Construction Project Management Services and Construction Books
  • Construction Home
  • About Paul Netscher
  • +Construction Books
    • Successful Construction Project Management
    • Building a Successful Construction Company
    • Construction Claims
    • Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights
    • Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion
    • An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses
    • The Successful Construction Supervisor and Foreman
    • Designing your ideal home
  • Construction Management Services
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact
  • Blog | Construction Management
  • Site Map
  • Blog | Home Improvement
  • Index of construction articles
  • Useful Links
  • Index Home Improvement

The warning signs of a demotivated workforce

30/5/2014

0 Comments

 
People are critical to construction companies. Motivated workers are essential.

Check out this great article. THE WARNING SIGNS OF A DEMOTIVARED WORKFORCE

0 Comments

choosing a subcontractor

27/5/2014

0 Comments

 
A poor subcontractor can harm a project, affecting the schedule, safety, client relations, quality and often costing the contractor additional money. It's therefore essential that contractors and clients go through a rigorous process when selecting a subcontractor. Some items to consider include:

  • The subcontractor's experience and knowledge. It's one thing to have done similar work, but have they done it in that environment, for example; a building project in an oil & gas facility is very different to one in the city.
  • Do they have the resources (staff, tradespeople and equipment) and are they available for your project.
  • Their safety record.
  • The subcontractor's cash flow.
  • The reputation for quality.
  • Is their price right? It should be within budget, but at the same time not too low that the subcontractor will loose money which could result in them cutting corners on the project, understaffing it, lodging spurious claims, and in the worst case possibly even going insolvent. 
  • The subcontractor's reputation for submitting claims and variations.
  • The products and subcontractors they will use.
  • Any exclusions or clauses in their tender which may be unacceptable.
  • Their proposed schedule and methodology.
  • The experience and knowledge of the team they propose to put on the job.
  • Their current work commitments and any tenders that they may be awarded.
0 Comments

what makes a good client?

19/5/2014

0 Comments

 
A good client is one that:

  • pays on time
  • pays in full
  • acknowledges when they have made changes or caused delays and is fair in the way they assess the impacts of these changes
  • responds timeously to requests for information
  • appoints a knowledgeable and competent project team
  • has additional work or projects
  • knows what they want and articulates it clearly 
  • monitors quality in a consistent manner as the project proceeds and gives clear direction as to what is expected
  • adjudicates tenders fairly, awarding contracts not based solely on price, but rather on the competence of the contractor
  • is well prepared, providing access, information, permits, services, utilities and client provided materials on time
  • is not involved in illegal activities
  • provides clear and complete information for tender purposes
0 Comments

Planning the project

15/5/2014

0 Comments

 
Planning the project is probably the most important part of the project management process. When I say planning I’m not just talking about preparing the schedule or program which is an important part of the planning process. I’m talking about developing the overall construction methodology, deciding how you going to build it, who you going to use, what equipment will be needed and what materials will be used.

Many problems encountered during construction are a result of poor planning. Spending more time on planning the project can often result in a faster and smoother construction process. Proper planning can improve safety, quality and resource utilisation.

0 Comments

How much profit?

13/5/2014

0 Comments

 
You are about to submit your quotation/tender/bid/price and you have to decide how much profit to add to your price. Add too much and your price may become too expensive and won't be considered by the client. Add too little and you could be much cheaper than your competitors. So what is the right profit?

The amount depends on a number of factors including:

1. The current market conditions. The more competitive they are the lower the margin will be. - 2. The other bidders. If you know who they are you may have an indication of how desperate they are for the project or what level their prices normally are. - 3. How desperate you are for the work. - 4. How confident you are in your pricing. If there is some uncertainty about the accuracy of your price you may add additional profit to cover for any possible mistakes in your price. - 5. The amount of risk. The more risk there is the higher your profit should be to recompense for the risk you are taking on. - 6.
The client's budget. You may consider tailoring your price to fit the client's budget provided this doesn't make you lose money or isn't going to make your price uncompetitive. - 7. The desirability of the project to your company such as: possible further work from the client, a good location, a prestigious project or an easy project with potential to make additional profit. - 8. Whether the project will use resources you currently have available. - 9. You may want to keep other contractors away from your client or market. - 10. You may want the project so you can enter a new market.

Adding the right amount of profit is one of the most important decisions in the tendering process. 


0 Comments

some Reasons why projects lose money

8/5/2014

1 Comment

 
There are many reasons that cause projects to lose money, and often more than one for a particular loss. Some reasons may be:

1. There are too many people. - 2. Inadequate, poor or insufficient supervision. - 3. The wrong mix of trades and skills. - 4. Poor worker morale. - 5. Poor discipline and time-keeping. - 6. Poorly trained workers. - 7. Poor safety. - 8. Too much equipment or the inefficient utilisation of equipment. - 9. The wrong type of equipment. - 10. Equipment that continually breaks down. - 11. A shortage of materials. - 12. Defective materials. - 13. Materials aren't available when they're required or where they required. - 14. The project is poorly planned and managed. - 15. Subcontractors not performing as they should, delaying follow on trades. - 16. Poor workmanship resulting in work having to be redone. - 17. Theft of materials and equipment. - 18. Wastage of materials.

