Project Management
Functions/Role of Management
Planning
• It is the basic function of management. It deals with chalking out a future
course of action & deciding in advance the most appropriate course of
actions for achievement of predetermined goals.
• “Planning is deciding in advance - what to do, when to do & how to do. It
bridges the gap from where we are & where we want to be”.
• A plan is a future course of actions. It is an exercise in problem solving &
decision making.
• Planning is determination of courses of action to achieve desired goals.
• Thus, planning is a systematic thinking about ways & means for
accomplishment of predetermined goals. Planning is necessary to ensure
proper utilization of human & nonhuman resources.
Organizing
• It is the process of bringing together physical, financial and human
resources and developing productive relationship amongst them for
achievement of organizational goals.
• According to Henry Fayol, “To organize a business is to provide it with
everything useful or its functioning i.e. raw material, tools, capital and
personnel’s”.
• To organize a business involves determining & providing human and
non-human resources to the organizational structure.
• Organizing as a process involves:
• Identification of activities.
• Classification of grouping of activities.
• Assignment of duties.
• Delegation of authority and creation of responsibility.
• Coordinating authority and responsibility relationships.
Staffing
• It is the function of manning the organization structure and keeping it
manned.
• The main purpose of staffing is to put right man on right job. i.e.
square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes.
• According to Kootz & O’Donell, “Managerial function of staffing
involves manning the organization structure through proper and
effective selection, appraisal & development of personnel to fill the
roles designed un the structure”.
• Staffing involves:
• Manpower Planning (estimating man power in terms of searching, choose
the person and giving the right place).
• Recruitment, Selection & Placement.
• Training & Development.
• Remuneration.
• Performance Appraisal.
• Promotions & Transfer.
Directing
• It is that part of managerial function which actuates the
organizational methods to work efficiently for achievement of
organizational purposes
• Direction is that inertpersonnel aspect of management which deals
directly with influencing, guiding, supervising, motivating subordinate
for the achievement of organizational goals.
• Direction has following elements:
• Supervision
• Motivation
• Leadership
• Communication
• Supervision- implies overseeing the work of subordinates by their
superiors. It is the act of watching & directing work & workers.
• Motivation- means inspiring, stimulating or encouraging the sub-
ordinates with zeal to work. Positive, negative, monetary, non-
monetary incentives may be used for this purpose.
• Leadership- may be defined as a process by which manager guides
and influences the work of subordinates in desired direction.
• Communications- is the process of passing information, experience,
opinion etc from one person to another. It is a bridge of
understanding.
Controlling
• It implies measurement of accomplishment against the standards and correction
of deviation if any to ensure achievement of organizational goals.
• The purpose of controlling is to ensure that everything occurs in conformities with
the standards.
• An efficient system of control helps to predict deviations before they actually
occur.
• According to Theo Haimann, “Controlling is the process of checking whether or
not proper progress is being made towards the objectives and goals and acting if
necessary, to correct any deviation”.
• According to Koontz & O’Donell “Controlling is the measurement & correction of
performance activities of subordinates in order to make sure that the enterprise
objectives and plans desired to obtain them as being accomplished”.
Therefore controlling has following steps:
• Establishment of standard performance.
• Measurement of actual performance.
• Comparison of actual performance with the standards and finding out
deviation if any.
• Corrective action
Construction Management
• Construction Management is the overall planning, coordination and
control of a project from inception to completion aimed at meeting a
client’s requirements in order to produce a functionally and financially
viable project.
• Construction Management is project management that applies to the
construction sector.
The functions of construction management typically include the
following:
• 1. Specifying project objectives and plans including delineation of scope,
budgeting, scheduling, setting performance requirements, and selecting project
participants.
• 2. Maximizing resource efficiency through procurement of labour, materials and
equipment.
• 3. Implementing various operations through proper coordination and control of
planning, design, estimating, contracting and construction in the entire process.
• 4. Developing effective communications and mechanisms for resolving conflicts.
Main responsibilities of a
Construction Manager
• The most common responsibilities of a Construction Manager can be
classified as follows:
• Project Management;
• Planning;
• Cost Management;
• Time Management;
• Quality Management;
• Contract Administration;
• Safety Management;
Methods of construction
management
1. Critical path method
2. Program evaluation and review technique
3. Lean construction method
4. Line of balance method
Among the above first two are mostly followed