Roles And Responsibilities Of The Project Manager Construction Essay

Roles And Responsibilities Of The Project Manager Construction Essay As defined by Field and Keller (2007) Project management is the discipline of planning, organising, securing, managing, leading and controlling resources to achieve a specific outcome or outcomes during a defined time period and given resource constraints. It is a temporary endeavour which has a defined beginning and end which is aimed at achieving a set of specific goals and objectives. Elenbass (2000) has showed that achieving the project goals and objectives within the given time, schedule and cost constraints are the primary challenge of the project management. Hence the project managers must attempt to utilise the resources efficiently and effectively to meet the pre-defined standards of performance and to optimise the productivity of the resources. The aim of this assignment is to identify certain projects to achieve two main business objectives for the financial year of a large manufacturing organisation which has employed over 1250 employees including the office staff and factory workers; to reduce the movement of staff from the premises during the lunch break and to help the staff to develop a healthy life style as a part of the CSR of the entity and to reduce the absenteeism accordingly. Hence at the beginning of the paper several projects will be identified that are suggested to be feasible to implement to achieve these particular objectives. Then a specific project was selected and carried out the fundamental project management functions such as elaborated the and assess it for feasibility, cost and time management, select appropriate project methodology, establishing an appropriate management, administrative structure and etc. Task 01: Identifying Specific Projects There are two main objectives of that have to be achieved during the current financial year; Reducing the movement of staff from the companys premises during the ,lunch break which has created an issue overcrowding the local area Assist the companys staff to develop a healthy life style as a part of the policy of the organisation In order to achieve these objectives following factors should be considered before determining suitable projects; There are more than 1250 office staff and factory staff who have been employed in the company The staffs has been assigned with the range of different roles The offices and factory buildings are spread across an extensive area The is no existing catering services for the office staff or the factory workers Accordingly the company has been faced with the need for developing a proper plans and programs to reduce the matters relating to the movement of the employees during the lunch break and overcrowding the premises and closure area (Case Study). Hence author suggested that following alternative projects can be considered to address these issues and to achieve the above mentioned objectives; Setting up a separate building to providing catering services for the employees of the company Setting up a separate building to take the lunch and tea without providing the catering services at the premises Setting up a separate building and buy-in the external catering service Arrange lunch rooms in every separate building in the premises and setting small building to buy the meals from an external catering service A Chosen Project From the above mentioned alternative projects the first alternative (Setting up a separate building to providing catering services for the employees of the company) due to following reasons; This alternative provides a long-term solution for the problem The employees will be happy about the employer since they feel that the company care their needs This solution can be built and develop healthy relationships among the various staff of the company The objectives of CSR can be easily achieved As a pre-requirement of planning the project has to be sub-divided into major divisions. Accordingly following sub-divisions can be identified with the high level estimates of time, resources and costs. Project Sub-Division Description Time Estimates Resources Cost Estimates Constructing the Building This includes, Planning the building Estimating the costs and purchasing requirements Calling for tenders from the suppliers Selecting suppliers Constructing the building 2 months External Architectures Engineering Division and Top Management involvements including Budgetary committee Tender board Construction people and material Land  £5000 Arranging the Interior facilities This includes, Arranging the seating facilities Arranging the canteen including fixed assets such as fridges, cashiers, delivery tables, etc 1 month Financial resources Labour Clerical staff Fixed assets Management and coordination  £3000 Establishing the catering service This includes, Recruiting kitchen and canteen staff Purchasing fixed assets, equipments and goods for the kitchen and the canteen 2 months Clerical staff Human resource Division Financial resources Purchasing procedures Fixed assets  £2000Table 01: Project Plan Project Methodology PRINCE 2 Having identified the above fundamentals of the main project a suitable project methodology should be selected. There are several project methodologies can be identified in the Project Management literature such as the traditional approach, PRICE 2, Event Chain Methodology, Process Based Management, Critical Chain Project Management, etc. Among these the PRINCE 2 project management methodology is the best suit for the project under concern. As explained by Hutchings (2011) this method is a structured approach to project management which provides a clearly defined framework for project management. It describes how to coordinate people and activities of the project, how to design and supervise the project and what actions should be taken if the project reflects some deviations from the plan and planned outcomes. Accordingly each activity is structured with clear input and outputs allowing the automatic control of the project processes and efficiency of the resources. The following figu re shows a typical PRINCE 2 methodology. Figure 01: PRINCE 2 Methodology [Source: http://www.projectmanagement.net.au/prince2] Feasibility Assessment Feasibility Criteria Assessment Weighing Technical Feasibility The technical expertise for several aspects of the project should be made available from the external sources. Accordingly following services are available for the project; The project planning staff 100%The clerical staff Engineering and designing Budgetary committee And following technical skills should be outsourced; 80%Building architecture Construction engineering Cooking staff There are reliable sources to obtain these technical requirements for the project without greater difficulty. 