CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

Construction Management

Construction Management

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the core concepts of management as implemented within the construction industry. The paper would reflect upon the ability of managers in construction industry to employ the management thought and practice and to learn from the relevant past events in the construction industry. Beyond the realms of a single activity, construction, on a large scale, refers to the human multitasking. The task is normally managed by a project manager, and is further supervised by a construction manager, project architect, construction engineer, or design engineer.

Effective project planning and management is crucial for the successful execution of a project. The project manager, involved in the execution and design of the related infrastructure, should keep into consideration the ecological impact of the project, effective budgeting, scheduling, availability of building materials, construction site safety, and inconvenience to the public caused by construction bidding and delays, logistics, and more. All sorts of construction projects require a distinctive project management team to design, plan, develop and maintain the project (Edum-Fotwe & McCaffer, 2000, pp. 111-124).

Discussion

Current Trends in Construction Industry

Economic Factors

Stating that the construction industry, as a whole, has acquired a considerable whipping in duration of the recent “Great Recession” would be an understatement. Nevertheless, there are signs of a slow yet steady development in the beginnings of the new constructions, at least in the United Kingdom. Without a doubt, some sorts of construction projects, for instance, large-scale residential conversions or rehabs, government buildings, or regional infrastructure, have not undergone the significant decline that is experienced and observed in other areas like municipal improvement projects and housing starts. Stating that the projects in the construction industry are not at the verge of disappearing from the horizon of management, would be quite safe and valid, despite the fact that they would possibly be operating on extremely thin margins for the predictable future.

Technological Factors

There may nevertheless be a risk that the construction industry is not staying abreast of the advancements in the management efficiencies which have gradually become quite widespread and usual in the common business setup. In some ways, for instance, being an optimistic risk taker, the industry may be somewhat conventional in adopting the novel and contemporary methods and techniques. Basically, it has been constructing edifices in the same conventional manner using the same conventional means and techniques for quite a number of years. An argument may indeed be made that the best and the last innovation in project management that evolved out of the industry was during the 1950s as its role in the materialization of the Critical Path Method. Avoiding the details regarding the frequently discussed, various and multiple business impacts of the globalization of work, it is evident and apparent that the construction industry is not resistant and invulnerable to this innovative force, and that it would require changing its philosophy of management as well as the methodology of its accommodation. An example of rather novel technology which may promote and adapt to the ...