these activities
construction industry is a continuous source of employment and offers growth to
other associated sectors through backward and forward linkages.

Each construction activity or project requires an organization or team to plan, design,

construct and maintain a structure. Although, it is activity governed by the
organization still there are only a few multinational construction firms around the
globe. Most of the construction firms are localized or SMEs. Special trade contractors
such as painters, electricians, and carpenter are also the part of the construction
industry.

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Characteristics of Construction Industry
From the managerial point of view construction industry and construction products
have the five basic characteristics which are;

• Immobility
• Complexity
• Costliness
• Durability
• High level of social responsibility due to wastes

• The construction projects are immoveable,and once they are created at a

specific location, they cannot be moved to another place.
• Construction projects are complex in nature as they take long-time to
complete and extensive procurement process is also involved in it.
• They are costly because the machinery, materials, andlabours are quite
expensive in the construction projects.
• Construction projects are durable because they are built for many years.
• Construction industry produces a lot of wastes, and there is a needfor
effective waste management.

The construction industry is characterized by the various aspects such as size, output,
nature of the output, type of work, the technology used for construction, etc.
Outputs of the construction are always long-lasting and durable such as the
buildings, roads, dams, houses, etc. Construction outputs are also immoveable,
unique in their designs, expansive and are heavy units.

The construction industry is labour intensive which means it requires a lot of human
capital for its activities. There is a need for a lot of workers both skilled and unskilled.
For some people, construction may be a filthy or unsafe job, butstill, it involves a lot
of labour as compared to the other industries. It is a location-based industry which
means the products of construction projects are completed at the construction sites.
On the other hand, it is weather dependent industry because most of the
construction activities are extremely impacted by the weather conditions.

Activity areas in Construction Industry

Building

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It is used as a basic term when it comes to construction. It refers to constructing a
single unit of a building or a complete project, housing scheme, etc.

Architecture

It refers to designing when it comes to construction. The technicians and professional

architects are required to provide services of designing to the clients and then finally
produce the exact design required by the client. In the UK, various architectures are
working from hundreds of years like Milton Keynes who have been working on
London redesign after Great Fire to the modern cities.

Planning

It refers to controlling the overall project. Every construction project requires quality
planning. Planning is all about controlling, coordinating, and communicating a
program of the whole contract. For smooth progress in construction, the proper plan
is required. A good plan helps to solve the highlighted problems faced at a
construction site.

Surveying

This a set of activity which includes the measurement of land, unit of thebuilding,
and any external work required. It requires using tools like tapes, levels to measure
certain angles and lengths. It also requires the calculation of volumes and some
areas.

Civil and structural engineering

It contains larger projects which are not a part of the buildings, such as:

• Bigger earthworks like Motorways

• Reservoirs of water
• Dams made of larger concrete
• The infrastructure of Railways and roads
• Bridges

Civil engineers are the people who perform this work. The process in which maths is
used to detail and design a structure for stability and to support its load is known as
structural engineering.

Building services engineering

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It is used to provide support to a building in the form of lighting, heating and the
disposals of waste. These services can be simple or complex as providing the facilities
of escalators, lift facility, fire alarms, boiler systems and window opening systems
which are automated.

Facilities and estate management

The maintenance of the buildingis required throughout its whole life. Due to wear
and tear, the building is replaced. Just like the fire extinguisher needs to be replaced
from time to time for the safety concerns. Estate manager must look after the
maintenance of buildings like university or college, etc.

Facilities management involves controlling and managing the performance the

different activities involved in the building. The activities include laundry services, air
conditioning, cleanliness, etc.

Highways engineers

They are responsible for constructing the infrastructures like building the highways
and roads, trunk roads, motorways, etc. considering the safety legislation. It also
contains monitoring and maintenance of the roads and constructing the overhead
bridges, under-passes,and tunnels.

Types of Clients in Construction Industry

Private

Domestic clients and sole traders are considered as private clients who are involved
in altering and maintenance or construction of the house. It is done through a private
agreement. It may need an architect to produce drawings according to the plan or
according to the regulations if required.

Commercial

Commercial clients are usually the other businesses that require a building for
production or for other purposes. For instance, a food company needs an outlet for
selling its products. This type of projects must be built quickly and adaptable. Small
industrial units are commercial buildings that provide the products and services.

Public limited companies

Public limited companies are larger organisations, as they have different production
units, offices, outlets in various cities across the country or event in the world. These

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companies also require the construction firms to maintain or refurbish there,
production units, offices, outlets and warehouses, etc.

