Australian Construction Assignment Case Study

Construction Project Management: A Case Study on Bridge Building

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Part A

Activity 1

Summary of Enterprise Environment

The case study is based on an Australian construction company. It has been operating in the Melbourne area for 10 years. The company is active in both small and large construction. However, construction has a large impact on the environment, and the technology used in construction can be a countermeasure to the environment. In addition, analysing the company's environment along with planning will result in the creation of appropriate policies and improved performance. In project management, internal or external environmental factors can affect project success. Environmental impacts at every stage of construction are common and can have negative long-term impacts (Parsamehr et al. 2022). The political, economic, and social environments are variables that fall under the external environment. External environmental elements are those that impact the success of building projects and are often beyond the management team's control.

EEF encompasses things that are often out of one's control, such as culture, the weather, laws and regulations, the political climate, market circumstances, etc., (Duan, 2021). Construction projects are responsible for all energy consumption. One of the key benefits of enterprise software is that they boost overall corporate productivity. It's due to streamlined information workflow, automated procedures, data storage, and standardisation, as well as an easier IT infrastructure. A major problem when constructing buildings is emissions from energy consumption. As businesses transition from these residential customers to large commercial customers, planning is critical to a successful transition as well as creating sufficient market share to succeed and maintain their position in a highly competitive market. Australian Construction was granted a proposal to construct a bridge in Pakenham that would span a canal. The distance across this bridge, which joins a country road, is about 50 metres. After collecting proposals, the local council authorised the project. Beginning in May 2022, the project must be completed even by end of July, 2022. Committee wants to follow each level's progress and follow up every week. Project managers need to be aware of the business environment, as only factors can improve or limit options for project management. It affects the success of the project for better or worse.

Activity 2

Identify the project in hand and resources details

Project in hand refers to a person who holds the responsibility of the project and on which the success of the project entirely depends. Currently, the Australian Construction Company receives a project for the construction of the bridge that will take place over a canal in Pakenham in hand. For the construction of the bridge, the Local council gives the permission for the project with the process of bidding (Xu et al. 2022). For the construction the initial stage is the proper planning will determine the strength of the project and its percentage of the success. Constriction of a project is not easier, it requires stakeholders and other resources. Large investment is required for the project to be conducted. However, for the current project to take place, it requires 6 scaffolders, 10 Mansons, 8 road workers, 6 scaffolders, and 4 plumbers (Rudeli et al. 2018). They all will be working under the four supervisors. Supervisors must ensure the progress of the work and its efficiency. Along with the, the two civil engineers will also be assigned for the designing and structuring of the bridge according to the council specifications (Chen and Pan, 2021). For the project management, Steve will be assigned as the project manager. He is responsible for the planning and delivering the project on time and within the budget. Moreover, they will also have the responsibility to organise logistics, and should track spending.

Activity 3

Stakeholder register

Stakeholder	Category	Stakeholder analysis	Role or job title	Address
Organisation/Name of the person/s	Internal or external	E.g., Key player with high influence/interest
Steve	Internal	Project planning and monitoring the work	Project Manager	xyz
Government	External	Granting the project by the process of bidding	Sanction for the project	xyz
Harvey and Ricky	Internal	Designing the bridge	Civil engineer	xyz
Australian Concrete Pty Ltd	External	Supplying the concrete to the Australian company for constructing the bridge	Concrete suppliers	xyz
Electricians	Internal	Improvement in the electrical equipment’s	Installation and control system	xyz

Stakeholder management plan

Stakeholder	Internal/ external	Influence High Low	Interest High Low	Power High Low	Stakeholder management strategy
Steve	Internal	High	High	High	Flow of communicating with the team members, and observing the workflow of the project.
Government	External	High	High	High	They will oversee the progress in different stages of the project and will also monitor the work on a weekly basis.
Harvey and Ricky	Internal	High	High	Low	Based on the requirement of the council specification, they will design the bridge.
Australian Concrete Pty Ltd	External	High	Low	Low	The supplier offered a discount from 5% to 7%.

