Chapter 1:

INTRODUCTION – BASIC CONCEPTS

 The International Space Project (ISS)
By 2006, the space assembly will be completed (as planned)
and functional 220 miles above the earth at a cost of more
than $40 billion.
The station will cover an
area of approximately
two football fields and
have a housing unit the
size of a jumbo jet.
This space station will
conduct research
concerning human life
and production of
products in space.
The complexity of the station and the coordination required among 16
partner nations is daunting.

Russia launched the first piece of the space station on November

2,1998 and USA launched the first space component hub in
December 3,1998.

In total it is planned that 34 space deliveries will transport more than

900,000 lb of materials needed to assemble the completed station.

It is estimated that 1,800 hrs of construction will be needed to

assemble the station.
The project has had a bumpy ride, and more problems are expected
before the project is completed.

The project is billions of dollars over budget; the total cost could
reach $96 billion.

Some of the problems:

- collapse of the Russian economy,
- Redesign,
- delivery vehicles blowing up, docking problems, injuries and kills
The ESA (European Space Agency) is coordinating several ISS
projects linked to the development of an ATV (automatic
transfer vehicle) that will support 9 tons of cargo and fuel to
the space station.

15 ATVs are scheduled for delivery between 2003 and 2013.

Standard penalty for late delivery are in place

Problems are deemed surmountable.

It is expected that the world-class laboratory will lead to

discoveries that will touch the lives of everyone in the world.
In Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial and aerospace engineering:

The International Space Station (ISS) is a huge project as discussed at

the beginning of this chapter.

Car manufacturing are also example of huge projects.

Reengineering a process.
In Civil Engineering:

The design/construction of Bridges, Towers, Olympic

stadium, shopping centers, dams, tunnel are examples
of construction projects.
 A 50.5 km (31.4 mi) undersea rail
tunnel

At its lowest point it is 75 m

(250 ft) deep

began construction in 1988,

opening in 1994

The cost overran predictions

by 80%.

Eleven tunnel boring machines working from both the UK and

France cut through chalk marl to construct two rail tunnels and a
service tunnel
At the peak of construction 15,000 people were employed with daily
expenditure over £3 million

Ten workers died during construction between 1987 and 1993, the
majority being killed in the first few months of boring.

Delays :
•the ground conditions proved to be much worse than anticipated
affecting the performance of the tunnel boring machines
•Design changes were imposed by the
Inter-Governmental Commission.
•Addition of a cooling system.

Risk
•major water inflow due to the
water pressure from the sea above
under weak ground conditions.
 •88-floor towers
•Constructed largely of reinforced
concrete, with a steel and glass façade.
•Costing a whopping US$1.2bn and
• uniquely designed by
Cesar Pelli & Associates.
•Completed in 1997.
•It rises to 1,483ft (451.9m) in height

•The towers are also joined at the

41st and 42nd floors (175m above street
level) by a 192ft-long (58.4m) double-
decker skybridge - linking the two sky
lobbies and facilitating the movement
between the two towers.

PETRONAS Twin Towers

 The design was awarded
to a submission from the
Swiss architecture firm
Herzog & de Meuron in
April 2003, after a bidding
process that included 13 final
submissions

Beijing Stadium (Bird nest)

•The US$423 million stadium is the world's largest steel structure

•All 110,000 tons of steel were made in China Construction starts in
December 2003
•17,000 construction workers worked on the stadium.
•Changes in the design:Elimination of the retactable roof.
• In Computer and communication Engineering:
The Microsoft Corporation periodically releases new or update
software.
Each release is the result of many people working countless
hours writing codes, testing programs, and revising code.
Design, production, and marketing
efforts also have to be coordinated.

The design and production of new

cell phones are also projects that
requires people coordination.

The design of web pages, databases, and software development

are other examples of projects.
• In Business organizations:
The design of advertising campaigns, of new products and
services, of movies are also examples of projects.
The movie Titanic was the leading box office money maker
of all time. And a good thing too, because over $250million
was spent on making the movie, also a record.
Imagine the immense
job of planning
TITANIC and coordinating
the script writers,
set designers, set
builders, camera crews,
directors, actors,
makeup, costumes,
advertising, and more
that went into making
the movie.
Definition of a Project
• The Project Management Institute (PMI 2000) defines a
project as “ a temporary endeavor undertaken to produce a
unique product or service.”

• Projects are unique, one-time operations designed to

accomplish a set of objectives in a limited time frame.

• Any project must have a starting point and an ending point,

and it must have a deliverable product or service that is
unique.

• The project consists of a well-defined collection of tasks or

activities, that when completed, mark the end of the project.
• The project involve the interaction & coordination of the skills
and efforts of a large number & variety agents.
• Projects may involve considerable cost.

• They must be carefully planned and coordinated.

• Most are expected to be completed based on time, cost, and

performance targets. (these are the objectives of a project)

Target

Performance
Overview of Project Management
What is project management? A team-based approach for managing
projects

What are the key metrics?

1-Time
2-Cost.
3-Performance objectives.

What are the key success factors?

