PROJECT MANAGEMENT

2016

1) DEFINE
i) DUMMY
- Dummy is a type of operation in a network which neither requires any time
nor any resources. It is merely a device to identify a dependence among
operations
- It is thus a connecting link for control purposes or for maintaining
uniqueness of activity
- A dummy is also represented by arrow, but since it is not an activity, it is
represented by dashed arrow
- A dummy is identified by the number of terminal nodes
- Consider two sets of activities

Set 1

A. Wait delivery of new machine

B. Install new machine

Set 2

C. Remove existing machine

D. Dispose existing machine
- Activities A and B are performed serially and so are C and D
- But from practical consideration, activity D cannot be performed unless
activity A is completed
- Here, dummy link is used, joining node 2 to node 5, indicating that activity
D cannot be started unless event 2 is over
ii) EVENT
- Plans simply list the goals and define the means of achieving them. These
listed goals are called events and means of achieving these goals are known
as activities
- An event is that particular instant of time at which some specific part of a
plan has been or is to be achieved
iii) ACTIVITY
- Plans simply list the goals and define the means of achieving them. These
listed goals are called events and means of achieving these goals are known
as activities
- Activities are those operations of the plan which take time to carry out and
on which resources are expended
iv) SUCCESSOR ACTIVITY
- Activity or activities that can be performed after the performance of other
activities are known as successor activities
v) SUCESSOR EVENT
- Event that follows another event is successor event
- The event that immediately follows another event without any intervening
ones are called immediate successor events
vi) PREDECESSOR ACTIVITY
- Activity or activities that are required to be performed before another job
or activity can begin are called predecessor activities
vii) PREDECESSOR EVENTS
- The even or events that occur before another event are called predecessor
events to that event
- That event or events that immediately come before another event without
any intervening ones are called immediate predecessor events
viii) HEAD EVENT
- All activities have an ending and is marked by an event
- Such an event is known as head event because in a network diagram, it is
connected to the head end of the arrow
- If a particular head event marks the completion of a project, it is known as
final event or end event
ix) BAR CHART
- This technique is the earliest technique of project management
- A bar chart consists of two co-ordinate axis (horizontal- representing time,
vertical- representing job or activities to be performed)
- Each bar represents one specific job or activity
- The beginning and end of each bar represent the starting time and finishing
time of that activity
x) RENT
- A regular payment to the landlord for the use of their property is known as
rent

2) ENLIST CAUSES OF CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS AND WRITE

CLASSIFICATION OF CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENTS
- Control over men, equipment and material: if the control between
equipment and material is lost, as in case of cranes, trucks etc. the
construction accidents occur. Hence uncontrollable contact between men
and equipment or between men and material should be avoided
- Failure of temporary structures: the sudden and unexpected failures of
temporary structures such as formwork, scaffolding, ramps etc. may lead to
serious construction accidents
- Inherent engineering hazards: some of the construction projects require
the use of dangerous items such as explosives or in some cases, the process
followed during undesirable thing such as toxic dusts, unhealthy gases etc.
All such conditions are favorable for a construction accident to occur
- Personal hazards: if the individual workers employ unsafe practices and are
careless in their duties, the construction accident occur
- Classification of construction accidents:
i) According to the cause of occurrence
ii) According to nature of injury sustained
iii) According to the severity of accident

i) According to cause of occurrence:

- Cause of accident can be figured out
ii) According to nature of injury:
- Temporary disablement: recover and able to work
- Partial disablement: recover from injury but unable to do certain type of
work
- Total disablement: recover from injury but totally unable to do any type of
work
- Death: loss of life
iii) According to severity of accident:
- Minor accident: doesn’t require hospitalization, recovers in short time
- Major accident: require hospitalization and takes time to recover

3) EXPLAIN IN DETAIL ALL KEY KNOWLEDGE AREAS OF PROJECT

MANAGEMENT
1) Integration management
2) Scope management
3) Time management
4) Cost management
5) Quality management
6) Human resource management
7) Communication management
8) Risk management
9) Procurement management
10) Stakeholder management

