29-08-2017, 02:58 PM
Construction planning is a fundamental and challenging activity in the management and execution of construction projects. It involves choosing the technology, defining job tasks, estimating required resources and durations for individual tasks, and identifying any interaction between different job tasks. A good building plan is the basis for developing the budget and working schedule. Developing the construction plan is a critical task in building management, even if the plan is not written or otherwise formally registered. In addition to these technical aspects of construction planning, it may also be necessary to make organizational decisions about the relationships between project participants and even which organizations to include in a project. For example, the extent to which subcontractors will be used in a project is often determined during construction planning.
The formation of a construction plan is a very difficult task. As Sherlock Holmes pointed out:
Most people, if you describe a train of events to them, will tell you what the outcome would be. You can bring those events together in your mind and argue from them that something will happen. However, there are few people who, if I told them a result, could evolve from their own inner consciousness which were the steps that led to that result. This power is what I mean when I talk about reasoning backwards.
As a detective, a planner begins with a result (ie, an installation design) and must synthesize the steps required to obtain this result. The essential aspects of construction planning include generation of required activities, analysis of the implications of these activities, and choice among the various alternative means of carrying out activities. Unlike a detective who discovers a single train of events, however, construction planners also face the normative problem of choosing the best among numerous alternative plans. On the other hand, a detective faces an observable result, whereas a planner must imagine the final installation as described in the plans and specifications.
When developing a construction plan, it is common to adopt a primary emphasis on cost control or scheduling control as illustrated in Figure 9-1. Some projects are mainly divided into cost categories with associated costs. In these cases, construction planning is oriented towards costs or expenses. Within the categories of expenditure, a distinction is made between costs incurred directly in the performance of an activity and indirectly for the realization of the project. For example, loan costs for project financing and overhead costs are commonly treated as indirect costs. For other projects, the scheduling of work activities over time is critical and emphasizes the planning process. In this case, the planner ensures that appropriate precedence is maintained between activities and that efficient programming of available resources prevails. Traditional programming procedures emphasize the maintenance of task precedence (resulting in critical path scheduling procedures) or the efficient use of resources over time (resulting in store planning procedures of work). Finally, most complex projects require consideration of both cost and planning over time, so planning, monitoring and record keeping should consider both dimensions. In these cases, the integration of the calendar and budgetary information is a major concern.
The formation of a construction plan is a very difficult task. As Sherlock Holmes pointed out:
Most people, if you describe a train of events to them, will tell you what the outcome would be. You can bring those events together in your mind and argue from them that something will happen. However, there are few people who, if I told them a result, could evolve from their own inner consciousness which were the steps that led to that result. This power is what I mean when I talk about reasoning backwards.
As a detective, a planner begins with a result (ie, an installation design) and must synthesize the steps required to obtain this result. The essential aspects of construction planning include generation of required activities, analysis of the implications of these activities, and choice among the various alternative means of carrying out activities. Unlike a detective who discovers a single train of events, however, construction planners also face the normative problem of choosing the best among numerous alternative plans. On the other hand, a detective faces an observable result, whereas a planner must imagine the final installation as described in the plans and specifications.
When developing a construction plan, it is common to adopt a primary emphasis on cost control or scheduling control as illustrated in Figure 9-1. Some projects are mainly divided into cost categories with associated costs. In these cases, construction planning is oriented towards costs or expenses. Within the categories of expenditure, a distinction is made between costs incurred directly in the performance of an activity and indirectly for the realization of the project. For example, loan costs for project financing and overhead costs are commonly treated as indirect costs. For other projects, the scheduling of work activities over time is critical and emphasizes the planning process. In this case, the planner ensures that appropriate precedence is maintained between activities and that efficient programming of available resources prevails. Traditional programming procedures emphasize the maintenance of task precedence (resulting in critical path scheduling procedures) or the efficient use of resources over time (resulting in store planning procedures of work). Finally, most complex projects require consideration of both cost and planning over time, so planning, monitoring and record keeping should consider both dimensions. In these cases, the integration of the calendar and budgetary information is a major concern.