Assignment Sample on Project Leadership
Introduction
ABC Construction Company is a well-known company in the construction industry in building medium and large-sized projects. This company works as a contractor on many construction sites. They have a very good reputation in the construction industry and completed many construction projects successfully. But in recent times they face a huge problem in construction sites in converting an 18th-century linen mill into shops and restaurants and negotiating with clients. In this study, it will be discussed about the background of the scenario that arises in the current time. Briefly, discussion about the completion of projects on time also includes this study. Problems that arise due to asbestos are also included in this study. Strategy to resolve asbestos problems will be discussed in this study. Different kinds of negotiation among different parties and clients who are involved in these projects will also be discussed in this report. This study will be discussed about the responsibilities of different individuals including project managers, contractors, subcontractors, and civil engineers who are involved in these projects.
Background
ABC Construction Company is one of the reputed companies in the construction industry, but they have no experience of working with historical buildings or projects. Converting a factory into a shopping mall and restaurant is not easy work for the ABC construction company because of unexpected asbestos found in the old machinery room. A huge amount of time was lost due to the removal of the asbestos sheets for the starting of new construction. Due to this reason the projects got delayed and clients did not get their project on time. For this reason, the company and subcontractor should have to pay the liquefied damages in the projects. A negotiation is done between ABC Contraction Company and their clients related with loss due to delays. ABC Construction Company agreed to pay 50% of the loss due to delays of the completion of the projects.
Another problem arose in the project site and found an underground reservoir which was used as a car park during the time of the factory. The reservoir was sized around 100 m by 50 m which was originally a part of the factory. It became difficult for the contractor and project manager to understand the way to remove that reservoir. The collapse of the old underground reservoir also creates another new problem in front of the ABC construction company and those who are involved in the projects. ABC Construction Ltd. agreed to pay 50,000 pounds per week for 2 weeks for S. Ceilings Ltd. ABC Construction Ltd. agreed to provide heavy manpower and more machinery in order to remove the asbestos.
Strategy to resolve asbestos problems
In the conversion of an old linen factory into a shopping mall and restaurants, ABC construction company who took responsibility for the completion of the projects claims unexpected asbestos found in the replacement of old machinery. As per the signed contract it has been cleared out that the asbestos was not a part of the ‘Safety Plan’. Hence, it would take more time to resume the project if the asbestos is not being removed. The cost for removal of asbestos has been estimated at £12,500 for every two weeks. They claim that this unexpected asbestos is the main reason for the delays in projects. As cited by Ahmed (2018), clients are not interested in giving them more time in the completion of the projects. Due to this reason, an unstable situation arises among the contractor, clients, subcontractor, and projects manager which is very harmful to the projects. ABC construction companies should take many strategies to overcome this problem.
Figure 1: Construction process
(Source: Ahmed 2018)
Indentation of problems is one of the most important strategies for ABC construction companies for their problem. Identify the sizes of asbestos and hire sufficient workers to remove this asbestos as soon as possible. They have to notice the proper size of the old asbestos and make them into rubbish which helps them to remove this old asbestos as soon as possible. Pratt, M.G., as per the opinion of Kaplan and Whittington (2020), transparency is another important strategy of construction companies in the compilation of their projects on time. They have to be transparent at every stage in removing the asbestos sheet from the factory. ABC Construction Company should be transparent about hiring more skilled manpower to remove this unexpected asbestos from the construction site which helps them convert an old factory to a new shopping mall. Transparency helps ABC Construction Company in analysing their efforts and capacity in the adaptation of modern equipment in removing asbestos from sites.
