ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Engineering Project Management

Engineering Project Management

Introduction

The college is expanding by developing a new college building. Usually, in such cases a theme or even the whole architectural design is already available. In this paper, the responsibilities of a project manager, who will be working on this project, from its inception to completion, their contractual implications and their relations with the team are discussed. Moreover, the responsibilities of the client, pros and cons of using an internal or external PM and room for improvements will also be identified.

Discussion

Task 1 - Duties and Responsibilities of the Project Manager

The responsibilities of the project manager regarding the given scenario can be divided into the following phases.

Inception

Once the project manager is handed over with the task to develop a teaching facility and provided with the target tasks list, the manager will start analyzing the details of the project, such as, the availability of resources like land, construction material, nearest suppliers, time that will be needed to complete the project, the cost of the project, tentative time schedules and limitations because of surrounding buildings and the college itself. Based on all the study, a feasibility report will be generated to represent the benefits of starting this project, consisting of things like, the strengths, weaknesses, benefits, drawbacks and the return on investment that will be generated through this new building.

Strategy

Once the project is finalized, strategic plans will then be developed. A scope will be properly defined, all the activities will be sequenced, resources will be planned, schedules will be developed, cost and time estimations will be carried out, different charts and tentative time schedules will be made, risk analysis will be carried out, different factors affecting the project, such as political, legal and competitors influence will be considered and analysis of demand and supply of the services will be completed and documented. Different software like Jump Chart, Microsoft Project Manager and Base Camp will be used. Based on the analysis, a well structured strategy will be developed to start the pre-construction activities.

Pre-Construction

With the development of a proper strategy, work on the project will then be started. The project manager will be responsible for dealing with all necessary paper work, in accordance to the laws of the state. The manger will start recruiting suitable man power needed to carry out work activities related to the project. Moreover, the budget for the project will be made available; the manager will sign contracts and deal with material and service providers (Davis, Barbee, 2009, p. 222-228).

There are some techniques that are employed in the project management process that are universal. These universal techniques belong to the pre-contract or post contract stage. These techniques include things like, the opportunity study, the feasibility study, the detailed study and the technical study. The project manager will be responsible to carry out all these studies. In the opportunity study, he will study the opportunities that will be created for the college through the implementation of the construction project. In the feasibility study, he will compare the ...