Failed construction projects more often than not, are a result of a lack of professionalism, expertise, and proper management in their execution. Rather than hire the right assistance, many investors looking to construct new buildings make the mistake of overseeing the construction process by themselves.
The truth is every construction project goes through different phases that are crucial to its success, and so need to be handled by individuals who have a working knowledge of these phases. Regardless of how experienced you may be in the real estate field, if you are looking to redesign a building or construct it from scratch, then you might want to hire the services of a construction management company to handle the project.
So, what is a construction management service? A construction management service is a professional service provided by a competent and experienced team that utilizes specialized project management techniques to efficiently and effectively manage all phases of a construction project. A proper construction management service basically ensures proper supervision and organization of the entire process, starting from initiation to planning, execution, monitoring, and finally, closing.
What Services Are Offered By a Construction Management Company?
The scope, complexity, and objectives of a construction project usually determine the unique approach that is taken to successfully execute it. A construction management service understands this and is well equipped to organize the entire construction process to achieve a successful project.
Here are some of the services typically offered by a professional construction management company:
Proper Project Planning
Before the execution of any project, thorough planning is vital to ensure that the entire construction process progresses without interruption. Project planning involves task organization, duration estimations, resource allocations, and budgeting. Lack of sufficient planning may not only result in overspending and mismanagement of resources but could also extend a project far longer than it should ordinarily be.
During the planning stage, a construction management team will typically carry out a feasibility study to assess if a project is realistic and attainable. If the results of the feasibility study are positive, then strategic plans that encompass all aspects of the project, including resource procurement, task distribution, budget allocation, risk mitigation, scheduling, and efficient communication are drawn up.
Quality Management
No construction project can be considered truly successful if its initial goals and objectives are not met. One of the main duties of a construction management company is to ensure that all client requirements and criteria regarding a project are met by defining the project’s quality standards from the onset and drafting a quality assurance plan to keep them in check.
To uphold the project’s predefined standards and ensure quality management, they do the following:
- Create a quality structure that controls the hiring process, as well as the procurement of the resources, thus ensuring that only the best contractors and equipment are used
- Carry out periodic evaluation of construction work throughout its execution to ensure that it meets the established standards
- Set up a system through which every member of the team can be accountable for all tasks
- Put in place mitigation plans that can be used to set a project back on the right track in the event that it deviates from the set standards
Time Management
When too much time is spent on completing a project, expenses are accumulated and this can affect the overall profitability of the project. Thus, the importance of effective time management throughout the duration of a construction project cannot be overemphasized.
A construction management service effectively identifies, assesses, and documents all kinds of risks that may impede the successful and timely completion of any construction project. These concerns are then communicated to the project owner and other associated parties, and adequate plans are put in place to either prevent these risks or mitigate their effects.
A construction management service also utilizes skills such as extensive communication, priority management, and proper task delegations to ensure that all parts of the project meet the deadlines and are finalized before the allocated time.
Cost Management
Financing is essential to the realization of any project, and proper allocation of funds is the only way to ensure that the cost of a project does not exceed the allocated funds. A construction management team assists the client to draw up a realistic budget that encompasses the estimations of total expenses and returns within a project.
This is achieved by:
- Carrying out a thorough market survey and staying updated on the latest prices of labor and materials
- Monitoring and developing contingency plans for eventualities and additional expenses that could distort the budget, such as change-order surprises.
Safety Management
Due to the severe physical and economic consequences of negligence during any construction process, the construction industry provides no room for mistakes or shortcomings. With the increase in building materials and equipment of questionable quality, the need to uphold the stipulated safety standards must be given high importance in any construction project.
A construction management team is tasked with the effective identification of all potential dangers and implementation of precaution measures to reduce or eliminate the possible hazards during and after the project completion. To ensure that a building meets the standards for local planning and building safety, the following safeguards should be put in place:
- Provision and usage of protective gear by all workers on the construction site
- Incorporation of safety modifications in buildings, depending on the property structure, such as emergency exits, handrails for staircases, and guardrails for balconies
- Proper testing of all construction materials and equipment used during the project, to ensure their strength and integrity meet the required standards.