AR 

513 A
Construction Management
Module 1.5 What Does a Construction Manager Do?

Prepared by: Arch. Rick Jason M. Padua
What Does a
Construction
Manager Do?
You are now aware of exactly
what it is that you are supposed
to be managing as a construction
manager—cost, time, quality,
and safety, right? And basically
your job is to mitigate the risks
associated with each of these
factors and optimize project
performance.
But there’s more.
What Does a Construction
Manager Do?
So to clarify, the flow of events in construction management is to
first get the work and then to do the work, and as we do the
work, we must keep score by assessing our progress toward
meeting the project goals for time, cost, and quality. Eight basic
functions are performed to accomplish these three tasks. Some
of them address only one of the primary tasks, while others
overlap and apply to more than one task.
What Does a Construction
Manager Do?
1. Estimating the project
2. Administering the contract
3. Managing job site and construction operations
4. Planning and scheduling the project
5. Monitoring project performance
6. Managing project quality
7. Managing project safety
8. Assessing project risks
Construction Management
Functions
The construction management functions are
typically performed by a team of construction
professionals trained in various aspects of the
job. The experienced construction professional
will be competent in all of the following
management functions.
Estimating the Project
Given that cost is one of the major
factors or values of the construction
project, estimating is probably one
of the most important construction
management functions. Estimating
entails the calculation and pricing
of all materials, equipment, and
man‐hours needed to complete
the work.
Estimating the Project
We use estimating to get the work
and also to help us keep score. In
other words, we constantly
compare the actual cost of the
project with the estimated cost of
the project and monitor any
discrepancies. Significant variances
are often the first sign of trouble,
and a good project manager takes
immediate steps to determine the
cause and mitigate the problem.
Administering the Contract
Contract administration (or project
administration) is all about the “red
tape” and paperwork associated
with a construction project. As you
might imagine, there are tons of
reports, submittals, shop drawings,
time cards, payroll records, change
orders, inspection records, and
numerous other documents that
must be processed in order to
manage a project as complex and
expensive as a building, bridge, or
highway.
Administering the Contract
Basically, project administration
deals with managing all the
business affairs related to the
contract parties and their
obligations. This function usually
requires the effort of many
different construction
management personnel and is
vitally important when it comes to
doing the work and keeping score
relative to the targets for cost,
time, and quality.
Managing Job Site and
Construction Operations
This function considers every detail
associated with the logistics of
actually doing the work and getting
it done. Think about all the
activities and needs linked with
workers doing their jobs: tools,
equipment, traffic, parking,
deliveries, storage, security,
communications, signage, safety,
trash, drinking water, lunch breaks,
and so on.
Managing Job Site and
Construction Operations
These may be things that you have
never thought of before relative to
the construction project. But all of
these things must be planned,
organized, managed, and
controlled on the job site in order
for the construction to move
forward in the most productive
manner.
Planning and Scheduling
the Project
Project planning is a critical
component for the successful
completion of any type of building
or structure. Planning is about
organizing the activities that have
to take place in a logical sequence
in order to get the project from the
ground‐breaking phase (or earlier)
to the occupancy phase, where the
completed project can be used for
its intended purpose.
Planning and Scheduling
the Project
Scheduling introduces real time into
the plan and is the tool used to
communicate the scheme to all
parties associated with the project.
This function is all about doing the
work as planned within a defined
time span as well as helping keep
score. The schedule is monitored
and adjusted throughout the
process.
Monitoring Project
Performance
This is really one of the primary
“keeping score” functions of
construction management. There are
two key components to controlling
project performance: cost and time.
Controlling is the process of
measuring, monitoring, and
comparing actual efforts with
estimated inputs and adjusting the
plan accordingly to get the project
back on track for completion as
intended. Estimates and schedules are
the tools used to examine this
progress.
Managing Project Quality
The quality standards on any
project are established in the plans
and specs prepared by the
designer. Within these documents,
specific measurable conditions are
given. These include dimensions,
tolerances, test results,
temperatures, and so on. It is the
contractor’s responsibility to see
that all such quality standards are
met and verified. For the builder to
accomplish this goal, they must
organize, institute, and adhere to a
quality control plan.
Managing Project Quality
The quality control plan usually
consists of a number of inspections,
field tests, lab tests, and
observations. It is very important
that the contractor be able to
document and report satisfactory
compliance because only after the
standards have been met will the
owner accept the work and release
payment.
Managing Project Safety
The ability to do work on a
construction site is directly related
to safe surroundings. Every
construction manager is
responsible for creating and
maintaining a safe working
environment. This function cannot
be taken lightly. People get hurt
and can even lose their lives on
construction projects.
Managing Project Safety
This function, by necessity, must be a
priority on every project regardless
of size. The personal and economic
costs associated with accidents,
injuries, and deaths on the job site
are clearly avoidable, and a
proactive, rigorous approach to
safety planning and management is
one of the most important
construction management goals.
Assessing Project Risks
Construction is a very risky business,
for both the owner and the
contractor. Part of the challenge is
trying to place the risk in the hands of
the party who can best manage that
risk. That’s why an owner hires a
contractor to begin with—to shift the
risks for the construction cost, time,
quality, and safety to someone trained
to manage them. Once the risks are
identified, understood, and analyzed,
proper allocations can be made for
reasonable schedules, estimates, and
management plans.
Risk Allocation table
Risk Allocation table
Problem Solving and
Decision Making
Although it is very important for a
construction manager to be trained in all
the functions listed earlier, the two most
important skills needed to succeed in
construction management are

decision making and