Project Management in Construction

Sidney Levy

Preference :

The importance of the project manager's role in the construction process cannot be overstated. From the two-dimensional plans and specifications that mark the first step of the building process to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at project completion, the project manager is a key player. The path from Point A to Point B is rarely without its detours and roadblocks and the project manager is charged with the responsibility of traversing those detours and tearing down the impasses. A project manager must be technically competent and possess the management skills necessary to effectively control the teams of subcontractors, vendors, and field personnel required to provide the smooth flow of tradespeople and materials needed to get the job done. A little knowledge of accounting procedures, legal matters, and state and federal regulations is also best in order to effectively deal with the many forces that bear on the construction process. Part-time instructor, father confessor, disciplinarian, and mediator, one thing is for sure, a project manager's daily routine is never the same. Only change is constant.

In the end, project management is an exercise in control: control over quality, schedule, and costs-each one a full-time job, yet all falling under the aegis of the project manager. Project Management in Construction, now in its Fifth Edition, examines some of the basic tenets of managing a construction project and explores new technologies that will impact how we do business in the future.