The Government

There are three different levels through which a government can issue work. One is
the local council; second is central government and third is regional parliaments.
Local councils can issue works like;

• Construction of schools
• Maintenance of highways
• Windows replacing
• Work on the building of council properties
• House maintenance

National assembly or the central government can issue the works mega projects like
construction of motorways, dams, bridges, rail tracks, etc.

The range of Work Undertaken in Construction Industry

Agricultural: It includes store feeds, livestock house and farm building which are
quite different from the regular designs of the construction.

Commercial: It contains private hospitals, manufacturing building, and factory units.

Educational: It includes building units of academics like universities, colleges,

schools.

Health: It contains private clinics that provide health services which make the
development of new technology.

Industrial: It includes the factories like oil refineries, civil engineering works, and
construction and manufacturing, power generation, etc.

Public buildings: It contains the building of local council like council office, libraries,
halls, museums, art galleries, etc.

Recreational and leisure: It includes providing the facilities like sports complex which
provide the sports and fitness facilities like gaming and gym other sports etc. They
have been funded and supported by the government as well as by private sector.

Residential: It contains domestic housing like building new homes and housing
schemes and affordable accommodations.

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Retail: The retails stores, the development of high street shops and shopping malls,
etc.

Transport infrastructure: It includes motorways, railways, underpass and over the

bridge, etc.

Utilities: It refers to installation, maintenance of the infrastructure of utilities

provided in the UK like gas, water, and electricity.

The importance of Construction Industry in Economy

When it comes to the construction sector, it is considered as a major source of
economic growth and development. For economic uplift, construction and
engineering services play a vital role. It has been involved in creating the
employment opportunities for the general people of the country. It generates
income for both sectors of formal and informal. It helps to earn foreign earnings
from the trade of construction and engineering works.

Direct Contribution to Economy

Economic growth has been a major objective of it. It has played a considerably an
effective role towards the contribution of economic growth and development of the
country. It assists and makes a good contribution towards improving the GDP of the
country. The construction industry helps the economy to stabilise more as compared
to other sectors of industry.

Through Backward and Forward Linkage

The construction industry puts an impact on the economy through forward and
backward linkages. There is a huge amount of encouragement observed in the form
of economic growth through the construction industry. There is one half of the GD
investment made on basic infrastructure like transportation and utilities in the
developing countries. Then this infrastructure services contributes to GDP. They also
help other industries to develop as well which also made their contribution towards
GDP of the country.

Creation of Employment

The opportunity to create the employment becomes possible through the

construction industry. Unemployment is considered as a basic reason for
underdevelopment. In developed countries, there is a balance between the level of
growth and creation of employment. These countries heavily rely on their political,

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technical, social and economic conditions for the development. Thus, it is observed
that the construction industry can resolve these conflictsby providing flexible
technology, intensive labour. The industry can start more and more operations
depending upon the economic conditions of the country.

It has been noticed that due to low per capita income, the economic development is
relatively low. Another reason is the unequal distribution of wealth in the country.
Most of the economists in the past had made that point about the equal distribution
of wealth among the country’s residents. The constructions created employment
opportunity and generated income through the direct and indirect way. The industry
consists of many small companies that help to generate handsome amount of
revenue. It provides the entrepreneurial opportunities which help to play a part in
theequal distribution of wealth.

Socio-Economic Growth
It is of no doubt that construction plays an impactful role in economic development
and growth. It is also important to fulfilling the needs that are basic physical and are
social needs as well. At least 35 % of all the construction is a form of dwelling,
especially in developing country. There is some problems face for providing an
adequate housing worsens because most of the population has moved from ruler to
an urban area. The possible proposed solutions are:

(1) Development of housing for sale at low cost;

(2) The arrangement of credits at low cost;

(3) Providing aid of material and technology for the families who do construction on
self-help;

(4) Nationalizing the building and construction materials;

(5) Use of effective and efficient techniques of construction.

Major areas of Economic Growth

The importance of construction is unique when it comes to overall industries

comparison. It doesn’t depend on the developed and underdeveloped countries; it
has equal importance. It is addedto the quarterly and annual statement of country’s
national accounts. It plays a significant role in maximising the country’s overall GDP,
GFCF, and GNI. The output generated by construction industry is comparatively

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larger than the other industries. These are some of the following uses of the
construction industry:

• Use of a strategic tool to maintain the sustainable development

• Contribution towards GDP and GNI
• Contribution made to country’s Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF)
• Providing outputs to other industries
• The contribution made towards informal sector
• Generation of income

Economic benefits of construction in the UK

The construction industry of UK has made a significant contribution towards the
economy of UK. The construction industry has created the jobs, new opportunities
for doing the business.