1) Integration management:
- It is about getting your arms around the project
- It is where you take a look at what else is happening within the company,
and how does this new project fir with the company’s goals
2) Scope management:
- It is a process of defining what work is required and then making sure all of
that work is done
- Scope management plan should include the detailed process of scope
determination, its management and its control
- There are five processes that take place in scope management:
i) Collecting requirements
ii) Define scope
iii) Create WBS (work breakdown structure)
iv) Verify scope
v) Control scope
3) Time management:
- It is where project team conducts activities to make sure the project is
completed when it is supposed to be
4) Cost management:
- Estimates and controls the cost if the project through inception to
completion
- Cost of human resources, materials, equipment, facilities and project
services are included
5) Quality management:
- Ensures the customer is satisfied with the quality of product or service
delivered at the project’s completion
6) Human resource management:
- Management deals with identifying, acquiring and managing the people
necessary to accomplish the project
7) Communication management:
- In this area, you’re concerned with all aspects of communication, including
communications from meetings, information going to stakeholders, and the
resolution of communication issue
8) Risk management:
- In this, you’ll identify, analyze and plan how to manage risks
9) Procurement management:
- This knowledge area supports all your procurement and supplier work from
planning what you need to buy to going through the tendering and
purchasing process
10) Stakeholder management:
- It takes you through the journey of identifying stakeholders, understanding
their role and needs in the project and ensuring that you can deliver those

4) ROLE OF PROJECT MANAGER IN SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE

PROJECT
- Project managers have the responsibility of planning, procurement and
execution of the project
- They are the first parts of contract for any issues or discrepancies arising
from within the heads of various departments in an organization before the
problem escalates to higher authorities
- Project manager participates directly in the activities that produce the end
result
- A project manager is a client representative and has to determine and
implement the exact needs of the client
- The project manager is accountable for ensuring that everyone on the team
knows and executes his/her role
- Responsibilities of project manager like developing the project plans,
managing the stakeholders, communication, managing cost, managing
project schedule, managing project delivery etc.

5) WRITE APPLICATION AND ADVANTAGES OF CPM

- Following are the applications of project management:
i) Building a new bridge across river Ganges
ii) Constructing a multi-storey building
iii) Shifting a manufacturing unit to another site
iv) Overhauling of a diesel engine
 v) Manufacturing of a new car

Advantages:

- CPM uses activity oriented network diagrams

- Emphasis is given on activities
- In CPM, time estimates are with fair degree of accuracy
- Cost is not directly proportional to time
- Cost is the direct controlling factor
- COM is preferred in those projects where time can be estimated fairly well
and cost can be calculated in advance
- CPM is used on those projects which employ long-developed and well-
seasoned components and which are based on more or less stable
technology

2015

6) EXPLAIN RULES FOR NETWORK DIAGRAM

- Initial node has only outgoing arrows. There must be only single initial node
in a network
- An event cannot occur until all the activities leading to it are completed
- An event cannot occur twice i.e. there cannot be any network path looping
back to previous occurred event
- No event depend for their occurrence of a succeeding event
- There must not be any dead end left expect the final node. Final node has
only incoming arrows. There must be only single final node
- No activity can start its tail end event until proceeding event has occurred
- Any arrow should represent singular situation
- Representation of the network should be such that every activity is
completed to reach the end objective
- All constraints and interdependencies should be shown properly on the
network by use of appropriate dummies
- Logic of network should always be maintained
- It is usual practice to show the time flow from left to right

7) EXPLAIN PROCEDURE FOR CPM

- The completion procedure of CPM application can be summarized on the
following steps:
i) Describe the project in terms of dependencies among activities i.e. plan
the project
ii) Determine the schedule of the activities
iii) Predict those activities which control significant target dates of the
project
iv) Analyze the schedule development
v) Re-plan the project if analysis so indicates
vi) Allocate resources to project in an efficient manner for the schedule
development or make schedule changes required by resources
limitations
vii) Develop time-cost relationship for activities and optimize total project
cost by selecting suitable project duration

8) DEFINE POST-TENDER STAGES

- Also called contract stage or construction stage
- This stage commerce with the acceptance of the tender and extends till
completion of the contract
- Post tender stages are as follows:
i) Establishing a good communication system between members of
construction team for the smooth running of project unit like owner,
engineer, architect and contractors
ii) Evaluating alternative construction methods identified during the pre-
tender stage in order to select the most economical and efficient
method
iii) Studying inter-relationship of various items of work and finalization of
proper sequence of operations
iv) Calculating the phase requirement of construction material such as
cement, aggregate, bricks, steel etc.
v) Determining the phase requirement of plant and machinery including
repair and maintenance facility
vi) Preparing details of manpower requirement including labor, supervisors
and managerial staff for various stages of the work

