Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
On the larger projects, over £10 M, a senior project surveyor and up to two assistant
surveyors were engaged on site. The surveying functions undertaken by the team
included:
●
liaison with the design team co-ordinator
●
preparing monthly payment applications
●
dealing with variations to contract
●
payment to work package contractors
●
preparing cost/value reports for senior management (which took at least 10 days
per month to report and finalise).
It was noted that project managers were directly involved in the cost/value reconcilia-
tion process at each month end. They considered that cost/value analysis was simply a
paper exercise to warrant the surveyor's existence. The managers were fully aware that
the surveying team would “produce the white rabbit out of the hat” at the appropriate
time to save the contract situation. How true this is, from an observer's position!
Headings included on the organisation of the construction process include:
●
organisation principles applied to construction firms
●
functional relationships and line management
●
roles and responsibilities of site management personnel including:
project manager
site manager
planning engineer
project surveyor
design team co-ordinator
site engineer
clerk of works
In assessing their roles, consideration has been given to the knowledge require-
ments and management skills necessary to perform their job successfully.
1.3 Organisation principles applied to construction firms
Cole's
Management Theory and Practice
summarises common forms of organisation
structure as being:
●
functional organisations
●
product based organisations
●
geographical/or regional based
●
divisional organisations - based on product or regional and having key functions
reserved for head office
●
matrix organisational structures - see separate example in Section 2.2.
Construction firms often fall into a combination of divisional/regional organisations
(with one central head office co-ordinating the regional organisations).
Companies generally operate on a functional basis.
