What is Construction Management?

The construction process can be complex and full of challenges, especially when it comes to large-scale projects. Fortunately, there is a specific professional and technical field that ensures oversight at every stage of the construction workflow: we are talking about construction management. Thanks to advanced tools, such as the IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema of the IFC format, construction management can optimize resource management and improve planning, reducing costs and completion times.

If you also work in this field, I recommend trying a construction management software for free right away. This tool is essential for ensuring the proper management of issues at all stages of construction.

But now let’s delve into this delicate topic together and discover all the skills and tools that a construction manager must possess.

What is construction management and who is responsible for it?

Construction management is a method of supervision and verification of the construction process aimed at monitoring all aspects of construction:

• planning;
• budget;
• timing;
• design quality;
• contract management;
• safety management;
• etc.

The professional figure responsible for this supervisory process is the Construction Manager. The Construction Manager is qualified, in terms of training and experience, to:

• work and collaborate with all figures in the construction process: client, designers, general contractors, etc.
• develop a detailed supervision program for the design workflow.

A construction manager responsibilities

Who are Construction Managers and what do they do?

Construction managers (CM) are professionals responsible for overseeing and coordinating every aspect of a construction project, from initial planning to completion. They act as a central point of communication among stakeholders, including clients, architects, engineers, and contractors, ensuring that projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the established quality standards. Their role includes:

• developing detailed plans;
• managing resources;
• negotiating contracts;
• ensuring compliance with safety regulations and legal requirements.

Additionally, construction managers play a crucial role in problem-solving, addressing challenges that arise during the construction process and maintaining smooth collaboration among team members. Their expertise is essential for the success of projects of any scale or complexity.

What are the key skills of a Construction Manager?

The role of a construction manager is to deliver projects that meet the owner’s expectations while adhering to budget and time constraints. What are the key skills that this figure must possess? Here we have listed a few ones, including:

• analytical and critical thinking skills – Construction Managers must interpret designs and technical drawings, understand contracts with general contractors, and interpret building codes and regulations. Most importantly, they must translate this information into easy-to-follow instructions to manage the oversight process;
• leadership – the Construction Manager must be able to lead the construction process team to ensure compliance with timelines, budgets, and quality. To do this, it is helpful to provide them with a feedback and guidance system;
• attention to detail – one of the tasks of the Construction Manager is to ensure that the quality of work on-site meets design standards and regulatory requirements. This requires attention to detail throughout the entire process;
• communication skills – communication ability is perhaps one of the most important skills that a construction manager must possess. The CM will indeed have to deal with sensitive and important topics and situations with different people, and it is important that they know how to manage these at a communicative level;
• administrative skills and knowledge of contractual terms – this skill will allow the CM to negotiate contracts, manage project budgets, and ensure that all parties involved fulfill their roles and are satisfied;
• knowledge of workplace safety – knowing and staying updated on issues related to the health and safety of workers is of fundamental importance for the CM, who must oversee the construction process while always keeping in mind the risks associated with various tasks and phases of the process;
• project management skills – this skill is closely related to knowledge of the design process and the ability to manage the activities that comprise it.

What are the phases of Construction Management?

The phases of construction management are four:

1. planning – in this first phase, the project team analyzes project objectives, studies timelines and costs, and strategies to achieve them. The CM collaborates with team professionals by analyzing the feasibility of these objectives and the details of the resources intended for use in a particular job (submittals) and identifying the most suitable methodologies;
2. pre-construction – in this second step, the first offers and contracts are developed. The CM must oversee these important steps, minimizing the emergence of risks and ensuring early resolution of any problems;
3. construction – in this phase, everything becomes more delicate and complex, including the role and responsibilities of the CM, who must, among other things, supervise:
   • quality controls;
   • site investigations;
   • monitoring of safety measures;
   • insurances;
   • payments;
   • review and approval of technical requests;
   • budget management;
   • time management;
   • compliance with quality standards and regulatory requirements;
4. project closeout – in this fourth and final phase, the construction manager monitors the delivery of the final documents and the management of the last project practices.

Construction management phases

What tools are used during construction management?

