Advanced Construction Project Management Quiz

Manage Construction Project Scope

• Project scope is like a roadmap that outlines what needs to be done, how it should be done, and what the end result should look like.
• It includes what needs to be built, special requirements, and what's not included.
• Having a clear scope helps everyone stay on the same page and ensures the project stays on track.

Definition of Project Scope

• A document that defines the boundaries, objectives, deliverables, and constraints of a project.
• Outlines what is included and excluded, ensuring everyone understands the project's purpose and what will be accomplished.

Purpose of Project Scope

• Provides clarity and direction for the project team and stakeholders.
• Helps ensure everyone involved in the project understands the project's objectives, boundaries, deliverables, and constraints.
• Minimizes misunderstandings, reduces risks, and increases the chances of project success.

Manage Construction Project Scope Processes

• Planning: defines the project and determines the work needed to be delivered.
• Controlling: tracks, manages, and monitors the project scope process.
• Closing: involves an audit of the project deliverables and accessing the result of the final product against the original defined plan.

Clarify the Construction Project Scope

• Develop a project charter or scope statement to clearly define the project scope.
• Identify the project's name, sponsor, manager, background, goals, objectives, business case, scope, deliverables, timeline, budget, constraints, risks, requirements, success criteria, and exclusions.

Planning Construction Project Scope Management

• Identify the tasks that need to be completed, the resources required, and the timeline for completion.
• Develop a plan for how the project scope will be executed.

Success Criteria for the Construction Project Scope

• Validation of scope process focuses on customer acceptance as success criteria.
• Formal acceptance of all project deliverables by the project customer.

Process to Manage for Changes to the Scope

• Executing construction project scope, controlling construction project scope, and monitoring construction project scope.
• Stakeholders' needs and requirements are divided into internal stakeholders (client, project team, suppliers) and external stakeholders (regulators, community).

Stakeholder Analysis

• Conduct a thorough analysis of each stakeholder's needs, expectations, goals, and concerns.
• Consider both explicit requirements and implicit requirements.

Detailed Description of the Scope Statement

• Provides a comprehensive outline of the objectives, deliverables, constraints, assumptions, and other key aspects of a project.
• Includes potential deliverables such as architectural drawings, engineering designs, construction documentation, and final inspections.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

• A hierarchical decomposition of a project into smaller, more manageable tasks (components).
• Provides a clear and organized outline of all the work that needs to be done to complete the project.
• Helps project managers and team members understand the scope of the project, allocate resources effectively, track progress, and ensure that all necessary work is completed on time and within budget.

Techniques for WBS

• Top-Down Approach: starts with the project's major deliverables and breaks them down into smaller components.
• Bottom-Up Approach: begins with individual tasks and gradually rolls them up into higher-level deliverables.
• Mind Mapping: uses visual diagrams to brainstorm and organize project tasks hierarchically.
• Expert Judgment: involves subject matter experts to provide insights and guidance on breaking down the project scope effectively.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Representation Format

• Hierarchical Structure
• Indented List
• Tree Diagram
• Tabular Format

Difference between WBS and OBS

• WBS is focused on the breakdown of a project itself, while OBS is a breakdown of the structure of a company by department and/or employees and how it impacts the project.

Construction Project Final Deliverables

• Tangible deliverables: completed structure, documentation, as-built drawings, warranty information, and handover documentation.
• Intangible deliverables: quality assurance, safety compliance, timely completion, cost control, and stakeholder satisfaction.

Deep Analysis of External Factors and Organizational Processes

• Regulatory requirements, environmental considerations, market conditions, stakeholder expectations, and organizational processes can significantly impact the work subdivisions and ultimately influence the final deliverables of a construction project.

WBS Dictionary

• Provides detailed information about each work package within the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
• Includes a detailed description of the work package, assumptions, constraints, limitations, exclusions, quality requirements, acceptance criteria, and resource requirements.

Control Construction Project Scope

• Controlling project scope refers to the process of managing changes to the project scope throughout its lifecycle.
• Involves scope validation, monitoring, and controlling to ensure the project stays on track and delivers the intended outcomes within the defined parameters.

Scope Validation

• Ensures the project deliverables meet the specified requirements and are accepted by stakeholders.
• Importance of scope validation: stakeholder satisfaction, quality assurance, risk mitigation, and project success.

Monitoring Scope

• Monitoring scope is vital in project management to ensure that the project stays within its defined boundaries and delivers the intended outcomes.
• Scope control techniques: variance analysis, trend analysis, change management, and stakeholders' communication.

Importance of Scope Monitoring and Control

• Alignment with objectives, resource optimization, risk management, and stakeholder communication.
• Effects of scope creep and gold plating: increased project costs, delays, resource overruns, and decreased stakeholder satisfaction.

