Question

construction management

1.-Discuss how do network diagrams solve the primary problem with bar charts? In your opinion, why it is important to organize a pre-construction meeting and who should attend this meeting? How the bidding schedule different than the master construction schedule?

Answer 1

Network Analysis and Gantt Charts are two project management tools that aid in carrying out tasks against a time tangent. In a project, networks form the basis for controlling the project. In a network diagram, each activity has a fixed start time and a fixed finish. Dependencies of tasks are determined by the time allotted for each, where one might start only when a particular task is finished or may start simultaneously alongside another.

Bar charts are graphical representations of tasks against time. Initially there were no dependencies represented on the chart, but during the more recent decades dependencies too were charted. In a Gantt Chart, tasks are represented along the vertical axis and have a fixed measure for calculation. Time is represented along the horizontal axis of the graph and may extend as much as the duration allocated for each task. Downward arrows at the beginning or end of the time schedule between tasks indicate dependencies.

Bar Charts are :

• Easy to draw
• Easy to decipher and understand
• Provides clarity of a project’s status
• Easy to use as a briefing tool in a meeting covering a whole set of activities.
• One chart can illustrate many activities.
• One of the easiest ways of reporting and documenting a project’s progress.
• It is a tool that can be used across all streams of work.

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A pre-construction meeting must be organized to discuss every detail of the upcoming construction. Pre-construction meetings are an excellent way to make certain that everything in your project is communicated clearly before execution operations begin. Pre-construction meetings allow you to define project, monitoring and maintenance goals and help you manage expectations.

The benefits of a pre-construction meeting include:

• The best approach to successfully completing a project.
• The opportunity to go through all documents required by the company, country, city, state and federal government.
• Providing information about all special requirements.
• Setting performance goals and finding ways to meet those goals.
• Establishing the project’s starting point and having it formally recorded.
• The capability to identify conflicts in the schedule, long lead items, and all other items needed for the smooth development of the project.
• Providing the project owners the opportunity to express their expectations for the project; it also provides the framework for project members to inform the project owner of the progress made so far.
• A clear understanding of how decisions will be handled, including the time frame and who has the authority to make certain decisions.
• The ability to create a concrete project schedule that lays out the details of each project activity including what point in time each job has to be accomplished and the critical paths of each workflow.
• A comprehensive payment schedule that illustrates a percentage of the contract cost to each task — this is very useful in avoiding payment confusion and problems.
• The avoidance of costly reworks and change orders through early dispute resolutions.
• The opportunity to have open discussions about any questions brought up by the project leaders and other project members.

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Master Construction Schedule is a summary level project schedule which includes the major project deliverables, work breakdown structure components, and key project milestones. A project master schedule is an early communication tool among stakeholders which shows the major deliverables, key milestones, and summary of work breakdown structure activities.

A bidding schedule is a detailed document that is prepared much before the project is awarded and circulated to all parties, so that every one is aware of how the bidding process is going to take place. An example is shown below

Last Date of Sale of Tender Document 28/06/2020 Last Date of Submission of Bid 11:00 AM on 29/06/2020 Opening Date of Techno-Commercial Bid 11:30 AM on 29/06/2020 Opening Date of Price Bid (indicative) 06/07/2020 Award of contract (Indicative) 10/07/2020

Bidding schedule has got nothing to do with details of the construction, or materials involved or staffing or dates of completiong.

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