How to Achieve the Primary Objectives on a Construction Project?

In order to meet the primary objectives the management team should consider the following acronym: PODC. P stands for plan. The team must have a plan for how they are going to accomplish each of the objectives. Some Project Managers claim they don’t have time to plan. Others realize that they don’t have time not to plan. Proper planning is what gives them time to successfully manage projects.

The O stands for organize. The team must organize everything to do with the project in order to meet the primary objectives. They must organize the job site for efficiency in receiving materials and staging equipment. They must be personally organized so they are not crisis drive.

The D stands for direct. Managers must give directions to all the participants so that the planning and organizing will be communicated to everyone. If there is a great plan and the team members are organized but no direction is given, the result will be failure. Stand up and give directions. Take command and make decisions. There must be a leader with the vision of the entire project to direct the workforce.

The C stands for control. The main objective of management is to control time cost and quality, while providing a safe work environment. If the management team is not planning, organizing, directing, and controlling, why are they there? Handling critical issues such as these is the purpose of management. To achieve control is very challenging, but successful managers find rewards and excitement in accomplishing this enormous challenge.

When the project is in trouble, it is important to take a close look at the PODC. A common comparison can be seen in the world of sports. When a football coach is being interviewed by the media right after a surprising and difficult loss, the coach is typically asked what he or she is going to do to recover from the loss and what will be the focus to prepare for the next week’s game. In football, the basics are blocking, tackling, passing, running, kicking and knowing and following the play. In project management, the basics are time, cost quality, and safety. How they are incorporated by planning, organizing, directing, and controlling. If a project is in trouble, look at these basics and see where the team is failing in their plan, their method of organizing the project and the workforce, the way they are directing the work to be done, and the controls they have put in place to monitor time, costs, quality, and safety.

The schedule is the key piece of the puzzle because it interfaces with all the project management basics. The schedule shows the plan of how the project is going to be built, helps the management team organize the workforce to build the project in an orderly manner, gives direction to all team members on how the team is going to accomplish the primary objectives, and helps managers control the time, cost, and quality of the project, while providing a safe work environment.

All construction projects have four primary components; quality, safety, cost and schedule. To successfully execute any project requires that these elements are addressed. Every project has limited resources and the proper balance must be achieved for a successful project.

Quality is essential to meet or exceed the owners’ expectations of the quality of the work. The quality of work expected should be clearly communicated in the contract documents or work agreement with the owner. Quality cannot be sacrificed in order to hit the schedule or cost objectives. Increased quality above what is expected will consume precious cost and schedule resources. Specifications alone will not guarantee the total quality of the completed project. The final quality standards are set by the entire team involved in the process, depending on the costs and time allowed. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to complete an exceptionally high-quality project unusually fast, at a low cost, and in a very safe work environment.

Safety is an extremely important objective of any project. Safety can never be compromised to hit the cost or schedule objectives. Like other project elements maintaining proper safety consumes project resources. Proper training of the work force is essential. Planning the work and understanding the risks is an important element. Effective communication at all times is required to maintaining a safe work environment.

If cost is primary focus of a project then quality, schedule and safety will be impacted. Quality will be sacrifice because inferior products will be used often by an untrained workforce. Safety will be compromised due to the lack of experience and ability. Schedule is often impacted because of rework and the lack of the necessary manpower. Cost is often the only measure of success of a project. It is too easy for a project manager to only focus on this element.

If schedule is the driving force of the project, time is of the essence. Quality cannot be maintained or shortcuts are taken. Cost increases due to overtime and excessive manpower which often reduces productivity. Safety is sacrificed because time can be saved by not using the proper equipment or methods. When the crew is pressured by a time constraint they often work carelessly and take unnecessary chances.

One of the major challenges of project management is to balance time, cost, and quality, while ensuring a safe work environment. The project manager must keep all of these in mind and not let the pressure on one decrease the effective management of the others. Some projects inevitably demand that more emphasis be placed on one of these objectives. The experienced manager nonetheless will keep them as closely balanced as possible. It is important for the project manager who wants to satisfy all stakeholder objectives and to under promise and over deliver. If, during the initial planning stage, the project manager senses that quality must be above the norm, the additional costs and time must be determined and included in the estimate and the schedule to ensure the project’s success. Moreover, if initially it is realized that the project must be completed in an unrealistic time frame, the additional costs and safety precautions must also be planned for in advance, along with the steps to be taken to ensure that the project’s quality standards are met.

Compromising on these major objectives to the appropriate extent is a delicate task that the project manager must consider and handle carefully. The project’s schedule must represent a realistic attempt at meeting all four of these primary objectives. Again, the best schedule is not the shortest; it is the schedule that meets the project’s time, cost, quality, and safety objectives.

Welcome to my Blog

My name’s Jim, I’m a project management consultant in the construction industry.  Welcome to my blog.

The purpose of this page is to tell you a little about me and to help answer a few questions.

I work with project managers, owners, subcontractors and designers.  I help them execute successful projects.  Not all but most define success as bringing in a project under budget, ahead of schedule, no lost time accidents and outstanding quality.

I have been working in the construction business for 23 out of the past 30 years.  I took a little break to get a college degree and to own and operate a restaurant business.  I learned a lot about business, there but like a lot of restaurants it didn’t end well.  I decided to get back into the construction game.

Through out the years I have worked in many industries.  I started out in the Semi-conductor business, worked some jobs for the likes of Intel, Motorola, Texas Instruments, Advanced Micro Devices and Siemens.  After the semiconductor industry went into a slump I did some Environmental Remediation projects mainly working for the Air Force base closure program and the EPA Superfund.  I then got into the transportation field.  I worked on a couple of major airport projects, some highway and bridge projects.  I even did a top secret project for the Navy.  I also did some work in the Power generation, Nuclear and Oil & Gas fields.

I now reside in the great state of Texas with my lovely wife of 20 years and two wonderful sons.  I am still working on projects on a daily basis.  I prefer being in the field where the work is.  I have no desire to ever work in a corporate office.  My current project is a major pipeline project that has been in the news quite a bit over the last several years.  When I’m not working I enjoy coaching youth sports, playing golf and sailing.

I have worked in many roles including cost engineer, senior scheduler, planner, estimator and quantity surveyor.  The most valuable skill that I bring is my knowledge of project management computer systems.  My degree is in computer science and I am sort of a computer geek.  Most projects that I have worked on I have built custom tools to help automate many tasks in the management of projects.  I am currently working on mobile solutions to solve similar problems.

I have amassed a great amount of knowledge and experience while executing numerous successful projects over the years.  The goal of this blog is to share my knowledge and experience with some of the smaller operators in the construction business.  I will gladly answer any of your questions about managing projects.  I know a lot of stuff but if you get me stumped I know a lot of experts that I am sure they can get you an answer.  So please use the comment field below and ask away.  You can also send me an e-mail at jimambler@milestoneadvisor.com.  It lands in my personal e-mail and I personally read all my e-mails.

I hope this blog helps you execute more profitable projects.  If it does I’d love to hear from you, please send me a note.  If you would like to get regular updates delivered right to your e-mail inbox please subscribe to the blog below.