Scope Baseline

• A bundle of scope-related documents that sets out the approved scope of a project.
• Consists of the scope statement and the defined work breakdown structure of that project.

Variations to the Scope Baseline

• Changes to the scope baseline, also known as scope changes, are common occurrences in project management.
• Importance of change management: maintaining control, minimizing disruptions, risk mitigation, and stakeholder communication.### Manage Construction Project Schedule
• A construction schedule is a detailed plan that outlines the tasks, resources, and requirements needed to complete a project on time and within budget.
• It helps to ensure the project is completed on time and within budget, coordinate the work of different subcontractors and suppliers, identify and mitigate potential risks, and track progress and make adjustments as needed.

Breakdown of the Key Steps of Construction Project Schedule

• Schedule development and approval
• Schedule analysis and coordination
• Schedule changes and revisions
• Schedule delay mitigation planning

Schedule Development Process

• Preparation:
  • Choose specialized scheduling software
  • Gather project information: review plans, specifications, budgets, and subcontractor lists
• Break down the project:
  • Develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to logically sub-divide the project into smaller, manageable tasks
• Define the schedule:
  • Identify tasks and activities
  • Estimate durations
  • Establish dependencies
• Schedule visualization:
  • Choose a scheduling method: Gantt charts, Critical Path Method (CPM) networks
• Refine and finalize:
  • Review with stakeholders
  • Incorporate revisions
  • Address issues
• Execution and Monitoring:
  • Implement the schedule
  • Track progress
  • Update and adapt the schedule as needed

Critical Path Method (CPM)

• A project management technique used for scheduling and analyzing projects
• Helps identify the most important tasks for project completion and the overall project duration
• Focuses on deterministic time estimates, meaning task durations are assumed to be fixed and known with certainty

Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)

• A project management methodology used to analyze and represent the tasks involved in completing a project
• Employs probabilistic time estimates, allowing for uncertainties and variations in task durations
• Helps visualize the tasks and their dependencies, estimates the time required to complete the project, and identifies the critical path

Line of Balance (LOB)

• A graphical tool used to optimize the scheduling and management of repetitive tasks
• Displays the rate at which tasks need to be performed to maintain a continuous flow of work, balancing resources and ensuring steady progress

Qualitative Scheduling (Q Scheduling)

• Uses imprecise durations for tasks but focuses on the relationships between them
• Good for early planning stages before detailed estimates are available

Gantt Chart

• A type of bar chart that encourages stakeholders to structure the project with several levels of details and consider dependencies between tasks
• Helps estimate the duration of the project and identify the critical path

Common Construction Project Scheduling Mistakes

• Inaccurate project estimates
• Lack of real-time visibility
• Missing dependencies
• Poor resource allocation
• Not preparing for the worst

Choosing the Right Technique

• Depends on the project's complexity, uncertainty level, and budget
• Complex projects with well-defined tasks: CPM
• Projects with uncertain durations: PERT
• Linear repetitive projects: LOB
• Early planning stages: Q Scheduling

Acceptable Accuracy for Construction Projects

• Varies depending on the project phase and specific element
• Planning & Budgeting: +/- 10-20% is common
• Material Ordering: +/- 5% is ideal
• Construction Dimensions: +/- 1-3% depending on the criticality of the element

Cost and Schedule Variance

• Cost Variance (CV): CV = EV - AC
• Schedule Variance (SV): SV = EV - PV
• Cost Performance Index (CPI): CPI = EV / AC
• Schedule Performance Index (SPI): SPI = EV / PV

Continuous Monitoring & Proactive Management

• Use variances and indexes to make informed decisions about resource allocation, schedule adjustments, and corrective actions

Determine Activities Sequences

• Four main types of activity relationships:
  • Finish-to-Start (FS)
  • Start-to-Start (SS)
  • Finish-to-Finish (FF)
  • Start-to-Finish (SF)

Types of Dependencies

• Mandatory dependencies
• Discretionary dependencies
• Internal dependencies
• External dependencies

Lead and Lag

• Lead: the amount of time a successor activity can be started while the predecessor activity is still ongoing
• Lag: the waiting period after the predecessor activity finishes before the successor activity can begin

Manage Construction Project Resources

• Identify resources required for the construction project
• Acquire resources
• Manage human (team) resources
• Control physical resources

Identify Project Resources

• Site resources can be defined as those requirements needed to perform tasks in project implementation
• Planning involves breaking down the project into definable, measurable, and identifiable tasks and establishing the logical interdependencies among them

Procedures to Identify, Acquire, and Manage Resources

• Step 1: Resource Planning
• Step 2: Estimate Resources / Resource Allocation
• Step 3: Acquire Team
• Step 4: Develop and Manage Team
• Step 5: Continuously Evaluate Resources