The opportunities are also being provided by the construction companies and small
retail units. There are over 4 million people who have been associated with
construction through playing various roles. It includes the number of suppliers and
the subcontractors as well.

Inner-city regeneration

Most of the inner-city centres have been started and operated with a low level of
investment or not investment at all. This scenario has declined the shops and office
space and other projects as well. The funding provided by the regional enterprise
from the government of Europe has provided the ease to the most of the inner cities.

The housing market and property wealth

The low cost of finance had brought the boom in housing in the UK from the period
of 1990 to 2008. The wealth of many individuals was produced due to the rise in the
average price of a house. The housing boom has been decreased considerably after
the global economic recession in 2009.

GDP

It refers to measuring the total expenses of a whole country made on goods and
services in a financial year. Construction industry contributes from 8 to 10 % GDP of
UK.

Local and national contributions

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The construction industry creates the employment through construction projects.
The local market is created for local plants and suppliers of materials like waste skips
and provides accommodation for the workers. The construction projects like
motorways and railways, Olympic stadium, etc. are taken by the nationally.

The social economy: social benefits of construction

Security

The users of the homes should feel secure in the built environment during the social
hours. Building regulations and other legislation ensure that safety is designed into a
structure. The area will be more attractive for the investors due to the low crime
rate.

Added values

There are various ways to add value to any project. The facilities are provided like a
parking lot for supporting the local market and retailer. Adding value can be a hard
thing to do, but it has economic benefits as well.

Crime reduction

The crime rate can be reduced by investing in the built environment. This investment
includes installing CCTV systems, police patrols, blind spots and community centres,
locked gate, etc.

Aesthetics

The UK has a great history when it comes to excellent designing. In London, new
skyscrapers have been made along with historic buildings. The social benefit is being
provided to the people who have a sense of belonging if the environment is made
attractive.

Urban renewal

Now, there is a trend which hasbeen followed is a regeneration of urban areas.

Government funds are used to demolish and rebuild the old inner area of the cityto
start a new life into a modern environment.

Social contribution

Through the involvement of local community and their active participation in the
entire construction project can enhance the sustainability of the project. For
example, not allowing cars in the housing estate is considered as development.
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What are the Teams? An Introduction
Everyone is familiar with the word team. Everyone has his/her way of perception
about the team. According to some people, a team is a group of people. Some call it
a people working together for a same sake or mission or target to achieve. Some say
that it consists of people who work together to assist each other to perform certain
tasks. It is beyond any individual’s sake. The team can also be defined as “A group of
people who have complementary skills and show commitment for the same purpose,
achieving the goals and making efforts together to approach about they have held
themselves together accountable.”

In another definition of a team, it refers to “the combination of two or more

individuals having different tasks, working together to achieve the defined goals and
objectives and for this purpose, they have to communicate and interact with each
other.”

The significance of Teams in a Construction Project

In today’s modern era of the business world, every company requires qualified
workers todo their work which seems to be very complex. When it comes to project
of construction, a collaborative venture is important. A collaborative venture
involves various organisations come together to form the team of a construction
project. The responsibility of this team is to design, plan and execute the
constructionof the project. At a construction project, the different stakeholders are
involved, and project teams are also the major stakeholders of the project. In a
construction team, these are project managers, architects, labor, superintendents,
etc. Project managers are the most important persons in a construction project. The
success or failure of a project greatly depends on the competences of a construction
project manager. A construction project manager, work collaboratively with the
other stakeholders and other parties to manage the teams effectively. Therefore, a
construction project manager must be competent and selected carefully.

Teams in a Construction Project

The construction industry is a project-based industry. Each construction project is
quite different from other. Thus it requires a different type of workforce depending
on the requirements of the project. Although, each project requires people with
different knowledge, competenciesand skills but without effective teamwork, a
project cannot be completed successfully. Thus, it can be assumed that the
teamwork is dominant in the construction industry. Teams and teamwork in
construction have been obstructed by varied and unique features in the construction

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industry, as in the way it goes about its business. This can be seen more in the
application of integrated project delivery method, where teams start to work as one
unit, creating faster delivery times, minimising costs, and creating an enjoyable
working relationship for the entire project team. There are some barriers to the
teamwork which can affect the entire project. Those may be a conflict of interest,
lack of respect, mutual understanding and professional rivalry.

