©Sheila Belayutham
CHAPTER 6
CONTROL
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LEARNING OUTCOME
Students will be able to:
• Understand monitoring and control in
construction.
• Understand the monitoring and control
methods in construction.
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MONITORING &
CONTROL
It’s important to have a
schedule, BUT it’s more
important to use it.
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Introduction
• Begins with the identification of the owner’s objectives
and ends when those objectives have been met.
• Purpose is to guarantee that the project’s design,
budget and schedule are met by the project team.
• If any objectives begin to deviate, correction can be
made.
• Action-based process that encourages continual
monitoring of operations.
• Compare project standards and variances noted.
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What is monitoring?
• Understanding what is happening on a
project
• Obtain information about the project by
some means.
What is control?
•Actions taken in response to the information.
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WHAT TO MONITOR AND CONTROL?
Cost
Time
Quality
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT CONCEPT
• Three major phases of project
management (PM):
Planning -thinking, scoping, listing,
organizing, identifying
Scheduling -time phasing, sequencing
activities, estimating durations
Control -utilizing feedback, monitoring,
assembling facts, accessing alternatives,
making decisions
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MONITORING & CONTROL
• Monitoring and control of the progress
of work can be achieved through proper
program of work, which are logically
planned, constantly reviewed and
closely monitored.
• It is important to anticipate all events
and build contingency plans into the
project for any unexpected deviation
that often occur.
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MONITORING & CONTROL
• Monitoring and control is important to
ensure that the project will be smooth in
operation.
• Monitoring work progress is to compare
the actual work progress against the
planned work progress.
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MONITORING & CONTROL
• Program refereed to:
– Master program
– Monthly program
– Weekly program
– Sub contractors program
– Material procurement program
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MONITORING & CONTROL
• The classical control stages involve
three stages:
– Measuring the state of the system.
– Comparing these measurements with the
desired state of the system.
– Taking corrective action to return the
system to its desired state or to minimize
some loss function.
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MONITORING & CONTROL
• In a construction project context, the
steps in the control cycle could be
considered as:
1. Make a plan
2. Implement the plan
3. Monitor actual output and record it
4. Report actual and planned parameters
and their variations
5. Take action
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MONITORING & CONTROL
• The first four stages constitute the
monitoring process.
• Monitoring provides quantitative
information on which control action may
be based.
• In the absence of formal information
from monitoring the management will
take control action based on their
informal information systems; hunches,
belief and advice.
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WHY MONITOR AND CONTROL?
• So that project could be completed
within the agreed duration stated in the
contract.
• To refrain from getting LAD.
• To maximise profit.
• To maintain company’s good image.
• If progress too fast, could also increase
cost.
• If progress too slow, could also increase
cost.
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Project Control
Standards (Targets)
• To begin the process, managers first establish
standards.
• Cost, schedule and quality are the basis of these
standards.
• Standards are use to check progress and provide
direction.
• Drawings and specification – quality control.
• Measurement standards serve as a goals for the
project participants.
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Actual
• Second components of the project control system.
• Includes accurate cost, schedule and quality
information about the project.
• Actual performance compare to planned performance
provides progress.
• On-site review, walk-through and quantity reports can
provide information on the progress of the project.
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Basic Control Theory
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Preparing a Project
for Construction
• Project must be broken down to a suitable level of
detail to be monitored and controlled.
• Cost, time and quality control can be set up in
schedule of activity.
• Baseline – establishes the goals for the project and
allows the management to measure how well the
project proceeding.
• Estimates – Cost baseline.
• Schedule – Time baseline.
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COST CONTROL
• May be described as a process
whereby a construction project is
intentionally managed in every way
possible so that:
– The client’s authorized cost of construction
project (contract sum) is not exceeded.
– The contractor does not lose profit.
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COST CONTROL
• At the project’s production phase, it is the
duty of the client's professional advisers to
constrain the actual project cost to conform to
the planned project expenditure.
• It is the duty of the contractor’s QS/ manager
to oversee the contractor produces the
project within its original tender sum.
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COST CONTROL
• To achieve these objectives, the
following elements must prevail:
– Planning – formulate production cost plan.
– Monitoring – continuous comparison of
actual with planned.
– Action – rectification of divergences from
planned.
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FACTORS AFFECT COST CONTROL
• Changes during construction.
• Shortage of skilled labor.
• Unforeseen shortage of essential
materials.
• Delay in checking and approval of
workmanship.
• Inadequate machinery/ plant.
• Unreliable sub contractors.
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FACTORS AFFECT COST CONTROL
• Variation orders to meet changes by the
client, site constraints, designers, additional
requirement by regulatory authorities.
• Failure by the contractor to meet or comply to
requirement/ specifications.
• Wastage of materials.
• Improper maintenance of equipment resulting
in frequent breakdown.
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Cost Baseline
• Estimate is the tool used to establish the cost of a
project.
• Conceptual estimate establishes the initial cost for
the project.
• As design proceeds, it will tighten the budget.
• Bid price/contract price is the cost baseline.
• As the project moves to construction stage, the
estimate becomes detailed (material quantities,
labour rates, equipment rates) .
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Time Baseline
• When schedule combine with estimates, cash flow
can be projected.
• Schedule must be managed and continually updated.
• Using WBS, networks schedules, bar charts.
• Baseline schedule identifies the key milestone dates
and key material delivery dates.
• Start and finish of each activity is shown.
• Can’t tolerate with delays.
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S-CURVE
• The above is a baseline “S” curve.
• Baseline means the initial plan for the project.
• An “S” curve is basically is a cost loaded schedule. This slide
represents the weeks plan cost (Y axis) against the planned time (x
axis). That intersection point creates the “S” curve.
• Once your baseline “S” curve is established, then you begin to measure
the variance from your plan to the actual. An example is that the actual
is below the line then you are spending less than planned. If it is above
the plan line you are spending more than planned in relationship to the
schedule.
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