Project Management for Construction

QUESTION 1

 

1. System thinking is an intellectual discipline that provides a powerful mental frame of reference in understanding problem situations and in guiding day-to-day decision making.

 

Distinguish between soft systems thinking method and hard systems thinking method.

(10 marks)

 

1. Using systems thinking, as a project management consultant, discuss how you would differentiate between “design management” and “management of the design process”.

(15 marks)

 

1. c) Discuss the critical success factors for management of the design process.

(10 marks)

 

 

Question 2

 

1. a) Under the Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM 2007), outline the roles and responsibilities of the main ‘Stakeholders’ involved and highlight how these stakeholders influence health and safety on construction sites.

(15 Marks)

 

1. b) It could be argued that the Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM 1994) enforced the construction industry to accommodate changes in their regime of managing health and safety. Since CDM 2007 and using Fellow’s et al (2002), typical safety structure for a contracting company, critically evaluate the roles and relationships of those tasked with achieving safer sites.

(15 marks)

 

 (Value for Money in Strategic Construction Procurement)

 

Question 1

 

In both the developed and the developing economies, the traditional methods of procurement seem to be losing their prime positions in construction project delivery due to their reliance on direct client funding.

 

Discuss with examples why you think Private Finance Initiative (PFI) seems to becoming the favoured option of procurement for infrastructure and provision of public sector services.

(25 marks)

 

Question 2

 

Procurement is a strategy to satisfy client’s development and/or operational needs with respect to the provision of constructed facilities for a discrete life cycle. Government clients across the world seem to increasingly favour the use of public private partnership (PPP) to procure infrastructure and services.

 

Discuss the three broad categories of PPP used by the UK Government and explain why this method of procurement is encouraged by governments across the world.

 

Question 3(Briefing Process)

 

The briefing process is generally described as an important contributory factor for the success or failure of any construction project.

 

1. Critically evaluate the importance of the brief from the client’s viewpoint highlighting the potential contributions of a Project Manager to brief development.

(10marks)

 

1. Discuss the various types of brief that might be produced through the stages of project development and showing their linkages.

(15 marks)

 

 

 (Project key strategies)

 

Question 1

 

Project planning is defined as “the process of analysing, formulating and organising the intended actions for the carrying out of the project”.The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)states that to achieve construction project success, planning must be based upon robust project strategies.

 

Using examples, discuss what you understand by the term “project strategy”.

(10 Marks)

 

Identify the key project strategies that must be established right at the onset of a construction project and explain how each may affect successful delivery of the project.

(15 Marks)

 

 

Question 5 (Risk Management)

 

Project assessment framework at the early project stages, particularly during the feasibility phase, involves the following types of assessments:

• Financial assessment
• Economic assessment, and
• Risk assessment.

 

1. Explain the differences between these three assessment types;

(7 marks)

1. Show using a simple sketch how the three assessments are related to one another during the feasibility phase; and

(10 marks)

1. Discuss why their outputs are required as key inputs to the decision making process to progress to next project stage.

(8 marks)