Ronald McCaffer

Developing project management competency: perspectives from the construction industry

Abstract Project managers in todays construction industry are faced with a situation whereby the fundamental roles and functions they perform are witnessing a gradual shift in focus. To maintain their professional competency, practising project managers in construction adapt to this changing industry environment by relying on knowledge and skills acquired through training and experience. The extent to which such training enables project managers to effectively adapt to changing demands have considerable relevance not only for the training of future project managers, but more importantly, the kind of management and general manpower development policies that construction organisations can adopt. The paper presents a study that focuses on the development of construction project managers and how they maintain their professional skills in a changing construction business environment. The paper first sets out the areas of knowledge and skill required for project management certification, and argues that the traditional engineering orientation of these requirements are insufficient for todays construction project manager. It identifies the general knowledge and skill elements that are perceived as essential for developing project management competency through a survey of project managers in the construction industry.

A survey of indirect cost estimating in practice

This paper presents the findings of an investigation into the current practices of estimating the indirect costs involved in tendering for construction work. It shows the results of a survey of current practices and attitudes in seven firms towards the quantification and allocation of general overheads, risk contingencies and profit in a tender. The survey indicates that the methods used are highly subjective and are based on past experience. Quantitative methods involving statistics and probability, even though advocated, are rarely used. This suggests that future methods adopted in a computerized estimating environment should reflect the subjective nature of the process and should be simple enough to be applied.

Information procurement practices of key actors in construction supply chains

Abstract This paper presents a survey on the practices associated with the acquisition, use, storage and transfer of information by a sample of professionals (actors) within the construction supply chain. The role of information in construction supply chains witnessed a shift from its passive function in decision-making from the 1990s, to a strategic resource that drives both the processes and competitiveness of companies. This change presents challenges for organisations that participate in the construction supply chain. The way organisations involved in the construction supply chain manage this resource will have direct impact on their competitiveness. This is influenced by the information acquisition, processing, utilisation and transfer practices of their professional staff (actors) involved in the processes of the construction supply chain. The paper presents results from a survey that looks at some aspects of how key actors in the construction supply chain address these information-related issues.

Management of construction equipment

Part 1 Objectives, policies and strategies: equipment policy and rental of equipment organization of hire companies and departments. Part 2 Investment and procurement: economic comparisons of plant alternatives plant alternatives plant profitability plant aquisition systematic selection of equipment calculating a hire rate. Part 3 Operational management: maintenance of equipment health and safety at work - regulations and requirements insurance and licensing legalities. Part 4 Financial and budgetary control: budgetary control and costing cash flow financial management computers and plant management overseas operations.

Management information flow in construction companies

The construction industry has been increasingly recognizing the need for more effective exchange of information between project participants. Not only have the manual systems failed to satisfy this need but the computer packages which have sprung up have also not allowed adequately for such communication. Integration of project information can optimize the operations of the industry as they exist currently. An even more promising but less immediate benefit of such integration is that it will form the necessary foundation for tools that advanced technology has the potential to produce. Such tools include simulation systems, knowledge-based systems and robotics which are very much in their infancy. A necessary step towards achieving the desired integration is to map out the characteristics of the flow of the information. This article analyses the flow of information among the management functions of the construction contractor.

The use of Bills of Quantities in building contractor organizations

The prime purpose of the Bill of Quantities (BQ) is to enable all contractors tendering for a contract to price on exactly the same information. Subsequent to this, it is widely used for post-tender work such as: material scheduling; construction planning; cost analysis; and cost planning. Due to the re-work involved in the post-tender use of the BQ, the ‘extent of use’ of the BQ is important. The ‘re-work’ is any work such as; modification, or grouping, or breaking up of data when used for a particular task by a management group. The ‘extent of use’ is defined as the direct use, after subtracting the re-work from the total use. This paper identifies the contractors current use of the BQ for post-tender work based on eight case studies, and establishes the ‘extent of use’ thus highlighting the re-working of the bill. By establishing the ‘extent of use’, the true picture of the direct use and the repetition work can be shown. The average extent of use of the BQ for post-tender work in the industry was fou...

A change in the UK construction industry structure: implications for estimating

The paper illustrates the extent to which use of sub-contractors has grown in recent years in the UK by reviewing the growth of small firms, who in the main act as sub-contractors. In five years, 1979 to 1984, the number of one-man firms has grown by 136%, and the value of work done by them has grown by 254%. Furthermore, all firms employing seven or less workers have grown by 94% in number and the value of their work has grown by 143%. The value of work being undertaken by firms employing seven or less workers represents 24.7% of the total of private contractors’ work undertaken in 1984 compared with 14.1% in 1979. The effects of this change on the estimator are described with particular reference to attendances, materials wastage and disruptions. The conclusion is that the estimators’ task has been made more difficult by the changes in industry structure.

MERIT 3: Managing the Virtual Construction Company

The paper presents a computer-based development (MERIT) that provides engineers and construction managers with that opportunity of learning to manage in a virtually simulated Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC) business environment. It outlines the history of the development and describes the main concepts underlying the development as well as what the software does. The MERIT simulation illustrates how multimedia can be incorporated into an interactive training system to facilitate the acquisition of managerial skills and knowledge for engineers in the AEC sector.