The 6 Steps of Project Management for Construction Projects                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Effective construction project management is pivotal to delivering projects on time, within budget, and to the desired and expected outcomes. The process is typically divided into six distinct phases:

1. Feasibility

2. Planning

3. Pre-construction

4. Construction

5. Commissioning

6. Handover

Where each phase plays a crucial role in ensuring the construction project's ultimate success.

Feasibility: Laying the Groundwork

The feasibility stage of a construction project serves to assess the overall viability of the project in question before significant resources are committed and money spent.

Feasibility involves -

Financial Modelling: Evaluating the project's financial aspects to ensure profitability and secure funding.

Site Analysis: Assessing the suitability of the proposed location, including environmental and regulatory considerations.

Risk Assessment: Identifying potential risks associated with the project, and developing risk mitigation strategies.

Development of the Project Programme: Early stage development of the project programme to set out timescales for the project. These programmes are reviewed at each stage of the project process.

A comprehensive feasibility study provides stakeholders with a clear understanding of the project's potential and informs decision-making - is the project feasible? If the answer is yes, we move onto the next stage.

Planning: Structuring the Project

The aim of the planning stage is to transform the project's vision into actionable steps, as well as submit the necessary planning applications. Key activities within this stage of the construction project management process include:

Early stage Design Development: Creating early stage architectural and engineering designs that meet the project's objectives.

Regulatory Approvals: Applying for necessary planning permissions and ensuring compliance with local regulations.

Scheduling and Budgeting: Developing a comprehensive project timeline and budget to guide the construction process.

Effective planning sets clear expectations and provides a roadmap for the project's execution, ensuring that all expectations are both set and can therefore be managed, and the appropriate and necessary planning applications are both completed and submitted to a high standard.

Pre-construction: Finalising Details

The pre-construction phase focuses on the detail; preparing for the actual build. As such, the all-important pre-construction phase includes:

Contractor and Vendor Selection: Inviting bids and selecting contractors through a competitive process.

Commercial Management: Development of construction contracts and negotiations with contractors. The Contracts are then managed and monitored during the construction phase

Procurement Planning: Identifying and sourcing materials and equipment required for construction.

Logistics Coordination: Planning the delivery and storage of materials to ensure timely availability.

Risk Management: Finalising safety protocols and contingency plans to address potential challenges.

Thorough, considered preparation during the pre-construction phase works to significantly minimise delays, as well as cost and time overruns during construction.

Construction: Bringing Plans to Life

The construction phase involves the physical realisation of the project, which is often considered to be the most exciting part of the project! The part where buildings get built, the processes and technologies planned for get installed. Activities during the construction phase include:

Site Management: Overseeing daily operations on-site to ensure adherence to agreed plans and schedules.

Quality Control: Implementing measures to maintain high construction standards and compliance with specifications.

Progress Monitoring: Regularly assessing progress against the project timeline and budget.

Stakeholder Communication: Maintaining open lines of communication with all parties involved in the project to address issues promptly and ensure everyone understands what’s happening on-site.

Effective management during the construction phase ensures the project stays on track, on budget and on time, and meets all expectations.

Commissioning: Ensuring Operational Readiness

The commissioning phase serves to verify that all systems function as intended before the project's completion and handover to the client/owner. This phase involves:

System Testing: Conducting thorough tests on all electrical, mechanical, and safety systems to ensure they are working as expected.

Performance Validation: Ensuring all systems operate efficiently and meet the expected and defined design specifications.

Training (where necessary): Educating the owner's team on system operations and maintenance procedures.

A construction project’s commissioning phase is integral to ensure the project - the building, technology and processes involved and in place - all operate as designed and serve to reduce the risk of future operational issues.

Handover: Transitioning Ownership

The handover phase marks the formal transfer of the project from the contractor to the owner; ‘handing over the keys’, as it were. The handover phase includes:

Final Inspections: Conducting comprehensive walkthroughs to identify any remaining issues.

Identifying any last issues: Addressing minor defects or incomplete tasks before final acceptance.

Documentation Transfer: Providing all necessary documents, including warranties and maintenance guides.

Client Orientation: Ensuring the owner understands the building's systems and maintenance requirements.

A smooth handover ensures the owner can operate and maintain the facility effectively, marking the project's successful completion.

---

By diligently managing each of these six phases, construction project managers can achieve their objectives and the objectives agreed with their client(s) efficiently and effectively, delivering value to all stakeholders involved.

The role of a construction project manager is to successfully oversee a construction project all the way from the initial idea, through feasibility and planning, pre-construction and construction, to commissioning and handover; assessing viability, managing teams, submitting planning applications and designs - including process design - and ensuring the construction of the project is completed to the desired/expected time and budget.

Experienced construction project managers, who often have a detailed knowledge, and extensive experience, of construction projects, work on behalf of, with, and in the best interests of their clients; appointing skilled and trusted contractors, vendors and construction teams whilst overseeing all necessary phases to client expectations.

---

At Paul Winter Consulting Ltd. (PWCL), our team of construction professionals offer project management and pre-construction services for a wide range of projects, covering a whole project from inception to completion.

Our services include but are not limited to: feasibility & technical reporting, due diligence, environmental & planning, commercial management, owner’s engineer services, and employer’s agent services.

With many decades of experience, knowledge & skills between us, the award-winning team at PWCL are well-placed to manage a wide range of large-scale and complex construction projects.