The construction process is certainly a delicate and sometimes complex process, in which a series of variables come into play – high quality standards, lack of or poor communication among professionals, significant amounts of documents, inaccurate estimates of time and costs, etc. – which often make the workflow even more tortuous.

An increasingly central role is played by BIM in construction management, which allows for integrating advanced digital models with planning activities, resource management, and monitoring of construction phases, improving collaboration among the professionals involved in the project. Fortunately, technicians have access to a series of software and platforms particularly useful for the management of the entire design process:

• software for processing accurate metric calculations directly from the project model;
• software for managing safety plans;
• tools for managing site documentation;
• CDE platforms that facilitate communication and coordination for the Construction Manager;
• specific construction management software that allow for efficient management of all issues that arise during the various phases of the construction process, respecting time and budget while ensuring not only the quality of the final product but also the satisfaction of clients and the work team;
• etc.

Additionally, technicians have access to advanced tools such as the IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema of the IFC format. This schema is designed to optimize the management of crucial resources such as materials, labor, equipment, and subcontracting. Thanks to the IFC format, it is possible to exchange detailed and updated information among all parties involved in the project, improving planning, costs, and collaboration.

What is the IfcConstructionMgmtDomain Schema?

The IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema is a component of the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) format, a standardized format for data management in construction projects that supports the openBIM approach.

The goal of the IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema is to provide a set of models that allow for the exchange of information between construction management applications, ensuring that every actor always has access to the most up-to-date and relevant information. Imagine having a single source of truth where all data related to resources is easily accessible and understandable: this is where openBIM comes into play.

Construction resource management

This schema deals with managing construction resources, such as:

• construction materials: represented by IfcConstructionMaterialResource, include all materials used in the project, such as cement, steel, and wood;
• labor: with IfcLaborResource, it is possible to specify the workers involved, their skills, and the duration of their involvement;
• equipment: IfcConstructionEquipmentResource describes the equipment used, such as cranes and excavators, along with their availability and costs;
• work teams: through IfcCrewResource, it is possible to group labor and equipment resources to identify a specific team and its efficiency
• subcontracting: with IfcSubContractResource, services entrusted to external companies are managed, including contracts and associated costs.

Types of construction resources

Every type of resource is designed to be used in a modular and shared way within various applications, facilitating integrated project management.

Resources managed by the IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema

To better understand how it works, let’s take a practical example. Imagine you are a project manager tasked with managing labor and equipment for the construction of a new building. Using the IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema, you can precisely define the necessary resources: the number of bricklayers, working hours, heavy equipment, and so on. Resources are represented through specific entities such as IfcLaborResource for labor and IfcConstructionEquipmentResource for equipment. Thanks to these entities, you can determine details such as the required quantity, associated costs, and productivity. This approach not only facilitates initial planning but also allows you to monitor the project’s progress and compare actual costs with projected estimates.

Why is resource management with IFC important?

Resource management through the IFC format and the IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema offers numerous advantages for all stakeholders involved in a construction project. With detailed and up-to-date information on resources, project managers can plan more accurately, optimizing costs and timelines while reducing the risk of overruns. Additionally, the openBIM approach promotes greater collaboration among stakeholders, such as architects, engineers, and suppliers, who can access the same information, improving communication and reducing misunderstandings. The IFC data structure also facilitates monitoring and generating accurate reports, allowing tracking of costs, quantities, and resource consumption throughout the project.

Another fundamental aspect of the IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema is the management of products as resources for subsequent phases of the construction process. For example, a built wall can be used as a resource in a later phase, which is particularly useful in complex projects where it is crucial to know how the results of a process can be reused. The data structure is made clearer through relationships such as IfcRelDecomposes, which links complex elements with their constituent parts, allowing for the management of individual components or the entire project in a modular and scalable way.

Finally, the IfcConstructionMgmtDomain schema also supports resource productivity, enabling the calculation of the productivity of work teams or material consumption for each phase of the project. This helps in better planning, anticipating potential bottlenecks, and optimizing resource allocation. Furthermore, the system allows for the management of resource costs, supporting complex calculations such as earned value. Having a clear view of the resource cost trends over time allows for keeping the project aligned with the budget and making informed decisions in case of unforeseen events.