CONSTRUCTION METHODS & TECHNOLOGY

Construction Methods & Technology



Construction Methods & Technology

Introduction

Good project management in construction must vigorously pursue the efficient utilization of labor, material and equipment. Improvement of labor productivity should be a major and continual concern of those who are responsible for cost control of constructed facilities. Material handling, which includes procurement, inventory, shop fabrication and field servicing, requires special attention for cost reduction. The use of new equipment and innovative methods has made possible wholesale changes in construction technologies in recent decades. (Anink et al 1996: 59-63) Organizations which do not recognize the impact of various innovations and have not adapted to changing environments have justifiably been forced out of the mainstream of construction activities.

List of all Activities including the Labour, Plant and Materials required for each activity

A successful Project Manager must effectively manage the resources assigned to the project. This includes the labor hours of the project team. It also includes managing labor subcontracts and vendors. Managing the people resources means having the right people, with the right skills and the proper tools, in the right quantity at the right time. However, managing project resources frequently involves more than people management. The project manager must also manage the equipment (cranes, trucks and other heavy equipment) used for the project and the material (pipe, insulation, computers, manuals) assigned to the project. The project team creates the project work breakdown structure by identifying the major functional deliverables and subdividing those deliverables into smaller systems and sub-deliverables. These sub-deliverables are further decomposed until a single person can be assigned. At this level, the specific work packages required to produce the sub- deliverable are identified and grouped together. The work package represents the list of tasks or “to-dos” to produce the specific unit of work. If you've seen detailed project schedules, then you'll recognize the tasks under the work package as the “stuff” people need to complete by a specific time and within a specific level of effort.

From a cost perspective, these work packages are usually grouped and assigned to a specific department to produce the work. These departments, or cost accounts, are defined in an organizational breakdown structure and are allocated budget to produce the specific deliverables. By integrating the cost accounts from the organizational breakdown structure and the project's work breakdown structure, the entire organization can track financial progress in addition to project performance. (Ashworth 2005: 141-145)

Project Planning, Management and Administration. This element includes the general management of the project, establishment and operation of the cost and schedule tracking systems, generation of financial and technical reports, organizing technical and project reviews, and the accelerator and FEL physics activities not covered by the individual systems. Costs related to management of project-wide ES&H issues will be captured in this WBS element.

Electron Beam Handling Systems. This element includes the technical equipment required to generate the electron beam, to accelerate and transport the electron beam, through the undulator, and to dump the electron beam. (Adler, 1999: 45-67)

Photon Beam Handling and ...