90% Schedule Feasibility Schedule should be subjected to proper control (85%). 15% risk assessment is allowed. The expertise of the external constructors and technical services is assured 100% by the top management 92.5% Human Resource Feasibility The members of the corporate project staff are newly appointed. Therefore they should be subjected to proper guidance, controlling and monitoring procedures in order to get their full potential for the project work. In the catering services field and building construction their knowledge and experience are significantly lack and therefore effective consultation is required. Required labour for the project should be externally fulfilled since there are no idle labours that can be allocated for the project. 20% Financial Feasibility The financial for the project can be sourced in following ways; Welfare fund: 12.5% CSR Budget allocations: 25% Company Bank Accounts: 50% Employee Contribution: 12.5% 100% Operational Feasibility Since the project is to be carried out utilising the external labour is can be operated without disrupting the normal manufacturing and business operations. 90% Sharing best practices The project team is prepared to utilise the lessons in the past and to obtain information further from the external sources personally to make the project a success. 90% Table 02: Feasibility Assessment Nicholas (2009); Warner (2010); Borow (2010) Administrative Structure Based on the PRINCE 2 Project Methodology following structure can be developed for the management and administration of the project (Hartl, 2006). Project Planning Committee Site 01 Site 02 Site 03 Catering Service Arrangement Interior Facilitation Building Construction Construction Purchasing Arrangement Purchasing Recruiting Staff HR Division Purchasing Corporate Project Manager Budgeting CEO/ Director Board Steering Committee Figure 02: Administrative Breakdown structure Roles and Responsibilities of the Project Manager Haughey (2011) has pointed that the role of the project manager is to plan, approval, implementation, control, monitor and execution of the project. The execution involves the accumulating resources and coordinating the people and physical resources in order to perform the tasks effectively and efficiently to the standards of performance. Accordingly followings are the responsibilities of the project manager; Team leadership Documentation Developing schedules Activity planning and scheduling Planning and define scope Risk analysis Monitoring and reporting the progress Manage the risk issues Control the quality Realise the benefits Project Plan Based on the PRINCE 2 project methodology adopted the project plan should be prepared. Accordingly each process should be clearly defined with inputs and outputs and necessary performance standards and controls. Methodology should be inclusive of remedies for the potential deviations from the planned process. Accordingly following project plan is outlined for the project under consider (Frese, 2003). Order Task Name Start Date Duration End Date Resources 1 Building Construction 9/1/2012 60 10/31/2012 2 Planning the building 9/1/2012 7 9/8/2012 Architecture 3 Estimating the costs and purchasing requirements 9/9/2012 7 9/16/2012 Budgetary committee 4 Calling for tenders from the suppliers 9/17/2012 12 9/29/2012 Purchasing Dept 5 Selecting suppliers 9/30/2012 10 10/10/2012 Purchasing Dept 6 Purchasing procedure 10/11/2012 7 10/18/2012 Purchasing Dept 7 Constructing the building 10/19/2012 17 11/5/2012 Contractors 8 Preparing Interior facilities 11/6/2012 30 12/6/2012 9 Planning the interior arrangement (following the plan of the building) 11/6/2012 2 11/8/2012 Project planning team 10 Estimating the costs and purchasing requirements 11/9/2012 2 11/11/2012 Project planning team 11 Calling for tenders from the suppliers 11/12/2012 7 11/19/2012 Purchasing Dept 12 Selecting suppliers 11/20/2012 7 11/27/2012 Purchasing Dept 13 Purchasing procedure 11/28/2012 7 12/5/2012 Purchasing Dept 14 Arrangement 12/6/2012 5 12/11/2012 Labors, Project planning team 15 Establishing the catering service 12/12/2012 30 1/11/2013 16 Planning the Human Resource requirements 12/12/2012 7 12/19/2012 HR Division and Project Planning Team 17 Recruitment procedures 12/20/2012 7 12/27/2012 HR Division 18 Recruitment and Selection 12/28/2012 2 12/30/2012 HR Division 19 Estimating the costs and purchasing requirements 12/31/2012 7 1/7/2013 Project planning team 20 Purchasing procedure 1/8/2013 7 1/15/2013 Purchasing Dept 21 Closure of the project 1/16/2013 7 1/23/2013 22 Post project evaluation 1/16/2013 3 1/19/2013 Steering committee, Project manager and the team 23 Reporting 1/20/2013 2 1/22/2013 Project manager 24 Hand over the documents and project to the management 1/23/2013 1 1/24/2013 Project manager 25 Opening for employees 1/25/2013 1 1/26/2013 Project planning team, management and employees Table 03: Project Plan Task 02 Alternative Project Team Structures Team Structure Assessment Pure Project The project manager has the full authority over the project Every member reports to a one boss Line of communication is shortened Decisions are made quickly Motivation, team spirit and commitment are high The teams have not a sustainability after the project is completed due to ignorance of the organisational goals and objectives (Baguley, 2003) Functional One team member may be working on several projects The projects have been established within a certain functional division Motivation, team spirit and commitment are weak Project mangers role may not be defined clearly The aspects of the project that are not directly related with the functional area may be ineffectively achieved Matrix Project Project team composed of people from different functional areas so that all aspects of the project are equally fulfilled and considered Project manager has defined roles and responsibilities Communication among the functional divisions