Construction management is a broad term because there are many facets to construction management. There are many phases to construction projects. A construction manager is involved in all of the phases of a construction project. In a way, construction management is much like parenting an entire project because the manager has to balance finances, technology, design, with human resources. In order to better understand what it is that construction managers do, what type of processes they manage, and the types of positions that they hold, this essay will review the definition of construction management and the way that managers work together in order to seamlessly pull off a successful construction project.
The definition of construction management. A good working definition of construction management is: “A service that uses specialized, project management techniques to manage the planning, design, and construction of a project, from its beginning to its end” (CMAA, 2017). One thing that construction management consists of is that there is a requisite knowledge of two different career branches: Construction and management. Therefore, construction management is the informed knowledge of modern management techniques in combination with understanding of the design and construction requirements (Project-Management, 2017). Construction management is the integration and execution of a project from the beginning to end, with all things and people considered, and within a time frame and budget.
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"Construction Management: Definition, Process, and Positions".
Who is involved in the process of construction management. There are nine distinct areas of construction project management with different personnel that a construction manager must work with. These areas are: project integration, project scope management, time management, cost management, quality control, human resources, communications, risk management, and project procurement (Project-Management, 2017). Construction managers must set and keep schedules, control the project budget, and make certain that everyone is doing their jobs correctly (McManus, 2017). There are many people who are involved in construction management and the process of the management. Each phase of the project has a manager, and each category of the project has its own manager. There is one manager who oversees the project and is like the CEO of the project amongst all of the micromanagers.
Types of positions and what is performed in construction management. All of these nine distinct areas have managers of their own. Therefore, a construction project manager will oversee and manage the managers of these areas. In project integration, the managers cooperate to see that all various project elements are coordinated. This is the overall project manager who oversees the overall project integration. A project manager is also in charge of the scope of the project. This means the manager will ascertain what is possible and what is not possible, and within a time frame (Project-Management, 2017). The time management fits in with integration and scope because a manager must be able to coordinate parts of a project in order to fit in sequence and budget, which can become a dizzying task (McManus, 2017).
Conclusion
In conclusion, a project manager is like a mother to the construction project (McManus, 2017). Project management is a complex system of processes and people who are interrelated. Each phase of a project depends upon the success of the prior phase; therefore, a singular project manager oversees the project in entirety. The different parts of a project have managers at their level in order to have a system of managers who ensure that a project is completed on budget, and within a time frame, with appropriate human resources. Project management is the ultimate multitasking job for it requires the project manager to wear many hats and have knowledge in different areas.
- CMAA Website Editors. (2017). What is construction management? CMAA. Retrieved from http://cmaanet.org/about-profession
- McManus, M. (2017). What does a construction manager do? How Stuff Works. Retrieved from http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/projects/construction-manager.htm
- Project-Management.com. (2017). What is construction project management? Project-Management.com. Retrieved from https://project-management.com/what-is-construction-project-management/
