Project Construction and Management

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering engineering management, organizational resources, management tiers, SWOT analysis, planning process, SMART rule, project work plan, dependencies, estimating methods, and schedule compression techniques.

Engineering Management

A specialized discipline that blends the technical, analytical problem-solving capabilities of engineering with the organizational and resource-coordinating functions of business administration.

Efficiency

Means of executiom.

Effectiveness

Ends or final outcome.

Human Resources

Labor, service, and managerial talent.

Financial Resources

Monetary; capital, credit, and cash flow.

Physical Resources

Tangible assets; raw materials, production equipment.

Information Resources

Data, drawing, technical specifications, and project documents.

Construction Manager

Has the core responsibility of guiding, directing, administering, and coordinating resources to achieve organizational and project goals.

Vision

Clear, comprehensive snapshot of an organization at somepoint in the future.

Mission

Kind of business an organization wants to undertake.

Values

Moral guide.

Planning (Management Function)

Defining project objectives.

Organizing (Management Function)

Activites, roles and hierarchy.

Leading (Management Function)

Motivating, influencing, and directing.

Controlling (Management Function)

Monitoring actual progress.

Strategic Planning (Top Level Management)

Broad objectives and broad policies of the organization and prepares high-level strategic plans.

Resource Allocation (Top Level Management)

Controls and coordinates finances and materials.

Outside-World Relations (Top Level Management)

Maintaining contact and negotiating contracts with the outside world.

Structural Oversight (Top Level Management)

Appoints the executive managers for the middle-level tier.

Middle-Level Management (Tactical Tier)

Vital bridge between corporate strategy and field execution.

Plan Execution (Middle Level)

Execute the tactical plans of the organization.

Sub-Unit Planning (Middle Level)

Localized project plans and schedules.

Policy Interpretation (Middle Level)

Interpret and explain broad policies from top-level management.

Talent Development (Middle Level)

Training, and performance evaluation of lower-level management.

Inter-Departmental Coordination (Middle Level)

Responsible for coordinating activities.

Task Assignment (Lower Level)

Assign specific daily jobs and tasks.

Daily Instruction (Lower Level)

Guide, train, and instruct workers on active day-to-day construction site activities.

Quality and Quantity Control (Lower Level)

Directly responsible for the quality as well as quantity of physical production on-site.

Communication Conduit (Lower Level)

Communicate workers' problems, suggestions, and appeals up to middle management.

Safety and Relations (Lower Level)

Maintain good relations and safety discipline on the active construction site.

Strategic Plan

High level document explaining the organization's vision, mission, and values.

SWOT Analysis

Method used to assess strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat.

Strength (SWOT Analysis)

Internal, helpful.

Weakness (SWOT Analysis)

Internal, harmful.

Opportunity (SWOT Analysis)

External, helpful.

Threat (SWOT Analysis)

External, harmful.

The Choice of Technology

Construction methods, equipment, and structural systems.

The Definition of Work Tasks

Decomposing he overall project scope into manageable activities.

Resource Estimation

Quantifyiny the labor, materials, equipment, and budget.

Dependency Identification

Establishing the logical, structural, and regulatory sequences.

Quality (Elements of Concern)

Level of performance, material grade, and workmanship standards.

Scope (Elements of Concern)

Fixed, quantifiable amount of physical work to be performed.

Time (Elements of Concern)

Assigning durations to tasks and establishing a logical schedule network.

Cost (Elements of Concern)

Monetary baseline.

Specific (SMART Rule)

Get into the details, written in clear, concise, and understandable terms.

Measurable (SMART Rule)

Must use quantitative language.

Acceptable (Agreed to) (SMART Rule)

Agreed to upon by the key stakeholders.

Realistic (SMART Rule)

Focused on physical and financial realities.

Time-bound (Time-based) (SMART Rule)

A firm due date or completion timeline.

Project Work Plan

Primary tactical document.

Mandatory Dependency

Contractually required.

Discretionary Dependency

Based on practice and safety preference.

External Dependency

Relationship between project activities and non project activities.

Internal Dependency

Relationship strictly between to project activities in the organization.

Analogous Estimating

Historical data.

Parametric Estimating

Mathematical and algorithm.

Multipoint Estimating

Optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely.

Crashing

Shortening task durations.

Fast-Tracking

Performing activities in parallel.