is improved and enhanced There would have two bosses; project manager and the functional manager There is a high risk for failure of the project unless the project manager possesses strong negotiating skills (Mullins, 2007) Table 04: Alternative Project Team Structure Interpersonal Skills for Project Manager According to Yeong (2011) following interpersonal skills are crucially important for the project managers in order to successfully manage the progress and people of the project. Leadership and influencing skills Team building Motivation Communication Decision making Negotiating Political and cultural awareness Quality Management Process According to Borow, (2010) the quality management process for the project under concern is as follows; Quality planning: The goal of the project: To establish a canteen for the employees of the company including office staff and factory workers in order to reduce the overcrowding in the local area and to promote healthy foods Expected deliverables: The building: spacious sufficiently to gather employees, clean, proper waste and water disposal methods, Catering service: established within the company premises, clean and healthy foods, affordable prices for all staff, availability of choices Measuring the success: Post project evaluation, questionnaire survey among the employees, physical performance of the building, water and waste disposal systems Quality Assurance In order to assure the quality of the deliverables, following steps will be followed; Building: utilise the best materials, get the services of the well-known constructors, utilise the service of the recognised and assured architectures and designers Catering service: employ most skilled and well-experienced cooking staff, set the conditions for service relating to quality, clean and healthy foods, ensure tidy environment Quality control In order to control the quality of the deliverables, evaluations and suggestions of the following persons will be considered. The physical tests of the engineering heads Assurance of the HR division relating to the competency of the canteen staff Physical verification by the project team and the management of the waste disposal systems The employees of the company Managing Project Change Proposals Changes are possible in course of the projects due to various implications of the project management and stakeholder influences. Following typical change management procedure will be followed to ensure the changes are properly managed during the project ensuring the success. Figure 03: Change Management during the Course of the Project [Source: http://product-ivity.com/project-change-management/] Possible Issues and Risks As shown by Viney (2004) following project risks and issues should be encountered. Risk / Issue Description Business/ Inherent Risk Culture and politics that are prevailing within the organisation may affect the project execution, monitoring and controlling. Project specific risk The skills of the project team, as discussed earlier are considerably insufficient for this project. Hence there is a high need for proper control, execution and supervision of the project leadership during the work Stage risk Risk associated with the each sub-division of the project Table 05: Possible Risks Monitoring and Evaluation In order to monitor and control the project work successfully the stakeholder analysis can be adopted. As claimed by Kerzner, (2004, pp 358). The stakeholder analysis helps to identify the persons or the groups that should be involved in the decision making process of the project and to whom, what and how to disseminate the information about the project. Additionally the stakeholders would affect and involve in the change management and control procedures. By identifying and defining their needs the project manager can effectively determine how should the project be monitored and on what bases or criteria the project should be evaluated. Accordingly following analysis can be used for the monitoring and evaluation purposes of the project. Stakeholder type Parties may included Requirements Critically affect the success of the project Budgetary committee Top management External services Project team Comply with the organizational policies, practices and system procedures Effective Reporting Proper coordination and availability of resources Legally required to participate The local government officers To ensure the construction of a building in the local area Have specific expertise on project The project planning team Steering committee Project team including the project manager Building constructors and designers Engineering HR Division The right quality and standards of performance of the relevant deliverables Beneficiaries The employees The company The improved and quality environment Healthy and clean foods Affordable prices Continuous maintenance System to detect and manage issues As Frese, (2003) explained, the project charter can be used as a source document in order to detect and manage issues of the project. This document includes all of the following details; Deliverables Constraints Risks Resources Acceptance criteria Cost and man-hour estimations Risk management policy Resources requirement Benefits and impacts Link to the corporate business and CSR strategy Conclusion Project management is dealt with managing projects effectively within the given triple constraints of cost, time and schedule. In order to manage a project successfully the project managers and team members should possess a range of skills, experience and competencies. If the project team armed with necessary skills and competencies or has the quick access to reliable sources, the project can be achieved successfully. Further interpersonal skills are highly important for the project managers. Since, especially in the matrix team structure the project manager plays a significant role by effectively negotiating with the functional managers and the employees assigned from various functional areas to discharge the project tasks. There are main three types of team structures that can be used to organise the project team. The project must be subjected to properly established quality control processes and the outcomes should be benchmarked in order to ensure the expected deliverables. Stake holder analysis can be used to monitor and evaluate the project based on the nature and purpose.