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Additional Case Studies - Construction Management

Here are potential responses to each architect: a. For Architect A: Remain professional but firm. Reference the contract and project documents to establish agreed upon processes. Schedule private meetings to address specific issues and potential solutions. Document all interactions thoroughly. Escalate unresolved problems to management if needed. b. For Architect B: Have patience and understanding given her experience and workload. Gently remind her of responsibilities and offer assistance. Follow up all verbal discussions in writing. Implement tracking systems for critical documents and get her acknowledgement of receipt. Suggest streamlining processes if feasible. Alert her manager if performance issues persist.

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Retxed Maghanoy Huelma
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440 views3 pages

Additional Case Studies - Construction Management

Here are potential responses to each architect: a. For Architect A: Remain professional but firm. Reference the contract and project documents to establish agreed upon processes. Schedule private meetings to address specific issues and potential solutions. Document all interactions thoroughly. Escalate unresolved problems to management if needed. b. For Architect B: Have patience and understanding given her experience and workload. Gently remind her of responsibilities and offer assistance. Follow up all verbal discussions in writing. Implement tracking systems for critical documents and get her acknowledgement of receipt. Suggest streamlining processes if feasible. Alert her manager if performance issues persist.

Uploaded by

Retxed Maghanoy Huelma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ADDITIONAL CASE STUDY

CASE 1:

You are a new project engineer with a general construction firm. You are assigned to work out on a
project jobsite with a very experienced superintendent who does not like to deal with paperwork. The
tasks assigned to you by the project manager include items such as:

 expediting materials;
 handling the request for information (RFI) and submittal logs;

 approving invoices;

 researching backup for change orders; and

 taking and distributing meeting notes.

The superintendent is delegating many of his tasks to you as well. He requires you to:

 complete the daily diaries;


 write all of the RFIs generated by the foremen or subcontractors;

 review all submittals and shop drawings;

 answer the phones;

 receive and sign for all material deliveries;

 chair the weekly toolbox safety meetings;

 update his and all of the foremen’s drawing sticks with revised drawings and sketches; and

 handle all short-form purchase orders for materials.

In addition, you are often in the pickup truck running errands. You don’t mind the six- to seven-day
workweeks, or the 10- to 12-hour days in the beginning, but your home life is certainly being impacted.
You are learning a lot, and this is why you wanted to get into the construction industry. Are you qualified
to perform the tasks assigned by the superintendent? Should he be doing some of this himself? You bring
this delegation issue to your project manager’s attention, but she indicates that you should just get along
with the superintendent and not rock the boat. The superintendent is tight with the president of the
company, and your PM warns, “the squeaky wheel could get replaced.” It seems the only thing she does
is write change orders and prepare the monthly pay requests and the monthly forecast.

Questions:

1. What would you do in this scenario?


2. What management skill/s is/are needed in this situation?
CASE 2:

You, as the general contractor’s (GC’s) project manager (PM), have a problematic glazing
subcontractor. They are behind schedule. They refuse to work overtime to catch up. The
subcontractor has submitted several unsubstantiated change order proposals (COPs) that have not
yet been approved and they are threatening to stop work. They have switched out both the
project manager and the superintendent since the project started. They are not starting the project
according to their planned and committed manpower. You are not getting along personally with
the subcontractor’s current project manager and have resorted to communicating only through
email. You are receiving pressure from the field to resolve the problem and get the glazier to
perform. Your supervisor has indicated that it is your responsibility to solve the problem.

1. What do you do?


2. What could you have done to prevent these problems from occurring?
3. What recommendations can you make to a general contractor’s subcontractor
management system to prevent these types of situations?

CASE 3:

You are responsible for two subcontractors, earthwork and roofing, on your megaproject. You
are a 23-year-old field engineer (FE). Experienced 40- and 50-year-old project managers work
for both of these subcontracting rms. Both of these subcontractors are very qualified and have
worked with your firm on previous occasions. The firms are financially strong and their field
work is per- formed safely and is of acceptable quality. Your problem: the Rodney Danger field
Syndrome, “I don’t get no respect!” These subcontractors continually go over your head to your
project manager. They talk to your peers on other projects. They do not respond to your requests
for information or requests for additional backup on change orders.

1. What do you do now?


2. How do you establish yourself as the point of contact for these firms?
3. List five rules of order you would recommend for a beginning engineer who needs to
earn the respect of experienced subcontractor managers who work for him or her.
CASE 4:

As a project manager employed by a general contractor, you find yourself working with two
different and difficult architectural project managers from the same firm on different projects.
Your firm has a very good relationship with this architectural rm. Your OIC has told you to “deal
with it” and not to damage your firm’s reputation, and at the same time make a fair profit.
Assuming that you cannot change these professionals’ personalities and you have six
months to go to finish each project, how do you deal with each of the individuals as
described below?

a. Architect A is young and has a very strong personality. He develops and distributes his
own copies of meeting notes. He publishes his own RFI, submittal, and change order
proposal logs. He refuses to address your logs or notes in the meetings. His records
consistently slant in his favor with respect to content, responsibility, and dates. He chairs
any meeting he attends and demands that he sit at the head of the table. Change order
proposals that you originate do not show up on his logs. He authored your contract and
your change orders. Many of your “issues” continue to be sidestepped.
b. Architect B is pleasant to be around and very experienced, but appears at times to be
laissez-faire. She appears to be tired and overworked. She does not take any notes during
the meeting and continues to show up unprepared, forget- ting her copies to important
documents. She leaves meetings early for “prior commitments.” She loses RFIs,
submittals, and pay requests. She does not recall verbal or phone conversations, and does
not acknowledge receipt of emails.

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