9) DEFINE RETENTION AMOUNT

- Retention is the percentage (often 5%) of the amount certified as due to
the contractor on an interim certificate, that is deducted from the amount
due and retention is to ensure that the contractor properly completes the
activities required of them under the contract
- Retention can also be applied to nominated sub-contractors and the main
contractor may also apply retention to domestic sub-contractors
- For example: when a manufacturing business purchase production
machinery from a supplier, they might withhold some % of payment due as
retention money until the machines are successfully installed and
operational

10) MOBILIZATION ADVANCE

- Activation of a contractor’s physical and manpower resources for transfer
to a construction site until the completion of the contract
- In civil construction projects advance is given to the contractor which is
known as mobilization advance
- It is normally 15% of the total contract value
- The pre-requisite for the issue of advance is that contractor has to provide
a guarantee in the shape of bank or insurance equal to the amount being
issued to the contractor
- Mobilization advance is deducted from the bills of contractor in equal
installments covering the project period
 - On completion of recovery guarantee provided by the contractor is
released

11) PROJECT SUPERVISION

- It is the procedure of ensuring that the project is built in accordance with
the requirements
- It makes sure that the contract documents, approved plans, specifications,
building codes, building code standards and applicable local codes and
ordinates match the actual building
- On many types of construction projects there can be dozens of sub-
contractors, especially trades and material suppliers all of whom have
specific duties and responsibilities
- Project superintendents and project managers alike are charged with the
responsibility to observe and supervise the progress of the project to
ensure that all applicable standards for strict adherence to the
requirements

12) DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PERT AND CPM

PERT CPM
1) PERT uses event oriented CPM uses activity oriented network
network diagram diagram
2) Emphasis is given on events Emphasis is given on activities
3) In PERT system, time estimates In CPM, time estimates for completion
are not so accurate and definite of activities are with fair degree of
accuracy
4) Cost varies directly with time Cost is not directly proportional to time
5) Time is a controlling factor Cost is a controlling factor
6) PERT is used in those projects CPM is preferred in those projects
where there is extreme degree of where time can be estimated fairly well
uncertainty and where control can cost can be calculated in advance
over time overweighs control
 over cost
7) PERT is more frequently used for CPM is used on those projects which
research and development type employ long-developed and well-
of projects seasoned components and which are
based on more or less stable
technology

13) ENLIST RESOURCES FOR CONSTRUCTION AND EXPLAIN DETAIL

MANAGEMENT OF THE SAME
- Resources are means of production needed to complete a project
- Resources for construction are:
i) Men
ii) Material
iii) Machinery
iv) Money
- Most project managers would consider the big four resources
- The key idea when managing the overall capacity, availability and allocation
of resources on large construction project is that the project managers
perspective is from the level of completion of the projects major features of
work
- Others on the team will be concerned with individual material or
equipment deliveries, small tools or the productivity of specific workers
- Unless there is specific individual constraint on labor, material, equipment
and money that could affect the completion of major features of work, a
project manager views these issues at a high level

14) EXPLAIN PROJECT PLANNING, SCHEUDLING AND CONTROLLING IN

DETAIL
- Project management involves the following phases:
1) Project planning
2) Project scheduling
3) Project controlling
 - Out of the above three phases, the first two are accomplished before the
actual project starts
- Third phase is operative during the execution of the project and its own aim
is to recognize the difficulties during the execution and to apply measures
to deal with these difficulties

Project planning

- Planning is the most important phase of project management

- Planning involves defining the objectives of the project, listing of tasks or
jobs that must be performed, determining gross requirements for material,
equipment and manpower and preparing estimates of cost and durations
for various jobs or activities to bring about satisfactory completion of the
project
- Planning is important because:
i) It provides direction
ii) It provides unifying framework
iii) It helps to reveal future opportunities and threats
iv) It provides performance standards
- In planning phase, plan is made and strategies are set, taking into
consideration the companies policies, procedures and rules

