791 Construction Management
The local government requires compliance with environmental laws but is not involved in the daily operations of a construction project. How should they be categorised using Power-Interest Grid?
- High power, low interest
A large scale highway project is planned near a residential neighborhood. The residents have a strong interest in the project due to noise and environmental concerns but have no direct decision making power. How should they be managed according to the Power Interest Grid?
Keep informed
Which one is correct?
Risk is the impact of a hazard
Which of the following is an example of a hazard?
Wet floor
Risk is always present if a hazard exists
false
Rank the following controls from the most to least effective in managing risks:
1. Administrative controls
2. Substitution
3. Elimination
4. PPE
3,2,1,4
Which if the following is the least effective in the hierarchy of control?
Using earplugs for workers in noisy environments
If a crane is operating near a pedestrian walkway, whar would be the best option according to the hierarchy of control?
Reroute the walkway away from the crane's operating area
Which is NOT a type of excavation method?
Pile driving
The primary purpose of excavation is to remove topsoil for landscaping
False
Which type of foundation is suitable when the surface soils cannot bear the load of the building or structure?
Pile foundation
What is a characteristic of spread foundations?
They distribute loads over a larger areabut are only suitable when the surface soil has adequate bearing capacity.
A characteristic for raft foundations?
They are spread iver a large area and are used for weak soils, but they may not be suitable if the weak soils extend to a significant depth.
What is a characteristic of Pad foundations?
Used for individual columns on soil with sufficient bearing capacity and are not suitable for weak surface soils
A characteristic of Pile foundations?
Transfer loads to deeper, stronger soil or rock layers, making them ideal when the surface soil cannot bear the structure's weight.
What is the safest way to locate underground utilities before excavating?
GPR scanning (ground penetration radar)
Temporary facilities should be placed as close to active construction areas as possible
False
Which of the following is a key consideration in site layout planning?
All of the above
What should be mapped to seperate pedestrian and vehicle routes
Ingress and egress points
Just-in-time material delivery eliminates the need for large on-site storage
True
Workface materials should be stored in bulk to prevent shortages
False
Why is sustainability important in the construction industry, and what are the key challenges in implementing sustainable practices?
Sustainability in the construction industry is crucial because it helps reduce the environmental footprint, improves resource efficiency, and ensures that buildings and infrastructure are resilient over time. The construction sector is a significant contributor to environmental degradation, accounting for substantial energy consumption, waste generation, and carbon emissions. Sustainable practices promote eco-friendly designs, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and the use of renewable resources, which help combat climate change and improve the quality of life for communities.
Key challenges in implementing sustainable practices include:
Initial Costs: Sustainable materials and technologies often have a higher upfront cost, which can deter stakeholders from investing in green construction despite long-term savings.
Limited Knowledge and Training: Lack of expertise in sustainable practices among construction professionals, engineers, and architects can make it challenging to implement environmentally-friendly solutions effectively.
Regulatory and Policy Barriers: In some regions, building codes and regulations may not fully support or incentivize sustainable practices, making it harder to adopt innovative solutions.
Supply Chain Constraints: Limited availability of sustainable materials and technologies, as well as inconsistencies in their quality and supply, can hinder their widespread use.
Explain the role of BIM in cost monitoring for large-scale construction projects.
BIM plays a critical role in cost monitoring and forecasting for large-scale construction projects by providing accurate, real-time data about project components. It integrates 3D models with cost information, allowing for detailed cost estimation based on materials, labor, and time. Through BIM, project managers can track costs as the project progresses, comparing actual expenditures to forecasted budgets. This helps identify discrepancies early, enabling adjustments to keep the project within budget.
Which of the following design choices can reduce the wall-to-floor ratio and lower construction costs?
a) Using a regular-shaped building footprint
Analogous pricing is useful when:
c) Estimating costs based on projects with known cost data
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a Work Breakdown Structure?
c) It organizes project activities based on dependencies
Scenario:
A client is planning to develop a 4-storey medical centre in Christchurch, New Zealand. The proposed building will have a footprint of 1,000 m² per floor, and it will include consultation rooms, surgical suites, imaging areas, patient waiting zones, and staff offices.
The project is at the early concept design stage, and the client requires a preliminary construction cost estimate for feasibility purposes.
You are provided with industry square metre rate data for similar medical centres, ranging from NZD 4,200 to NZD 4,650 per m².
Question:
Using the Superficial Method (square metre rate method), estimate the total preliminary construction cost for the medical centre.
17,700,000
What does Total Float represent in project scheduling?
a) The time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project completion date
An activity with zero Free Float always has zero Total Float. (T/F)
False - Zero Free Float means it immediately affects the next task, but it may still have some Total Float depending on other dependencies.
What is the primary purpose of resource smoothing?
a) To avoid fluctuations in resource usage
Project Scenario:
A project has an overall budget (Budget at Completion, BAC) of $500,000 and is scheduled to last 12 months. At the 6-month mark, the project management planned to have completed 60% of the work. However, the project team has only completed 50% of the work. In addition, the Actual Cost (AC) incurred up to this point is $280,000.
Variance Analysis:
a. Calculate the Cost Variance (CV) and explain what it indicates about the project’s financial performance.
b. Calculate the Schedule Variance (SV) and interpret its meaning in the context of project scheduling.
1.a. CV = $-30,000
1.b. SV = $-50,000
Project Scenario:
A project has an overall budget (Budget at Completion, BAC) of $500,000 and is scheduled to last 12 months. At the 6-month mark, the project management planned to have completed 60% of the work. However, the project team has only completed 50% of the work. In addition, the Actual Cost (AC) incurred up to this point is $280,000.
