Managing the Project: The Supervisor’s Role Session 2: Managing Information

1. Managing the Project: The Supervisor’s RoleSession 2: Managing Information An AGC Construction Learning Tool

2. Session 2 Topics • 1. Owner’s program • 2. Project agreement • 3. Design documents • 4. Specifications • 5. Subcontract awards • 6. Insurance program • 7. Bonding requirements • 8. Field change orders/estimates • 9. RFIs • 10. Applications for payment • 11. Time cards • 12. Historical productivity records database • 13. Daily report archive • 14. As-builts 5 4 9 12 13 6 11 14 3 7 8 10 2 1 1 SESSION 2 TOPICS An AGC Construction Learning Tool

3. Information flows to the superintendent as a result of decisions made earlier in the project The superintendent is responsible for generating and managing information during the project The superintendent passes his or her information downstream to other project team members Managing Information An AGC Construction Learning Tool

4. Managing Information (cont.) • Some documents are intended to clarify upstream information while others are intended to communicate information downstream • The scope of information for which the superintendent is responsible (how wide the river is!) depends on project type and strengths/weaknesses of other team members An AGC Construction Learning Tool

5. Project Life Cycle Generic Project Phases: Project Conception Maintenance Planning Construction Design Acquisition Note: Phase nomenclature will vary by organization, industry An AGC Construction Learning Tool

6. Managing Information (cont.) INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IDEA MANAGEMENT Project Team Project Team Project Supervisor Project Supervisor Field crews and skilled trades Field crews and skilled trades Efficiency Risk Control Safety Design Changes Constructability Governmental Approvals An AGC Construction Learning Tool

7. Managing Information (cont.) • Effective Control Systems: • A clearly understood goal or objective • An accurate reporting of what is happening • Comparison with the planned standard • A responsive means by which to take corrective action when necessary An AGC Construction Learning Tool

8. Documentation • What are the documents? • Requests for Information • Construction changes • Daily field reports • Quality Control logs • Labor production and labor time • Toolbox safety talk attendance • Two week look-ahead plans • Speed-memos (performance problem notifications) An AGC Construction Learning Tool

9. Types of Meetings • Preconstruction planning meetings • Pre-award meeting with each sub • Kickoff meeting • Weekly project meetings • Bimonthly management meetings • Design review meetings (for design-build delivery) An AGC Construction Learning Tool

10. Purpose of Meetings • To help keep communication between the general contractor and the subcontractors open and candid • To help maintain communication among subcontractors • To give all contractors a chance to discuss their problems and learn about problems others are facing • To help contractors schedule and coordinate the entire project An AGC Construction Learning Tool

11. Effective Meetings What makes an effective meeting? • Have an agenda • Use meetings to solve problems (if someone is not part of the problem or solution, they shouldn’t be at the meeting) • Ensure understanding of the issues • Clarify what people have agreed to at the meeting • Document those agreements with minutes • Use good interpersonal skills to promote participation by all team members An AGC Construction Learning Tool

12. Use (and Abuse) of Technology How does technology affect communication? • Fewer face-to-face information exchanges • More “impersonal” communication (e-mail) • Voice mail and e-mail is easily shared (be careful what you say) • Increased use of electronic documents and digital transmission may increase the problems associated with the points above • Use of technology to communicate CAN work against development of strong relationships • Increased speed of information sharing can create higher stress on the construction site An AGC Construction Learning Tool

13. Use (and Abuse) of Technology • Impersonal communication (e-mails, faxes) could be misinterpreted as confrontational, because it lacks two-way dialogue and non-verbal signals • Protocols have some basis in effective risk control, so if protocols are broken (e.g., e-mailing a change order instead of signing and delivering it), information can be harder to track, recover, and coordinate • Surprisingly, technology has lead to fewer project-specific details and greater use of “canned designs” from CAD libraries, which may not be appropriate for the project under construction An AGC Construction Learning Tool

14. Protocols/Chain of Command • Communication channels are dependent upon the project delivery system used • Superintendent and PM must agree on who has authority for what types of decisions • It can sometimes be difficult for superintendents to know from whom they should take direction from outside the company • Architect, engineer, owner’s rep., owner’s staff, leaseholder, building inspector, etc. An AGC Construction Learning Tool

15. Responsibility Matrix • Allows everyone on the project team to know who to call for certain questions or to deliver information • It is up to the responsible person to make sure that information is communicated to all affected parties • The responsibility matrix will look different for bid-buy-build projects than it will for construction management at risk and design-build projects An AGC Construction Learning Tool