Of course sometimes the reasons are because of the client, in which case it's important that the contractor notifies the client, claims for the delay, changes, or additional scope, and assists the client to rectify the problem. Some reasons may be:

 1. Changed conditions to those expected at tender stage such as restricted working hours, longer haul routes or materials with different properties. - 2. Increase in scope. - 3. Changed specifications. - 4. Changed testing procedures. - 5. Late access. - 6. Late information. - 7. Changes to work already completed. - 8. Different ground conditions. - 9. Client provided services are inadequate or further from the work area than specified. - 10. Inadequate access or the client's operations impacting on the work. - 11. The client taking too long to approve designs and drawings. - 12. The client's design is more complex than the one tendered for. - 13. Encountering unexpected services. - 14. Finding unexpected artefacts or hazardous materials.

Occasionally the problem is due to a mistake in the tender in which case the estimator should be told so the same mistake doesn't occur on the next tender.




1 Comment

project documentation

6/5/2014

0 Comments

 
Two weeks ago my father died. My mother had died two years earlier and my father had been less than communicative with my brothers and I about his personal affairs, so trying to sort his things out after he died wasn’t easy. Fortunately he had given the church instructions on how his memorial service should be conducted. His financial advisor seemed to have his financial affairs under control. However, one of the biggest problems we had was finding out who his friends were and how to contact them to inform them of his death. There were five different lists of contacts and we didn’t know whether they were his or my mother’s friends and who was still living. Many had changed their telephone numbers and we couldn’t contact them.

This reminded me how important it is for Project Managers to keep records on site. As a Project Director I have on occasion had to step in on site when a PM has been suddenly taken ill or had to attend to urgent personal business. It’s often been frustrating trying to find who to contact and which suppliers and subcontractors were being used on the project.

In this day and age PM’s have their own laptop computers or tablets and it can be even more frustrating since all the project information is often stored on these devices which travel with the PM. It’s therefore important that the company has systems in place whereby information on these devices is regularly backed-up onto the company’s central computer system so that it can be retrieved by someone else should the PM be unavailable. The information should also be stored in a standard system of files and folders so that information can be easily found.

It’s important that PM’s give a full set of handover documentation to PM’s who are relieving them while they are away on leave.

Often projects work double shifts and there is a PM on duty for each shift. Again it’s vital that they handover sufficient documentation to the incoming PM so they know what work was done in the previous shift and what they need to do during their shift.

If the project has a full set of records which are easily accessible, and the PM prepares a comprehensive set of handover documentation, then the transition from one PM to another can be fairly seamless.

0 Comments
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Copyright 2016 - The attached articles cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes without the consent of the author.
    The opinions expressed in the attached articles are those of the writer. It should be noted that projects are varied and different laws and restrictions apply which depend on the location of the contractor and the project. It's important that the reader uses the supplied information taking cognisance of their particular circumstances. The writer assumes no responsibility or liability for any loss of any kind arising from the reader using the information or advice contained herein.
    "I have what I consider some of the best books on construction management."


    Books are available from:
    Amazon.com
    Amazon.co.uk
    takealot.com

    kalahari.com
    Amazon.in
    Amazon.de
    Amazon.fr
    Amazon.it
    Amazon.com.au
    Powell's
    Fishpond
    uread
    bokus
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.es
    Other retail stores


    Available in paperback or on Kindle

    ​"28 YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE, DEVELOPING SUCCESSFUL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGERS AND BUILDING SUCCESSFUL CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES"

Construction Books

Successful Construction Project management
Building a Successful Construction Company
Construction Claims: A Short Guide for Contractors
Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion
Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights
​
Build and Renovate Your Home With Your Eyes Wide Open
Book Reviews

Construction services

Construction Management Services
Paul Netscher
Construction Management Blog
​Home Improvement Blog

Contact
Developing Successful Construction Project Managers.

Building Successful Construction Companies.
30 years of construction project management experience
  • Construction Home
  • About Paul Netscher
  • +Construction Books
    • Successful Construction Project Management
    • Building a Successful Construction Company
    • Construction Claims
    • Construction Project Management: Tips and Insights
    • Construction Management: From Project Concept to Completion
    • An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses
    • The Successful Construction Supervisor and Foreman
    • Designing your ideal home
  • Construction Management Services
  • Book Reviews
  • Contact
  • Blog | Construction Management
  • Site Map
  • Blog | Home Improvement
  • Index of construction articles
  • Useful Links
  • Index Home Improvement