The best way to establish your project management standards is to break complex projects into phases. While some projects have additional phases, the most common phases for most projects are:
As the name suggests, this is the initial phase of a construction project. The planning phase is arguably the most important project management phase because you will create the documents that will guide the execution of the project. This involves detailing the cost, scope, time, quality, and communication used in the project. This process involves considering how to build a viable business plan, how to build a profitable building that meets all the requirements. Given the complex nature of planning projects of this size, a multidisciplinary team, usually consisting of architects, engineers, and sometimes even contractors, supports the project owner or developer in deciding whether it makes sense to move forward with the project.
Once the project has a clear business case, a schematic design is created that includes materials, colors, and textures to create the contract documents for the bidding process. Having a specific and accurate way to showcase your technical expertise as a contractor or subcontractor can help you build your reputation and increase your bid-to-contract ratio.
As you can see, construction project planning can help your company stand out and become a partner, allowing project owners to make things happen with efficient and budget-friendly execution.
Once you have a construction plan that includes all the information you need to manage the costs, scope, risks, time, and other aspects of your project, it’s time to implement it.
Once the tender process is complete and the developer or project owner knows the contractor who will be doing the work, the team will assemble the team that will be needed for the project. Typically, the core team members for a project will consist of a contract manager, project manager, an inspector, a site engineer, and a health and safety manager: the complementary skills they bring to the table are those needed to turn projects into buildings.
This phase includes preparing the construction site, obtaining permits, creating a strategic and risk management plan, finalizing budgets and designs, creating a communication plan, and creating schedules and timelines that work for all stakeholders.
During this project phase, all purchasing for the construction company’s projects is done by the purchasing manager or purchasing manager. This includes purchasing materials, renting vehicles, and purchasing necessary services.
The challenge is to find the most cost-effective and appropriate materials for each job, while avoiding miscommunication in order to meet all expectations. Clear communication is a big differentiator at this stage. The more aligned all stakeholders are in terms of expectations for the project, the better it will be for everyone.
Once all the planning and necessary processes have been carefully planned, the implementation phase begins. Here, contractors and subcontractors come together to decide how all the necessary work will be done without causing any delays and meeting expectations. Once all resources have been allocated and the work team’s work plans have been completed, activities can finally begin.
Once execution begins, the project also has multiple layers of control to ensure that the right work is done and that activities are carried out according to standards and timelines, and that schedules are updated if necessary. There is always room for issues with execution, and teams must do everything they can to ensure that the project progresses smoothly, on budget, on time, and to standards.
Once the project is complete, a deficiencies list is delivered, indicating all issues that have occurred and need to be fixed before final delivery. All contractors and subcontractors then take care of these final touches to ensure that the project is ready for closeout and that all equipment and systems are properly constructed.
Finally, once the successful completion and acceptance of the delivery is complete, the budget closeout occurs, the final outstanding amounts are paid to the stakeholders, and the entire project is closed.