Stakeholder communication plan template

Stakeholder	Internal/ external	Information required	Communication method	Timeline	Responsible person
Suppliers	External	Information regarding price, payment terms, materials quality.	Verbal communication	2 days	Australian Concrete Pty Ltd
Design team	Internal	Proper designing of the bridge	Verbal and Visual communication	8 days	Harvey and Ricky
Supervisor	Internal	Needs proper’s information about the project planning along with the deadline of the project completion	Verbal communication and listening to the team members	Each day at the day end till the completion of the project	Nickola
Marketing manager	Internal	Needs all information regarding the construction of the bridge so that they could be able to show the efficiency and deliver the of the project	Advertising and directing marketing	5 days	Alexis Bowen

Activity 4

Risk Management Register

Identified Risk	Likelihood of Occurring	Severity in event that it occurs	Risk Priority	Risk Mitigation actions
Issues of the cash flow	Clients being dishonest, disputes at the time of project delivery	Late debt repayments, low profits, unexpected expenses	High	Collaborating with the clients, and providing proper training to the team,
Delay of the work	Incorrect schedule for the construction, clients delay, accidents on the site	It takes place because of the change ein the scope of the project	Medium	Setting up the goals, team meeting, tracking the workflow
Money losing projects	Failure at the time of consulting the subcontractors	Productivity being poor, paying extra amount to the subcontractors	High	Having proper knowledge of the resources and analysing them, debt management measures
Poor quality of the work	Due to the lack of protection, electrocutions	Using inferior quality materials, or costing	High	Correct use of materials, regular monitoring, avoiding the scope creep
Structural failure	Poor planning, errors at the time of construction of the bridge	Defective design, overloading, collapsing, shortage of the skilled labour	High	Proper designing of the structure, skilled labour, proper management

Activity 5

Project management plan

Business justification for the project	Bridge construction is done to connect a rural road (Pesotskaya et al. 2019). The length for connecting the road is 50 metres.
List of requirements including stakeholder needs	For constructing a bridge it requires a number of resources including a variety of stakeholders for different departments, financial resources, and raw materials (Li and Liu, 2019). The stakeholders will help to complete the project on time and deliver a superior quality.
Project goals and objectives	Constructing a bridge above “canal in Pakenham”
Project scope	There are lots of possibilities of connection of the new rail and road section (Machado and Vilela, 2020). It will improve the communication and business section of the particular system
List of deliverables and estimated due dates	1.5.22-30.7.22
Detailed project schedule	1.5.22-10.5.22 Foundation trench and substructure(Deep foundation, pile foundation of 20m) 13.5.22-23.6.22 construction of superstructure (pire and column pire construction of diameter 25 ft each total 26 nos) 13.5.22-30.6.22 superstructure construction of precast girder each length 100m. Total 50 m construction 1.7.22-30.7.22 Retaining wall road finishing and construction of side railing
Risk assessment and management plan	Various types of safety measurement needs to be implemented (Zeng et al. 2021). Engaging safety experts and many systems. Through review of the work and continuous checking the safety instruments. Monitoring the machinery part.
Defined roles and responsibilities	Project manager(George Brown, Steve Aby, Naval Rauf)- Supervision and monitoring the overall construction project Project Engineer(Max Wright)- supervision of the construction and technical issues Design engineer(Harvey, Ricky,)- Structural designing of the construction system Site Engineer(Dorran, Michelle,Burke, Stuart)- Site supervision of the particular progress of the job. Foreman(Dom, Rodd, Frank, Ben,)- Maintenance and supervision of the materials Supervisor(Call, Jarrad, Steve, Terry White, Nickola)-Supervision of the job of particular system and overview of the workers Site Inspector(Tran, Bob, Kim)- Inspection of the safety measurement
Resource allocation for the project	Coarse aggregate , fine aggregate, cement, Steel, Formwork steel, keels, wood, ply, Cement Block, water, Electricity, and construction machinery, paints, electric system .
Stakeholder communication plan.	Continuous and daily basis work updated to project manager, construction communication between engineers and foreman (Jackson, 2020). Safety communication to every worker.