Performance Indices:
a. Determine the Cost Performance Index (CPI). What does this index tell you about cost efficiency?
b. Calculate the Schedule Performance Index (SPI). How does this index reflect on the project's schedule performance?
2.a. CPI = 0.89
2.b. SPI = 0.83
Project Scenario:
A project has an overall budget (Budget at Completion, BAC) of $500,000 and is scheduled to last 12 months. At the 6-month mark, the project management planned to have completed 60% of the work. However, the project team has only completed 50% of the work. In addition, the Actual Cost (AC) incurred up to this point is $280,000.
Forecasting:
Using the CPI, estimate the Estimate at Completion (EAC) for the project.
EAC = AC + ((BAC – EV) / (CPI))
3. $560899
A construction company is evaluating a project that requires an initial investment of $500,000. The project is expected to generate the following cash flows over the next four years:
Year 1: $150,000
Year 2: $180,000
Year 3: $200,000
Year 4: $220,000
If the company's discount rate is 10%, what is the Net Present Value (NPV) of the project?
Useful formulae: NPV = {sum} ((Rt)/ (1+i)^t)
where:
Rt=Net cash inflow-outflows during a single period, t
i=Discount rate
t=Number of timer periods
check quiz 3 answer lol
Hazard vs Risk
Hazard = anything that can cause harm (materials, chemicals, utilities etc)
Risk = how great the chance that someone will be harmed by the hazard
OSHA BIG 4 conctruction hazards
- falls
- electrocution
- caught in
- struck by
Hierarchy of controls
Elimination -> Substitution -> Engineering controls -> Administrative controls -> PPE
What is SID?
Safety in design - system that integrates hazard identification and risk assessment methods early in the design process.
What is the NZ policy?
Health & Safety at work Act 2015 (HSWA) - came into effect in 2016
Health and safety practice (things each site should have)
- Seal the site
- Signage
- Public protection
- Hazard board
- Sign in and sign out
- Site induction
- Task analysis
- Fundamentals
- Emergency response plan
What is project risk?
A risk event is an uncertain event.. that, should it occur, will have an effect on achievement of one or more of the project's objectives
- Project risk includes both threats to the project's objesctives and opportunities to improve on those objectives
Procurement Assessment Criteria (PAC) - list all options
- Design & Build ( less client, heavy contractor)
- Traditional (slightly more contractor)
- Management (slightly more client)
Exavation reasonings:
- remove top soil
- reach safe ground level
- construct basement levels
- protect foundations (weather, wind, snow, accidents)
- Increase stability
- reduce stresses on the soil beneath the building
Factors affecting excavation side stability
- Soil type
- Weather conditions
- Ground water level
- Live loads
List 2 ways of excavating if excavation is deeper than 1.5m
- sloping/battering
- benching
Design the sides of the excavation if excavation is deeper than 1.5m
- shoring the walls (walls and bars in the middle)
- shielding (same thing -> less width on the columns)
Deciding which side design to use: Sloping & Benching or Shoring & Shielding (list factors)
Sloping & Benching:
- suitable for shallow excavation (around 6m depth)
- less expensive )in general
- extra space required for side slops
More for digging
Shoring & Shielding
- suitable for deep excavation
- expensive (requires structural design, specific material, and special expertise)
more for providing stability
Road paving, what are the different types of surfaces available?
- Asphalt
- Bitumen
- Concrete
- Composite
- Recycled
Steel construction Pros & Cons
Pros:
- minimises site storage
- light in proportion to its strength
- well suited to rapid construction and highly repetitive building frames
- among the metals, it is uniquely plentiful and inexpensive
Cons:
- Tends to corrode in certain environments
- Looses strength during severe building fires
What is the steel construction sequence?
1. Advanced detailing
2. Fabrication
3. Transportation
4. Sorting and storing
5. Assembly
What are some considerations in site layout planning?
- safety
- site accessibility
- information signs
- security
- accomodation and car park
- offices
- water supply and sanitation
- material handling
- storage and site cleaning
- batch plant and fabrication shops
Developing site layout plans - sequencing:
1) develop an accurate drawing of site and surrounding area
2) map E&S facilities and location of drainage facilities
3) Locate ingress and egress points for deliveries and pedestrians
4) map the traffic routes
5) locate concrete discharge and crane pick up points
6) locate material storage areas
7) map drainage routes (ditches) and locate retention basin
8) locate space for temporary facilies
9) evaluate and refine layout plans
10) repeat steps 2 through 7 for each phase
11 ) communicate and enforce plans
What is double handling and why should it be avoided?
moving material multiple times
- when a material is transformed to the wrong place and then it is required to retransform it to the correct location
- quality risk
- extra time and effort
- H&S risk
What are the material delivery practices?
- deliver large lot sizes
- preload materials
- erect directly from delivery truck (just-in-time) straight to site
WBS hierarchial components:
1. WBS
2. Activity list
3. PDM
4. CPM
5. Resource optimisation
what is a WBS?
work products or deliverables that are the result of effort and not the effort itself
3 types of WBS
1. Deliverables based
2. Phase based
3. Discipline based
What is a project schedule?
a list of activities, their sequences, durations, the critical path, resource allocations
What are the three strands of sustainability - triple bottom line
- Economic
- Social
- Environment
Trade off zone, zone of synergy (sustainable outcomes)
What are the construction management levels
- organisational levels
- project level
- operation & process level
- work task level
What are considerations in construction methodology:
- health and safety
- practicality
- efficiency
- cost effectiveness
What is a good framework for successful project management
= upside down triangle (strategic and business management, leadership, technical project management)