Scheduling

- Scheduling is the allocation of resources

- These resources in conceptual sense are time and energy. But in practical
sense are time, space, equipment and effort applied to material
- Scheduling is the mechanical process of formalizing the planning functions,
assigning the starting and completion dates to each part of the work in such
a way that the whole work proceeds in a logical sequence and in an orderly
and systematic manner
- Scheduling is done in following steps:
i) Calculate: detailed control information
ii) Assign: timings of event and activities
iii) Give: consideration to the resources
 iv) Allocate: the resources

Controlling

- The planning and scheduling phase of a project are undertaken before the
actual project starts while the controlling phase is undertaken during the
actual project operations
- Controlling consists of reviewing the difference between the schedule and
actual performance once the project has begun
- Controlling is done in following steps:
i) Establish standards or targets
ii) Measure performance
iii) Identify the deviations from the standards
iv) Suggest and select correcting measures

15) DEFINE PROJECT AND EXPLAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF PROJECT

- A project is composed of jobs, activities, functions or tasks that are related
one to the other in some manner and all of these should be completed in
order to complete the project
- Basic things required for completion of projects are:
i) Material resource
ii) Manpower resource

Characteristics:

- The project should be completed with a minimum of elapsed time

- It should use available manpower and other resources without delay
- It should be completed with a minimum of capital investment without
delay

16) EXPLAIN METHOD OF CHECKING FINAL BILL OF CONTRACTORS AND

DIFFERENT POINTS TO BE TAKEN CARE WHILE CHECKING FINAL BILL
- Calculations of quantities
 - Norms for calculations
- Cross-checking with drawings available
- Details given in sketch and calculations
- Charges in drawings as per site condition
- Mode of measurement
- Quantities as per the conditions of agreement
- Cross-checking as per site visit by billing engineer
- Difference in earlier bill and present bill for same quantities
- Any supported documents for changes
- Rates as in norms, condition of agreements etc.
- Rate as per agreement
- Changes in rate
- Calculation of amount
- All deductions

2014

17) WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT? HOW IS IT HELPFUL TO AN

ARCHITECT?
- Project management is the application of knowledge, skill, tools and
technology to project activities to meet project requirements
- Project management is accomplished through the use of processes such as
initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing
- The project team manages the work of the project and their work typically
involves:
i) Completing demands for scope, time, cost, risk and quality
ii) Stakeholders with differing needs and expectations
iii) Identified requirements
- The term ‘project management’ is sometimes used to describe an
organizational approach to the management of ongoing operations

Role of an architect
- An architect is responsible for overseeing the architectural aspects of the
development of the design, production of construction documents and
specifications
- It also involves coordinating the needs of a client, technical staff and other
consultants such as structural engineer, civil engineer etc.

18) VALUE ENGINEERING

- Value engineering is a systematic method to improve the value of goods or
products and services by using an examination function
- It also means to ensure that the client achieves his intended goals at a price
consistent with his established budget, quality, scope of work and schedule
- Value engineering is a management process and a project management
philosophy
- As project managers perform their work, they should constantly be charged
with the tasks of value engineering
- Basic rules:
i) Value engineering should be an ongoing process
ii) Value engineering is a team activity
iii) Motivate through accountability
iv) Value engineering mush impact the project managers decision and
actions throughout the project management process

19) RELATIONSHIP IN CPM NETWORK

- CPM stands for critical path method
- In CPM network, the whole project consists of number of clearly
recognizable jobs or operations called activities
- Junctions activities are usually operations which take time
- Junctions between the activities are called event
- They are often refined to activity oriented diagram in which activities are
represented by arrow and events by circle, square, rectangle
- It shows the relation between activity and event and sometimes dummy
- CPM network shows the relationship between the type of projects, or for
those projects accurate estimated time for completion of each activity can
be made, even the relation between cost estimation can be made with fair
degree of accuracy

20) SAFETY ON CONSTRUCTION SITE

- Management safety
- Integrate safety as part of the job
- Create accountability at all levels
- Make sure contractors are pre-analyzed for safety
- Make sure workers are properly trained
- Have a fall protection system
- Prevent and address substance abuse
- Make safety a part of everyday conservation
- Fall protection includes safety provided by ladder, guard rails, safety net
etc.
- Ladders should be long enough to safely reach the work area
- Stairway treads and walkways must be free of dangerous objects, debris
and materials
- To prevent injury with a crane, they should be inspected for any damage