1-Top-down commitment.
2-A respected and capable project manager.
3- Enough time to plan
4-Careful tracking and control.
5-Good communications.
 Project life Cycle

• The size, length, and scope of projects vary widely according to the
nature and purpose of the project.

• Nevertheless, all projects have something in common: they go through a

life cycle, which typically consists of four phases:

• Projects go through a series of stages: -Project definition(concept)

-Project Planning
-Project Execution
-Project phase-out(termination)

• A variety of skill requirements are involved.

• The magnitude & scope of the construction effort involved in a project

depends on its size & complexity
 Project Development
• Construction projects develop in a clearly sequential or linear fashion
• The general steps involved are as follows:

 A need for a facility is identified by the owner

 Initial feasibility and costs projections are developed
 The decision to proceed with conceptual design is made , and a design professional
is retained
 The conceptual design and scope of work are developed to include an
approximate estimate of cost
 The decision is made to proceed with the development of final design documents,
which fully define the project for purpose of construction
 Based on the final design documents, the project is advertised and proposals to
include quotations for construction of the work are solicited.
 Based on the proposals received, a constructor is selected and a notice to proceed
with the work is given. The proposal and its acceptance on the part of the owner
constitute the formation of a contract for the work.
 The process of constructing the facility is initiated. Work is completed, and facility
is available
 In complex projects, a period of testing decides if the facility operates as designed
and planned
 The facility operates and is maintained during a specified service life.
 The facility is disposed of .
Project Development
Project Development
Project Development
• Example: Constructing a house.
1- An idea is presented and its feasibility is assessed
2- Plans must be drawn up and approved
3- Succession of activities occurs: starting with site preparation, then
laying the foundation, erecting the frame, roofing, constructing exterior
walls, wiring and plumbing, installing kitchen and bathroom fixtures
and appliances, interior finishing work, and painting and carpeting
work.

• Projects typically bring together people with diverse knowledge and

skills.
Project Life Cycle

1.Goals 1. Activities 1. Status reports 1. Transfer documents

2.Feasibility 2. Schedule 2. Changes 2. Release resources
3.Responsibilities 3. Resources 3. Quality 3. Reassign staff
4.Teams 4. Risks 4. Lessons learned
5. Budgets
6. Staff
7. bid/tender
Behavioral Aspects of Project Management
key Decisions in Project Management:

 Planning and designing the project

Project planning and design require decisions on:
what is going to be done (the project performance goals, the
scope of the project)
How it will be done? (if some portions will be subcontracted or
outsourced)
Where it will be done?
Whom will do it?( resources)
When it will start and end? (timetable for project completion)
Clearly, a lack of clarity of scope before the project starts may
lead to heated arguments, to huge budget overruns, schedule
delays, claims, and different parties’ dissatisfactions
Parties Involved
The key players in the development sequence are:

• The owner
• The designer or design professional – Architect/ engineer
• The contractor - builder

other entities such as subcontractors, materials vendors, are

important supporting players in this sequence,

The legal definition of this interaction is established in the

general conditions of the contract.
Parties Involved
Parties Involved

The main elements of the parties relationships:

1- Project duration (start, finish date)

2- Performance ( construction according to quality
and standards required)

3- Professional ethics ( ethics concerning relationship with

others)
4- Finance ( cost of the project - Budget - rewards)
Construction technology & Construction Management
• Construction is engineering in action
• The study of construction as a discipline can be broadly
structured into two general themes:
1. Construction technology: relates to the methods or
techniques used to place the physical materials and elements
of construction at the job site.
techno + logic
2. Construction management: addresses how the resources
available to the manager can be best applied
Resources for construction ( four Ms):
Manpower (personnel from various skills)
Machines ( construction equipments)
Materials
Money
• Management involves the timely and efficient application of
the four Ms to construct a project
Construction administration & Contract administration
• Contract administration means the management or handling
of the business relations between the parties to a contract,
which is popularly thought of as being limited to the
administrative paperwork.

• Construction administration refers to a much broader

responsibility of relating to all project-related functions
between parties to a contract ( communication, coordination,
duties, dispute and claims handling, change order, extra
work, responsibilities, authorities, relationship with the
contractor, procedures, documentation, construction
operations,…..)
Construction Management is Resource driven
The job of a construction manager is to efficiently and economically
apply the required resources to realize a constructed facility of
acceptable quality within the time frame and budget cost
specified..
“ on time and within budget”

The concept of quality as a requirement has become an increasingly

important aspect of the construction process

“ a quality facility on time and within budget”

The manager must be clever and innovative in the utilization of

resources available.
Structure of the Construction Industry
Construction project ca be broadly classified as:

Building construction Engineered construction Industrial construction

Facilities built for Structures that are planned and Highly technical projects in
habitational , institutional, designed by trained professional manufacturing and processing
educational, commercial, engineers. of products.
social, and recreational
purpose. ports complexes, Facilities that have public In some cases, specialty firms
banks functions performs both design &
construction under a single
Office buildings, shopping Public or semi-public owners. contract with the owner/
centers, sports complexes, client.
banks Highway projects
Heavy construction (
Designed by infrastructure, pipelines,
architect/engineers (A/Es) waterways, sewerage
systems…dams …….)