Introduction to Construction Management Unit 3

Schedule of Values

A budget template established early in the project against which progress payments are measured. The schedule summarizes the total project cost by the various divisions of work.

Retainage

A certain percentage of money owed to the contractor for work progress that is held back by the owner to encourage completion of the project.

Network Diagrams

A common type of construction schedule, also called the critical path method (CPM), which depicts a continuous chain of activities showing both activity duration and the relationship of their activities.

Laydown Area

A designated area on the building site where large orders can be stored and sorted in an organized manner so that parts can be easily identified for use on the project.

Precedence Diagramming

A graphic presentation of a schedule depicting project activities on a node with an arrow that depicts the dependencies that exist between the activities.

Project Staging

A layout plan identifying the placement of all temporary facilities needed during the construction stage of the project, such as the office trailer, storage, security fencing, dumpsters, and portable toilets.

Shop Drawing

A supplemental drawing to the plans and specifications that details fabrication methods, materials, and models of a product or installation associated with the project.

Partnering

A team-building technique, calling upon the parties to the construction contract to establish a common set of project goals and objectives and develop a mutually acceptable protocol for communication and conflict resolution through a formal agreement.

Concrete Washout Station

A temporary container installed on a construction site to collect all water runoff from the washing of trucks, tools, and equipment associated with concrete. The container may be prefabricated and delivered or built on-site.

Transmittals

A tracking document that serves as a cover notification to any communication, submittal, or shop drawing being transmitted among the project participants.

Gantt Charts

A type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule's start and finish dates of the various activities of a project.

Will-Call

A will-call acts as a verbal confirmation of an order that has been placed prior to the date it is actually due for delivery. The will-call, generally made by the superintendent, occurs just before the schedule delivery date.

Request for Information (RFI)

A written request for clarification regarding the details presented in the plans and specifications. The requests are usually made by subcontractors through the general contractor to the architect.

Short-Interval Schedules

Also called look-ahead schedules, these schedules are developed by superintendents and trade foremen to coordinate activities and manage the work flow over a relatively short period of time.

Back Charges

An amount of money charged against a subcontractor for work that the general contractor performed because the subcontractor failed to do so.

Liquidated Damages

An amount of money that is assessed to the contractor for a failure to meet a specified contract completion date.

Straw Wattles

An erosion control product made of compacted straw or other materials, bound into a tight, tubular roll that comes in 10-25 foot lengths.

Claim

An issue that occurs during construction and remains unresolved after the job is complete.

Forward Pass

Calculations used to determine the early start date, early finish date, and overall completion.

Backward Pass

Calculations used to determine the late start date and the late finish date.

Submittals

Data, samples, details, colors, and product literature required by the terms of the contract to be presented to the architect by the contractor for approval prior to ordering and installing them.

Mock-Up

Physical models or small samples constructed to allow the architect and owner to review the appearance and function of materials, colors, textures, and other aesthetic features before incorporating them into the actual project.

What are some of the environmental conditions construction managers must be mindful of?

Storm Water Pollution, Endangered Species, Vegetation, Wetlands, and Historical or Cultural Artifacts

What are the three stages of building a schedule?

The Planning Stage, the Sequencing Stage, and the Scheduling Stage

Float

The amount of leeway available to start or complete an individual schedule activity before it affects the planned project completion.

Early Finish

The earliest possible time that an activity can finish given its allocated duration.

Early Start

The earliest possible time that an activity can start according to the relationships associated with the activity.

Late Finish

The latest possible time that an activity can finish without delaying the project's planned completion date.

Late Start

The latest possible time that an activity can start without delaying a project's completion as planned.

Critical Path

The longest path through a network diagram schedule and includes those activities that have zero days of float. This determines the overall project completion schedule.

Contract Administration

The management of the details and information presented in the general and supplemental conditions of the contract and at the preconstruction meeting.

Network Logic

The order in which activities are sequenced in the network diagram relative to their interdependent relationships.

Administrative Activities

These activities are mostly associated with contract administration tasks such as permitting, submittals, inspections, and testing.

Production Activities

These activities identify task that are associated with the physical building of the project, such as pouring concrete foundation, erecting structural steel, or hanging acoustic ceiling.

Dry Shacks

These facilities may be constructed on-site or brought in as modular units equipped with tables and storage lockers. They provide a dry place for workers to eat their lunch and change their clothes. Union agreements often require that the contractor provide a dry shack on-site.

Mini-Schedules

These schedules are any portion of a summary or detailed schedule broken down into finer detail.

Detailed Schedules

These schedules break up major activities down into smaller tasks so the schedule can be analyzed in greater detail.

Summary Schedules

These schedules group activities under broader headings such as mobilization, site work, foundation, and rough framing.

Special Purpose Schedules

These schedules include delivery, submittal, and inspection schedules, used to keep track of activities that support the work.