Part B

Activity 6

Identify contracts requirements and develop a plan to negotiate contracts

The external environment includes factors including the political, economic, as well as social contexts. Contract discussions include much more than just reaching an agreement. By negotiating contracts, you have the opportunity to improve the financial ties between the parties, close gaps in the supply chain, and protect your business from harm. All parties will evaluate their roles, the benefits they stand to gain from the contract, and any risks they are willing to take even during the contract negotiation process (Zhang et al. 2019). All parties should be at ease with the contract's specifics after contract negotiations, according to the objective. The site of the structure is its most crucial component. For the design of the bridge's construction, the site needs to be extremely precisely determined. The negotiation is the second component. The manager has conducted a thorough study and has located the supplier (Australian Concrete Pty Ltd) that delivers this concrete construction to the required standards for $28,500 per concrete building. This service has provided the opportunity to haggle over the price, with the knowledge that they may provide a 5%–7% reduction. Amount bids for the project total $4,000,000. Total projected costs for the construction are $2,980,000. Australian construction received a quote of $3.150,000 from Australian construction subcontractors DCD Melbourne Construction. Negotiation is the key to getting things done at work, resolving conflicts, and enhancing contracts. When conflicts arise in both personal and professional relationships, it is simple to avoid conflict in an effort to keep the relationship between the individuals strong (Yang et al. 2021). The three components of the what (problems), why (positions), how and (interests) are involved in every negotiation. They offer a foundational framework from which your approach will develop. Negotiating preparation is a crucial first stage in the negotiation process, despite how easy it is to ignore. As a means to get ready, study all aspects of the debate, make note of just about any future trade, and select your favourite and least favoured outcomes.

The steps for negotiation includes:

1. Recognize the purpose of the agreement: Every contract has an overarching objective. It's critical to understand the purpose of the contract and how each party expects to gain from it, whether that's to safeguard your proprietary information or to combine your business with another (Tayeh et al. 2019). The contract's terms and the negotiating process will be guided by the objective.
2. Preparing for the questions: Despite the fact that one might reach an agreement that one finds favourable, it's equally crucial to be aware of any issues or worries that other parties could have (Kolari? et al. 2018). This can assist the negotiating process move a bit more quickly and smoothly while also building some trust between you and the other party in the business connection.
3. Looking up the relevant laws: Based on the conditions of the agreement or whether they are conducting business with a person in a different state, you might need to look out relevant federal, state, and possibly even local laws (Liu et al. 2019). The company can make sure you get everything covered by learning about the laws that can relate to the contract.
4. Become familiar with contract laws: Contract law is different in every state. These rules specify what is and is not permissible in a contract in addition to what a party may be entitled to in the event that the other party defaults on the contract.
5. Assess risks: They can evaluate the likelihood of a negotiation result using a risk matrix graphic (Huang, 2018). That will assist you in finding any concealed threats that you might not have thought about. They can predict how the other negotiator will act or react to various offers and counteroffers depending on just what you know about him.

Activity 7

Resource procurement plan

Project Type	Required resources	Quantity	When required	Procurement strategy
Machine	Track excavators	2	Onsite	Secure storage onsite and availability
Person	Administrators	1	Offsite	No Scheduler required
Person	Bricklayers	3	Onsite	Assume local Availability
machine	Forklift	1	Hire	Secure Storage onsite and availability
Software	Project Management Application	2	SaaS	Licence max
Person	Construction Manager	1	Staff	CSCS needed

Activity 8

Email format

To: Australian construction company

CC: Project Manager and Supervisor

BCC: Project Manager and Supervisor

From: DCD Melbourne construction

Subject: Undertaking the construction project sub-contract

Salutation

Respected sir,

Message

It is to inform them that they will be given $3.150,000 for undertaking the construction project subcontractor.

