Unit 7 P4 – Techniques Used to Plan, Organise and Control a Construction Project

Long and Short Term PlansGantt charts and schedules are effective ways of planning a project, they help to predict the length of each stage of the project, key milestones can be estimated as can an overall end date to the project.

They work by listing all the main stages of the project in the sequence they need to be built, the project planner can then look at what operations need to happen in sequence, eg one cannot start till the other has finished, and what operations can happen at the same time.

SchedulingOnce the operations have been programmed, materials can be ordered. Many of the items required in a construction project may take several months or more to prepare, such as specialist windows or steelwork. The Quantity Surveyor will produce a document called a bill of quantities that will list all the material needed for a project.

The Gantt chart will also help to plan what labour and when it will be needed, as with some materials, some specialist construction operations such as the erection of steel frames will need specialist workers to complete the work and this will need to be booked in advance.

Control of GoodsOnce ordered by the head office the site team will need to know what materials to expect and when to expect them. The company will need a method of monitoring the delivery of goods to the site. This is normally done by checking the goods against a copy of the order form when they arrive on site, these will normally be signed for and then stored safely or taken directly to the operation they are required for.

Modern construction sites are generally very tidy and safety conscious, materials and tools will be stored in lock boxes that will

keep them safe and protect them from the effects of weather. Workers may need to sign out tools on a daily basis, this can help reduce the loss tools and damage to tools.

Control of LabourOne of the hardest things to manage on a site is the various levels of staff, construction sites vary from just a few people to hundreds of people. On larger construction sites it would be impossible for one person to know where everybody is supposed to be at any one time, and have the time to monitor the workers and ensure that they are on schedule.

Management of staff needs to be handled at several levels, site management is often divided by areas,

such as internal and external. Under the site managers a further level of management and supervision will exist in terms of reporting progress.

Unit 7 P4 – Techniques Used to Plan, Organise and Control a Construction Project

These levels of management are also important in the distribution of information about the build of the project.

Subcontractor labour can be monitored by time sheets or by piece rate, this is where a worker is paid for the amount of work they produce not the amount of time they spend on a job.

Plant ManagementThe heavy machinery used on site, needs to be linked to overall site schedule, to ensure it is available on site that several teams are not trying to use it at the same time. Plant is often hired or leased rather than owned. This has the advantage of only using the plant equipment when it’s needed. It also means that a construction company do not need to pay for the maintenance and servicin g of plant.

Plant is normally monitored by keeping a plant log sheet, this should be stored with the keys and filled in every time the

equipment is used. Plant use is normally tracked in hours rather than distance, an excavator could be used for 8 hours a day but not travel more than a few hundred metres.