Construction Project Management

What a construction project is and how it differs from other types of projects. The project's main objectives and constraints. The main areas of project management. The construction project life cycle. Project stages - initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and completion. Key factors in project success. Construction project participants and their interaction. Practical exercise: review the construction project life cycle using a real example.

The main participants in a construction project. The project manager's role and responsibilities. The role of the Construction Manager / Site Manager. The role of the Owner / Client. The roles of Contractors and Subcontractors. The role of the Portfolio / Program Manager. The importance of assigning responsibilities correctly. RACI Matrix - what it is and why it is used. Practical exercise: create a RACI Matrix for a specific construction project.

What a construction contract is. The main components of a contract. The main types of construction contracts. Lump Sum, Unit Price, Cost Plus and other approaches. The importance of contract conditions in project management. A general overview of FIDIC. FIDIC Red Book - structure and core principles. The roles of the employer, contractor and engineer in the FIDIC context. Practical exercise: identify contract provisions that are important to the project manager.

Why changes occur in construction projects. The main principles of Change Management. The change-request process. The impact of a change on schedule, budget and resources. Variation / Change Order. The process of identifying and resolving an issue. Documenting and approving changes. Maintaining a Change Log. Practical assignment: analyse a Change Request based on a real construction situation and work through the change-management process.

What a project risk is. Types of risk in construction projects. Risk Identification. Risk Assessment. Assessing risk probability and impact. Risk Matrix. Risk Response Strategies. Risk Register. Monitoring and updating risks. Practical assignment: create a Risk Register for a specific construction project.

The main principles of Quality Management. Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC). Quality control processes in a construction project. Inspection & Testing. Inspection and Test Plan (ITP). Non-Conformance Report (NCR). Defect Management. The importance of quality documentation. Common quality control problems and their prevention. Practical exercise: review a quality problem or defect and determine the appropriate response.

The principles of project document management. Document classification and version control. Submittals. Transmittals. RFI (Request for Information). Shop Drawings. Method Statement. Material Submittal. Snag List / Punch List. The document approval process. Maintaining a Document Register. Practical exercise: review Submittal / RFI / Transmittal examples and establish a document-management process.

What a construction project schedule is. Why the schedule is important in project management. Defining and breaking down the work. WBS - Work Breakdown Structure. Determining activity durations. Dependencies between activities. Gantt Chart. CPM - Critical Path Method. The importance of the Critical Path. Milestones. The main principles of project schedule control. Practical exercise: create a WBS and activity sequence for a small construction project.

The MS Project interface. Creating a new project. Project Start Date. Creating a Calendar and defining working days. Entering tasks. Summary Tasks and Subtasks. Determining activity durations. Predecessors and Successors. Milestones. Using the Gantt Chart. Visual management of the project schedule. Practical exercise: participants begin creating their own construction project schedule in MS Project.

This lecture is entirely focused on practice. Creating a complete construction project schedule in MS Project. Creating a WBS. Determining activity durations. Creating links between activities. Adding Milestones. Adding resources. Assigning resources to tasks. Analysing the Critical Path. Creating a Baseline. Comparing Planned vs Actual. Updating and controlling the schedule. Preparing the final project schedule. Practical assignment: the participant independently creates and manages a complete construction project schedule in MS Project.

Practical exercise: use AI to carry out several real scenarios from a project manager's day-to-day work.