Guidelines to Identify, Acquire, and Manage Resources

• Assess Scope & Objectives
• List Resources
• Estimate Quantities & Duration
• Allocate Tasks
• Assign Responsibilities

Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS)

• A table, list, or diagram that project managers create to identify the necessary resources for each task in a project plan

Organization Breakdown Structure (OBS)

• A hierarchical model describing the established organizational framework for project planning, resource management, time and expense tracking, cost allocation, revenue/profit reporting, and work management

Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)

• A project management chart used to identify and define the various people and organizations and outline each of their roles in working on tasks or delivering a part of the project

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

• A hierarchical structure designed to logically sub-divide all the work-elements of the project into a graphical presentation

Resources Identification

• Workforce or Human resources
• Material and Products
• Plant, tools, and equipment in use
• Suppliers/deliveries
• Finance (Petty cash)
• Space and facilities
• Transportation means
• Other support resources

Estimation of Resources

• Bottom-up estimation
• Analogous estimation
• Parametric estimation
• Data analysis estimation

Project Management Information System

• A system that gathers, organizes, and uses project data via one or more software applications### Resource Calendar and Project Calendar
• A resource calendar is a schedule of team members' availability to work on tasks, tracking resource availability.
• A project calendar is a schedule of planned tasks and milestones, tracking project progress.

Project Documents Updates

• Project documents update is a generic term for updating various project documents that may require changes.
• Key project documentation deliverables vary across phases:
  • Initiation: Project charter, feasibility study report.
  • Planning: Project management plan, risk register, scope statement.
  • Execution: Progress reports, work breakdown structure, quality control documents.

Managing Changes to Project Resources Requirements

• The Change Management Process is a mechanism to initiate, record, assess, approve, and resolve project changes.
• Change management procedures:
  1. Define the Change.
  2. Create a Change Vision.
  3. Select a Change Management Model.
  4. Create a Change Management Plan.
  5. Assemble a Change Management Team.
  6. Implement & Track the Changes.

Propose an Integrated Project Coordination System

• Adopt a holistic and systematic approach to integrate change and project management.
• This includes defining scope and objectives, establishing governance, developing a management plan, implementing, monitoring, and controlling progress, evaluating, and capturing lessons learned.

Team Development

• Targets to improve competency, members' interaction, and overall team environment to enhance performance:
  • Boosting Competency:
    • Skills Gap Analysis.
    • Targeted Training.
    • Knowledge Sharing.
    • Feedback and Reviews.
  • Enhancing Member Interaction:
    • Clear Communication Channels.
    • Active Listening.
    • Team-Building Activities.
    • Conflict Resolution Skills.
    • Recognition and Rewards.
  • Optimizing the Team Environment:
    • Shared Goals and Vision.
    • Psychological Safety.
    • Regular Feedback.

5 Stages of Team Development

• Forming: Team members get to know each other and trust one another.
• Storming: Team members assert themselves and resolve conflicts.
• Norming: The team begins to work productively without worrying about personal acceptance.
• Performing: The team is working at optimum productivity and collaborating easily.
• Adjourning: The team members complete their assigned work and shift to the next project or task.

Techniques of Team Development

• Collocations (keeping team members together).
• Virtual teams (bringing team members from different geographical locations).
• Communication technology.
• Interpersonal and team skills.
• Recognition and rewards.
• Trainings.
• Individual and team assessments.
• Meetings.

Manage Team Techniques

• Interpersonal and team skills:
  • Conflict management.
  • Leadership.
  • Influencing.
  • Decision making.
  • Emotional intelligence (EI) / emotional quotient (EQ).
• Reward and Recognition Systems:
  • Reinforcing performance or behavior systematically.
  • Motivating the team to perform better.
  • Rewards include:
    • Additional vacation time or other perks.
    • Awards or trophies.
    • Gifts.
    • A bonus.
    • Training or role rotation opportunities.
    • Recognition and Praise.

Project Management Information System

• Team management tools are a subcategory of project management software that focuses on facilitating team collaboration and communication.

Evaluation of Resources Requirement Plan

• Availability of resources against the plan:
  • Resource availability refers to the amount and type of resources currently accessible for a particular task or project.
• Planned vs actual resources utilization:
  • Planned Utilization vs. Actual Utilization.
• Take corrective action if necessary:
  • A corrective action plan is a documentation used in quality management to address issues and gaps in business operations and processes that could negatively impact the project.

Resources Control Techniques

• Data analysis:
  • Alternative analysis.
  • Cost-Benefit analysis.
  • Performance reviews.
  • Trend analysis.
• Problem-solving through stages:
  • Identification.
  • Definition.
  • Investigation.
  • Analysis.
  • Application of the solution.
  • Monitor solution.
• Interpersonal and team skills:
  • Negotiation.
  • Influencing.

Test your knowledge on managing construction project scope, including clarifying project scope, creating work breakdown structures, and controlling scope.