Regards,

Thanking you,

DCD Melbourne construction

Sender Name: DCD Melbourne construction

Part C

Activity 9

Role play 1

Feedback register

Date of Feedback	Feedback source/ Feedback provider	Which channel of communication was feedback left – e.g., Feedback form, phone, email, web review etc.	Feedback	Actions to be taken and resolutions to be made	Timeline for actions
15.05.2022	Site Manager	Email	Ground cleaning is not done properly	Applicable measures to be taken to clear the site as soon as possible.	20.05.2022
30.05.2022	Project Manager	Feedback form	Vertical structure are not made in proper manner	The vertical structure must be lined properly with the help of foremen	05.06.2022
05.06.2022	Civil Engineer	Email	Layering of the horizontal structure is inaccurate	The technical team must handover the measurement of the horizontal structure to the civil engineer	10.06.2022
25.06.2022	Foremen	Web server	Slide layering measurements are not accurate	The measurement must be taken properly	30.06.2022
01.07.2022	Chief Engineer	Email	Carpeting and line marking are having major issues.	They must look into the maintenance of the construction of the bridge	06.07.2022

Consultation meeting notes template

Consultation objective	Consultation method	Information discussed	Note of outcomes of consultation
Planning of the construction plane	Conferences	The agreement of the plan for developing the construction (Prayogo et al. 2020).	The outcomes of the construction should have the satisfaction of Melbourne citizens.

Consultation documentation table

Organisation Name	Australian Construction
Consultation Officer Name	James William
Date of consultation	1 May to 15 May 2022
Consultation topic	Construction of Melbourne Area
Objective of consultation	Consulted Stakeholder	Information received from stakeholder	Responses to consultation feedback received
Target	Investors Employees Communities	In this topic stakeholders are informed about the communication among the employees.	The stakeholders send feedback to the managers, masons, and supervisors who are involved in the construction project.
Post decision	Customers Suppliers	Informed about the project progress.	It also sends feedback about the project progress (Iyer, 2018).
Confidential Documents	Government Association of trade	The stakeholders are also informed about the materials which are used in the construction.	The Stakeholders also send feedback on the condition of the construction.

Activity 10

Role Play 2

Organisation Name	Australian Construction
Consultation Officer Name	John Burt
Date of consultation	5 June 2022
Objective of consultation	Consulted Stakeholder	Information received from stakeholder	Responses to consultation feedback received
The objective of a general manager is manage all construction work	The general manager consulted from the stakeholder information about the project.	The stakeholder sends the information to the general manager about the project project (Pan et al. 2018).	General manager received feedback from the stakeholder of the project.

Feedback register

Date of Feedback	Feedback source/ Feedback provider	Which channel of communication was feedback left – e.g., Feedback form, phone, email, web review etc.	Feedback	Actions to be taken and resolutions to be made	Timeline for actions
30 July 2022	The feedback is provided by the HR manager.	By email, text messages or any other communication path.	Good	Give motivation to the employee.	One day after the completion of the project.

Consultation meeting notes

Consultation objective	Consultation method	Information discussed	Note of outcomes of consultation
Planning of the meeting for consulting regarding the project	Conferences	The approval of the construction's development plan (Corneli et al. 2021).	The residents of Melbourne should be happy with the construction's results.

Consultation documentation table

Organisation Name	Australian Construction
Consultation Officer Name	Tony Grant
Date of consultation	7 June 2022
Objective of consultation	Consulted Stakeholder	Information received from stakeholder	Responses to consultation feedback received
The objective of an Accountant is to have all the information of the costing and expenditure.	The Accountant Consulted from the stakeholder information about the project (Webber and Ruge, 2019).	The stakeholder sends the information to the accountant about the project project.	Accountant Received feedback from the stakeholder of the project.
Organisation Name	Australian Construction
Consultation Officer Name	Tony Grant
Date of consultation	7 June 2022

