In my masters program some did not respond others told me to check with the top management of my company here is my question:
There is a question that I was thinking about for long long time and it could be the most important question in my career. I pursuing this degree to hopefully be a Construction Manager,
however how can I successfully assure that the project is constructed in the correct way when I don't know exactly how is the project is build? I mean there is no body knows in Electrical, Mechanical, Civil , Architecture...etc and all aspects of the project, but my job as a manger assuring that the project is build correctly, so how can I do that? How do I know that the civil engineer is doing his job right? How can I know if the HVAC system is installed correctly? If it is wrong then it will be my fault because I am the manager? How do I know if the estimator estimated the BMS system correctly what if he underestimated then the project will be in trouble, then what should I do?
In summary my question is how can I assure that all the engineers from different fields are doing there job right when I don't know how to do their job?
I learned from this Masters program about Safety, Contracts, Planning, quality, and productivity so far and I am pretty confident about these aspects but these questions always bother me... at the end of the day if the project is not build correctly or the bid price is not accurate then all the efforts will be vanished. Saving Changes...
As a manager you are expected to have a basic understanding of all the said fields of work, and since its construction it encompasses most of the other engineering fields of work like electrical, civil et al. A manager cannot be a master of all the trades while few can be with years of experience, those kind of managers can fallback on the quality team. The quality team helps the manager in ensuring the work done by the team meets the industry or the organizational standards. The manager has to work with all these multiple teams and ensure the work done is correct and is not deviating from the organizations' objective. Saving Changes...
From the research that I have done, one of the main objectives of a successful project manager is to chose the right people, and this could be the only way to assure that the project is working properly beside as you mentioned build a quality control system. Saving Changes...
Anees Ahmed RumaneEngineer Construction| Kuwait Oil CompanySalmiya, Kuwait
First thing to have is experinced Planning Engineering who planned the activites in proper sequence and provide proper feedback on each type of activty as tracking system. Scheduled meetings with agenda covering all descipline(civil, Mech, Elec...etc) with Stakeholders(engineers, sub contractos,if any, Safety, etc) which will give clear picture where the project is moving. Quality control will give idea about the quality of finished product before that execution shall meet the requirements. Communicating the progress with client or requesting authority and feedback will be the check point which tells that the project can meet the needs or out of track.
After getting enough experince it will be easy to understand all fields activities.
Make every one responsible for the job and getting feedback and appraise the work, reward for good doers, motivate the team then see the result. Saving Changes...
Deborah Dillard-JohnsonCEO and Founder| Best Patient Experience ConsultingSnellville, Ga, United States
Hi Mohammad, Here's a more generalist response. In fact, as a project manager, you are expected to be a generalist - not an expert...to understand the basic inputs and outputs; matching the schedule to the job activities. You have people, who in turn, have people to tend to the hands-on details. Your contractors should be reputable, and of course licensed and insured. First and foremost, know how to read the plans. Second, know how to read your people. Here in the U.S. there's always a general contractor. Know him well. Ask lots of questions - not in suspicion, but to learn. Thoroughly understand the timeline, what comes next and why. Confirm your assumptions by asking questions; and if something doesn't "feel quite right", then ask again. With each new job, it will all start making sense. Take a genuine interest in your people, show obvious respect for their expertise. Take an admirer's stance, and and complement them on their depth of knowledge (they actually are the experts since they are closest the job). Do this, without getting in the way, and they will tell you everything you need to know. Finally, again in the US, there are a number of inspection points in the construction process. Find out from the general contractor the timing of these inspections, and what constitutes a "pass". You are not expected, nor do you need know how to do the work yourself. Oh, one last comment. An interested enthusiastic "learner" is welcome on the construction site as long as they are not interfering with progress. A micro-manager is not welcome. Make a point of being part of the former group. Saving Changes...
Thank you all for your responds, however please notice that I am talking from a real life experience. Many projects are not performed correctly because the engineers are lieing , literally lieing about their capabilities and always tell the manager that they are doing their job right when they are not. The manager of that project just knew this when he submitted his bill. Many other projects are over or under estimated because of the low capability of the estimator. I still think that it all goes with choosing the right employees, and probably doing several inspections from quality control. I know in the U.S. is different because of the PE so it is hardly found that a person with a PE will do such mistakes.. They should apply something like this in the Middle East. Thanks all again for your responses. Saving Changes...
To addon to Sriharsha, particular to construction industry, i believe a random but regular checks on all work trades based on Design and drawings is prime responsibility for overall incharge of the project. In construction industry for almost all works, you get a set of detailed drawings throughly approved by Field consultants, so it's actually easy job for even civil engg. to check how electrical circuits has been connected. And as you complete 3-4 project cycles, you might need not to see basic details of other trades. Saving Changes...
I think many people did not manage actual projects and this could be the reason that they think it is an easy job. This is a big problem in Construction Management in general. Please no body underestimate this. The chair of my department told me I don't know, when I asked him this question. I am an online student in a credited public university in the U.S.. My GPA is 4.0 and I am talking about projects with over 100 millions so it is really a complicated process. I wish people who actually managed big projects share with me their experience. The electrical pumps on the project that we are working alone is more than 10 millions. Thank you for understanding. Saving Changes...
