2. Realisation of the proposal
• The contract has been signed
• Start dates and completion dates are
agreed
• The whole project now moves into the
“Realisation” stage
Conception Development Realisation
4. The building design process v. project management
Conception Development Realisation
Design process: tails off on realisation
Project
Contractor appointed to organise management
the realisation stage of the
project and is responsible for the
project management
5. The “Project”
• There may be two projects running in
parallel:
– The entire design project, managed by the
architect/professional advisor:
• Completing and delivering the design
– The realisation project managed by the
contractor:
• Completing and delivering the building
– Sometimes the design project finishes
completely at the end of the development
stage
6. Managing the design project
• The architect’s responsibility during
the realisation phase of the design
project is to ensure two things:
1. That what the contractor delivers is what
the employer expects-the contract is met
2. Where that cannot be done, that the
employer agrees any changes which
have to be made
• Where the design project is terminated at the
end of the development stage, there may be
no professional protection for the employer.
7. Managing the building project
• This is the contractor’s responsibility.
He/she has to manage
– Different trades
– Delivery and securing of materials and
prefabricated elements (windows,
plumbing etc)
– Site security and safety
– Payment of suppliers and sub-contractors
– Testing of materials, as required by the
contract
– Agreeing changes with the supervising
architect
9. Project tasks
• Every building project is built up of
many tasks.
• Some of these tasks may be critical in
that other tasks cannot be
started/completed before they are:
– Walls can’t be plastered until basic
electrical wiring is installed and completed
– Brick laying cannot start until foundations
are finished and cured to full strength
– Internal decorations can’t start until the
building fabric is dry.
10. Defining tasks
• The project is broken into tasks and sub
tasks
• Dependency of tasks is established
(task B can’t start until task A is
finished, task C can happen at any time
etc. )
• Estimated duration of tasks is calculated
• A bar chart or GANT chart of the tasks
is drawn up
11. GANT charting
• Each task is a horizontal bar
• Length of bar = time to complete task
• The beginning and end of the chart are
the start and finish dates for the building
project
12. GANT chart for project planning
• The contractor knows the chart must fit
into the contract time.
• Different tasks can be tweaked to
shorten the overall project time
– If a critical task looks like it might take one
week too long, the contractor can allocate
more resources to it to speed it up
– If a non critical task looks like it is
consuming resources needed by a critical
task, it can be moved to a different time
13. GANT chart for project monitoring
• Once the project is underway a parallel
chart is drawn showing actual progress
• A comparison between actual and
planned progress will form the basis of
all site meetings with the architect. This
will give early warning of problems.
• The management of the building project
is entirely the responsibility of the
contractor but he/she is obliged to
demonstrate the state of progress of the
project to the employer.
14. The architect’s project management role
• The supervising architect carries out
three fundamental project management
roles
– Confirming all works are in accordance
with the contract documents
– Authorising modifications from the contract
documents, with the employer’s agreement
– Authorising stage payments to the
contractor
15. Confirming works
• The architect will visit the site regularly,
with the contractor’s permission
• During those visits, completed works
are inspected. If they are not in
accordance with the contract, the
architect will condemn them. It is the
contractor’s responsibility to replace the
works as necessary
16. Modifications
• Things always change
– Difficult ground conditions are discovered
– Goods supplier goes bankrupt
– Employer’s requirements change
– New technology becomes available
• Changes must only happen:
– with the employer’s and the contractor’s
agreement
– With the changes fully priced, in accordance with
rules agreed in the contract
• The Architect issues formal instructions
confirming these agreed changes
17. Stage payments
• The contractor is paid in stages in
arrears for completed work
• The architect visits the site to confirm
that the work is complete, to confirm the
value of the work, and then issues a
certificate authorising payment
• The employer is contractually
committed to pay the value of each
certificate, less a retention amount
(usually 10%), the “retention fund”
18. Practical completion
• On “practical completion” the architect
confirms the works are substantially complete
and the building is handed over to the
employer
• Half the retention fund is paid to the
contractor and the “defects liability period”
commences (usually 6 months)
• At the end of this period a “snagging list” of
outstanding work and discovered defects is
given to the contractor who must correct them
before the final certificate of completion is
issued and the remainder of the retention
fund is released. The contract is now
complete.
19. Management contract: very large projects
Conception Development Realisation
Management Project
contractor appointed management
at development stage
to coordinate
specialist suppliers
and contractors
20. Management really big projects: Olympics 2012
Many sites, many designers, many builders, many clients,
absolutely fixed deadline
July 27, 2012
Conception Development Realisation
Project
management
21. Nothing is more complex than the Olympics
Source: London 2012
22. Summary
• Contracts rarely run as smoothly as in theory
– Building works are too unpredictable
– The amount of work on the snagging list is not
worth 5% to the contractor so he never does it
– Agreement cannot always be achieved on who is
responsible for a defect, is it the contractor, the
designer, a nominated sub-contractor
• However, if you know how a project should
run, you have a good chance of managing
the project in reality.
