Reports and Presentations - Construction Project Scheduling and Control - page 263

COMMUNICATIONS IN THE INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
Technology has rendered the world smaller. Not only can project participants (owner,
architect, structural engineer, mechanical engineer, general contractor, etc.) be located
in different regions or countries, but also many companies now have a diversified
workforce. Thus, making a mistake as a result of lack of knowledge about a local
culture and work environment is easy, and possibly embarrassing and costly.
Many topics and articles have been written and many seminars have been con-
ducted on this subject. We cover only some scheduling-related issues:
1. In most countries, the date is written in the day/month/year format rather
than in the customary U.S. date format of month/day/year. A date such
as 11/8/2010 can cause a crisis if it is meant as the 11th day of August
but is interpreted as the 8th day of November. For international projects,
writing the name of the month, rather than its number, is recommended.
The previous date can then be written as 11 August 2010. Alternatively, the
month may be abbreviated by three letters, such as 11 AUG 2010.
2. Most of the Western world starts the workweek on Monday and takes Sat-
urday and Sunday off as nonworkdays (weekend). This is not necessarily the
case in other parts of the world, such as the Middle and Far East. The week-
end could be Friday and Saturday. Thus, software defaults must be checked
and adjusted accordingly.
3. Holidays differ from one country to another. They may have to be inserted as
nonworkdays in the schedule. Even Christmas is not observed on December
25th in all Christian countries. Some people (Orthodox Church) celebrate it
on a different date, January 7.
4. In the daily work schedule, the number of workdays (5 or 6), start time, finish
time, lunch break, “siesta time,” and other breaks may also differ. In some
countries that have extremely hot summers, government regulations forbid
outdoor work during certain hours of the day. Thus, productivity, and hence
activity durations, may have to be recalculated.
5. Weather can have a significant impact on the schedule. The project manage-
ment team must be fully aware of local weather, including seasonal floods,
hurricanes, sandstorms, rain, and so forth.
6. The labor market and customs also differ from one place to another. In
some countries, most of the skilled labor needed in construction projects
is imported. In such countries, it is not unusual to see workers from differ-
ent backgrounds (ethnicities, religions, cultures) working together. In some
cases, workers on the same project do not speak a common language, and
therefore communication becomes a challenge for management.
7. Availability and methods of acquisition and delivery of materials and equip-
ment may differ significantly. In some countries, rigid or slow customs pro-
cedures may cause major delays.