Team members in a Construction Team

The team in a construction project is comprised of different people from diverse
cultures and backgrounds. The team compromises of a project manager, assistant,
civil engineers, architects, designers and the contractor who work together to
complete the project.

There are subcategories of workers who have been performing their tasks under
these members mentioned above of the construction project. Those workers are
construction workers, superintendents, surveyors, etc.

The key participants of every construction project team are as under;

• Project’s Client
• Manager of the project
• Persons who provide finance
• Project’s Legal Consultants
• Architect and Civil Engineer
• Project’s Design Consultants
• Subcontractors of project
• Project’s Main Contractor
• Project’s cost Consultant
• Other various Consultants as per project need
• The end user of the completed construction project if required

The range of Work Undertaken in Construction Industry

The different projects require different types of delivery methods for a different
team of the project. The most common team members of the project are the owner,
architects, project manager, engineer, contractors, surveyors, andsubcontractors.

• There may be a public or private owner of the construction project. It is

responsible for providing the funding and requirement of the project.

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 • The members of the design team are engineers, consultants, architects. They
must generate construction documents.
• The contractor is responsible for making the unique kind of project, and he
relies more on his subcontractors and labours.
• Some additional participants also affect the project team including health
specialists, vendors, suppliers, government engineers, users, safety specialists,
etc.

Level of Management in Construction Projects

Construction Management
Construction is a process that includes the assembling of infrastructure or building of
infrastructure in the society. Effective planning is an essential thing for executing the
construction project successfully. The workers working effectively together are the
main reason for completing the construction project. The construction management
requires a hierarchy level.

Top Level Construction Management

• A Project Manager
• Various Senior Engineers

Middle-Level Construction Management

• Group of Architects
• Number of Junior Engineers

Lower Level Construction Management

• Number of Ironworkers
• Requirement of Tradesman
• Labourworkforce

Top Level Construction Management

It is considered as the highest administrative level when it comes to construction
management hierarchy.

Project Manager

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He is at the topmost level of the construction management hierarchy. He has
professional experience in construction field. He is responsible for planning and
execution of the project.

Senior Engineers

Senior engineers are subordinate to the project manager. They are responsible for
designing, manufacturing, managing tools and machinery. They also check out the
milestones of construction.

Middle-Level Construction Management

Architects

They are specialized in designing the building infrastructure. They present the base
map for before starting the construction work of the building.

Junior Engineers

They are also termed as the civil technicians who have special knowledge and skills in
construction engineering which improves the infrastructure of public works like
bridges, dams, and highways, etc.

Lower Level Construction Management

Ironworkers

They are responsible for assembling according to the drawings made by the
engineers of the structural framework. They are involved in building towers, arenas,
bridges and stadiums, etc.

Tradesman

They have manual skills in a particular field like plumbers, electricians, carpenters,
etc.

Labour

They are unskillful people on the construction site. They are responsible for loading,
unloading, placing the towers, heavy equipment, air tools. They also act as assistants
to machine operators and cement masons, etc.

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Construction Project Manager
He is responsible for organising the work to be done on completing the project. He
ensures the safety measure and timely completion in accordance with the budget of
the project. He is aligned with various projects like building roads, power plants,
dams, schools, etc.

He also takes care of the contractors. They are sometimes given way too much work
which becomes a burden for them like dealing with the stakeholders and make
communication with them. They have a key role in the construction project.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Construction Manager

Planning
The role of construction manager is not only limited to plan the work but also to list
down the tasks for his team. He needs to forecast and determine the requirements
of the proposed project. His main responsibilities are:

• To prepare work for his team

• Estimation of costs
• To develop a deliverable schedule which serves as a roadmap for the team of
construction
• To review the project in detail to determine everything according to plan

Hire, fire and supervise

The construction manager is the boss of the whole construction site. He is
responsible for everything happens at the construction site. He has the right to hire
anyone he feels to become a part of his team. He can also fire anyone who is not
performing up to the requirements of the project. He is also the ultimate supervisor.

Set goals
The project manager should not forget to set the targets of the project. It’s a main
responsibility of the construction manager. The goals define the requirement of
budget, time and the number of workers required to complete the project.

