Project Management > Construction Execution

A project manager of a general contractor needs to have a working relationship with structural engineer and architect of the project. This is very important to run the project effectively and amoothly for all parties involved. For example, in almost all project specifications, it is stated that the consultants have 15 days to answer an RFI or process a submittal, but in reality it can never work this way. This is construction, things can not wait. No drawings will ever be complete, and during construction problems will be encountered all the time. When this happens, you need to have such a relationship with your consultants that, you should be able […] Read More

As part of construction means and methods and how you will execute your project, mobilization of a trade must be taken into account for any trade that will stay in your jobsite for more than a couple days in general. This means almost all trades and therefore it is a task that requires good communication and coordination. Again, this is a means and methods that completely belong to the contractor. Make sure that in your site you have enough staging, unloading and access area and coordinate locations of those. Temporary installations, such as scaffoldings are another major issue to be considered. One of the most important items is the rigging […] Read More

For building construction or any commercial construction such as offices or any other building, you will need to hire a final cleanup company that specializes in this and does this efficiently before turning your job over to the owner. There are several points you should pay attention to: In your contract with them, require them to get signoff from you or a representative of your company for every area. State in your contract that they will need to clean the area to your satisfaction to get a signoff or the job will be considered not complete. No damage to any caulking material must occur. No razor blades or abrasive pads […] Read More

Most large companies have established procedures when it comes to organizing and constructing meetings during a project, and also when updating and distributing meeting minutes. Although this may seem like an administrative task, the running of the meeting and taking proper notes and updating the meeting minutes is usually not the job of the project administrator but the project engineer or even project manager. Smaller companies however, may not have established procedures in place. The post below therefore can serve as a guide for a project engineer at a smaller company when writing and updating meeting minutes. First of all, we must give numbers to each meeting. Also, it is […] Read More

For some people, things can go wrong when they hire a contractor, who does not do a proper job and threatens to leave the jobsite. Before anything, the first thing you do is the consult a professional regarding your particular situation. Here you can find only some general information, which may or may not be useful for you. Here are a few things you can do: Take pictures of the current situation of the house, as many as needed, showing all the relevant areas, with dates on them. Contact the state contractors association (where your contractor got his contractor license) and tell them about this situation. Also get their advice. […] Read More

In order to run the operations properly from the construction site, you will need to have a temporary office at the jobsite most often times. This is not usually as straightforward as it seems. You need to setup the temporary electricity, water, internet, even toilets and of course your trailer. All these items need time and effort. You have to determine the most efficient location for your trailer, so that you will not have to locate it as the job progresses or if this is unavoidable at least relocate it as least as possible. Also obtaining temporary power from the power source is another thing. Don’t forget that this conduit […] Read More

Elevators are an important part of high rise construction. But how do they fit in the schedule and with other trades? As soon as we have the elevator opening shaft ready, we can start to install elevator rails. The items for making shaft ready include: all floors must be complete and the dimensions must be per the drawings of the elevator manufacturer. adequate storage space and access to the elevator shaft must be present, in other words, the elevator subcontractor must have enought space to place his stuff, and have enough space to work three phase and one phase power supplies must be complete, lifting hooks must be in place, […] Read More