References

Journals

• Chen, L. and Pan, W., 2021. Review fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making in construction management using a network approach. Applied soft computing, 102, p.107103.
• Corneli, A., Naticchia, B., Spegni, F. and Spalazzi, L., 2021, July. Combining blockchain and BPMN coreographies for construction management. In EC3 Conference 2021 (Vol. 2, pp. 34-41). ETH.
• Duan, R., 2021. Research on the efficiency path of civil construction management engineering based on BIM technology. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 643, No. 1, p. 012019). IOP Publishing.
• Huang, Y., 2018. A review of approaches and challenges of BIM education in construction management. Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture, 12(6), pp.401-7.
• Iyer, V.G., 2018, June. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Process towards Sustainable Construction Management Development for the Electrical, Automation and Mechanical Engineering Construction Industries-Business excellence achievements. In 2018 3rd International Conference on Electrical, Automation and Mechanical Engineering (EAME 2018) (pp. 87-96). Atlantis Press.
• Jackson, B.J., 2020. Construction management JumpStart: the best first step toward a career in construction management. John Wiley & Sons.
• Kolari?, S., Mandi?ák, T., Vukomanovi?, M. and Mesároš, P., 2018. BIM training in construction management educational practices in Croatia and Slovakia. In Creative Construction Conference 2018 (pp. 1002-1009). Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
• Li, Y. and Liu, C., 2019. Applications of multirotor drone technologies in construction management. International Journal of Construction Management, 19(5), pp.401-412.
• Liu, Z., Zhang, C., Guo, Y., Osmani, M. and Demian, P., 2019. A Building Information Modelling (BIM) based Water Efficiency (BWe) framework for sustainable building design and construction management. Electronics, 8(6), p.599.
• Machado, R.L. and Vilela, C., 2020. Conceptual framework for integrating BIM and augmented reality in construction management. Journal of civil engineering and management, 26(1), pp.83-94.
• Pan, W., Ilhan, B. and Bock, T., 2018. Process information modelling (PIM) concept for on-site construction management: Hong Kong case. Periodica Polytechnica Architecture, 49(2), pp.165-175.
• Parsamehr, M., Perera, U.S., Dodanwala, T.C., Perera, P. and Ruparathna, R., 2022. A review of construction management challenges and BIM-based solutions: perspectives from the schedule, cost, quality, and safety management. Asian Journal of Civil Engineering, pp.1-37.
• Pesotskaya, E., Selyutina, L. and Egorova, L., 2019, December. Actual aspects of modeling method application in organization of construction management. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 687, No. 4, p. 044005). IOP Publishing.
• Prayogo, D., Cheng, M.Y., Wu, Y.W., Redi, A.P., Yu, V.F., Persada, S.F. and Nadlifatin, R., 2020. A novel hybrid metaheuristic algorithm for optimization of construction management site layout planning. Algorithms, 13(5), p.117.
• Rudeli, N., Viles, E. and Santilli, A., 2018. A Construction Management Tool: Determining a Project Schedule Typical Behaviors Using Cluster Analysis.
• Tayeh, R., Bademosi, F. and Issa, R.R.A., 2019. Implementing collaborative learning platforms in construction management education. In ISARC. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction (Vol. 36, pp. 1114-1120). IAARC Publications.
• Webber, R. and Ruge, G., 2019. ARE CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS PRACTISING A PROFESSION, OCCUPATION OR TRADE?. 43RD AUBEA, p.255.
• Xu, H., Chang, R., Pan, M., Li, H., Liu, S., Webber, R.J., Zuo, J. and Dong, N., 2022. Application of Artificial Neural Networks in Construction Management: A Scientometric Review. Buildings, 12(7), p.952.
• Yang, B., Dong, M., Wang, C., Liu, B., Wang, Z. and Zhang, B., 2021. IFC-based 4D construction management information model of prefabricated buildings and its application in graph database. Applied Sciences, 11(16), p.7270.
• Zeng, N., Liu, Y., Gong, P., Hertogh, M. and König, M., 2021. Do right PLS and do PLS right: A critical review of the application of PLS-SEM in construction management research. Frontiers of Engineering Management, 8(3), pp.356-369.
• Zhang, J., Xie, H. and Li, H., 2019. Improvement of students problem-solving skills through project execution planning in civil engineering and construction management education. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management.