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On time
The successful construction managers always come on time. They are best at the
time managers. Therefore they have no problem what so ever to complete the
construction project right on time according to the demand of the project.

The project always has an ample amount of time in which all of the work should be
completed on time.

Stay on budget
The construction managers have a good idea about their defined budget. They have
to keep in mind about the allocated budgeted before starting the project and making
any necessary expenditure by estimating the cost. The managers can get help
through software.

Keep client and your boss on the loop

The important thing in the construction project is to keep updated your boss and
your client at the same time. A boss must be well aware of everything and so should
be the client. Most of the projects end up with failure due to misrepresentation and
false statements. Both of them should be informed through weekly or monthly
reports.

The dispute manager

The construction manager is responsible for solving the disputes between:

• Construction workers
• Project’s subcontractors
• Clients
• Acting as third parties
• Project team

An unresolved dispute leads to ultimate failure, so it needs to resolve very smoothly.

Draft contracts
Every work should be written in a draft contract which is between builder and owner.
The construction manager also has to deal with:

• Architects
• Suppliers

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 • Electricians, carpenters, etc
• Third parties of the project

Manage risks
One of the toughest things to do is managing the risk. This has become easy through
using the latest software which helps in a great deal like cost and time saving, etc.

Supervision of the Owner/Consultant

It is also considered as a very important phase of the project. The project can be
done under the supervision of him or can be forwarded to a contractor who is
trustworthy. The supervision can be done on his behalf by the contractor, in case if
the project is assigned to the contractor. The role of the supervisoris to look after the
employees working on the project. He has to ensure that:

• Construction is done according to the requirement

• Contractor ends at theright time
• Quality standards of materials and processes

He should:
• Explain everything to the contractor
• Insist on taking the quality standards
• Have a fair dealing with the staff of the contractor
• Take prompt action in solving the problem
• Report serious matters to have better results
• He should stay within the limits of his authority
• Maintain his work order book

Supervision of the Construction Agency

The construction agency is responsible for making sure that the project has been
completed:

• Within specified time

• With minimum cost
• Through quality standards

These are the following drawings may have to be taken into account in the project:

• Items are listed through bill of quantities

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 • The requirement of resources, equipment, workers, etc
• Preparing a construction programme indicating time and cost
• Engineers to be appointed
• Performing task as a supervisor

Construction Supervisor's Role in Ensuring Progress

A construction supervisor needs to do the following things to ensure progress:

• To study the construction programme

• To prepare programmes in detail to elaborate the schedules
• A thorough study of the system through which a report can be generated on
work progress
• Implement the construction programme
• Check and review the achieved progress.

Inspection
The role of inspection is to make sure that:
I. construction materials are used specifically
II. work is done according to sequence
III. activities are done according to the procedure
IV. output came from construction activity are fulfilling the specified
requirements
There are two main factors need to be considered during the inspection:
I. Who is responsible for inspection
II. The stage at which the inspection is carried out
So, the inspection is carried out by the supervisor on a frequent basis.
Inspection is very much necessary to check the equipment and materials used in a
construction project. It is also important to check the dimensions of the work done in
the project.
Some specific stages should be inspected by the engineers as well. There must be
advance arrangements from a supervisor. The supervisor must note the date and
time of the inspection made by the engineer.
So, it has been observed that the various officers have conducted the inspections at
various stages according to the requirements. Still, the supervisor has to make sure
that all of the work is done according to the requirement. The stages of inspection
must be noted or identified to achieve the results of the work done. The inspection
must not be delayed due to any reason.

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 Testing
Testing is carried out on construction materials and main components like mixed
concrete and completed parts of the structure. Testing can be like:
I. Carried out by the supervisors himself on the work-site
II. Carried out through sending the samples of materials in the laboratory
III. Site experts carried out the tests during the presence of the
IV. A schedule of the test has to be prepared by Supervisor in each of the above
categories to make sure that:
a) Strictly adherence to Test schedules
b) The arrangement of equipment are made according to the standards and are
well maintained
c) Tests are carried out by those specifications which are prescribed by Standards.
There must be a proper record maintained containing the test details. The details like
date and time of the test, part tested or material and then showing the result of the
test.

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References and Further Reading
Griffith, A. and Watson, P., 2003. Construction management: Principles and practice.
Palgrave Macmillan.

Jackson, B.J., 2006. Construction management jumpstart. John Wiley & Sons.

Sherratt, F., 2015. Introduction to construction management. Routledge.

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