In any construction project, budgets have a significant role in the completion of any project successfully. They should have to maintain proper budgets in every stage of internal activities in the construction site. As per the view of Popesko et al. (2017), budgets from the initial time to the final time should be transparent in purchasing materials. Any kind of corruption in the stage of construction and in removing asbestos from the factory creates a burden on the overall budgets of the projects. Giving fewer budgets to the most important job is the reason for the collapse of any projects in construction. There are negotiations occurring between ABC Construction Company and their clients where ABC Construction Company agreed to pay 50000 pounds per week for two weeks. This negotiation is done to complete the ceiling which is collapsed. S. Ceiling’s Ltd which is the client of these projects agreed to give an additional one-week time to ABC Construction Company which helps the construction company in the adaptation of new machinery. S. ceiling has additionally stated that the envisioned time completion of the elimination of asbestos in weeks calls for the price of £50,000 consistent with the week for 2 weeks as consistent with the contract. The purchaser and the agency are required to have a negotiation concept that consists of an evaluation of decisions, selection making at the behavioral basis, recreation concept, and negotiation.
To keep the clients satisfied ABC Construction Company should have to do proper analyzing the rip changes which occur in their construction site. Proper planning and decision are important for the ABC Company to complete their remaining work in time. Finding ways to eliminate the different errors in the construction site especially in the removal of the asbestos sheets is another important strategy for the company. Elimination of errors in different internal activities is also necessary for the company to get speed in construction which helps them in annual revenue and overall profits.
For the completion of the projects before deadlines, ABC construction companies should negotiate properly with their clients. As cited by Baarslag et al. (2017), the principle negotiation model is suitable for the company to meet the satisfaction of the clients. This model helps the company to bargain in the increase of deadlines. Another important negotiation that is very helpful for the company is team negotiation which helps them to eliminate errors in the internal process of construction. Negotiation among workers is important in maintaining sustainability in the workplace. As per the opinion of Cengiz et al. (2017), construction is a multiparty process where many parties include clients, raw material suppliers, advanced machinery and equipment supplier, construction material suppliers, and workers. It has a significant role in maintaining harmony among different parties who are involved in a particular project.
Strategy to resolve reservoir problem
Another challenge faced by the ABC construction company in converting an old lumen factory into a new shopping mall and restaurant is the collapse of an unexpected underground reservoir. This underground reservoir was used as the car parking place for the factory workers. The ABC Company claims not to get permission from the clients for use of underground reservoirs for safety issues. Due to this reason, they have to spend more budgets on the supply of water for the different construction activities. ABC Construction Ltd. has agreed to make a payment of 50% of liquidated damages and the other 50% will be paid equally by the subcontractor and civil engineer. This negotiation is based on the budgets which are the key elements in the completion of the projects (Gong et al. 2017). Most negotiation theories are required in the process of completion of delayed projects. Construction contracts disputes are one of the main reasons for negotiation in construction sites.
Figure 2: Negotiation managements
(Source: Gong et al. 2017)
For this reason, they have to focus on proper and legal agreements with the clients as per the requirements of clients. As per the opinion of Sinaga et al. (2020), dispute resolution techniques are one of the most important and suitable techniques for ABC construction companies for their challenges in the construction sites. There is a negotiation done in Construction Company and their clients related with site condition. In this negotiation was done between subcontractors of ABC construction company and clients. In these negotiations, the subcontractor has to pay 25% of the total liquefied damages. This helps the company in analyzing the proper budgets for any construction projects. As per the view of Lapidus and Abramov (2020), negotiation related to time is important for both the clients and contractor for sustainability in the construction projects. Deadline is a significant role in construction projects because of the application of the projects for future purposes. Completing a project before the deadline is profitable for both the ABC Company and its clients. Hence proper negotiation is necessary for the company about the deadline of the projects to keep the clients satisfied. As cited by Liu et al. (2019), negotiation about any changes in the decision of structure in a construction project is also necessary for the company for eliminating any construction-related conflicts among workers. According to the contractor, check the stability and existence of the reservoir should have been done by the designers before conducting the construction. A £30,000 payment is required to be done by the company for the remedial purpose claimed to the client. The removal of the old collapsed structure of reservoir negotiation is important for the ABC Company with their clients. Replacement of old collapsed structure by the new car parking in the shopping mall. It is necessary to negotiate a proper budget and time for new construction. ABC Construction Company should change the proper budget for the changes in the design of the car parking place in the replacements of old collapse structure. As per the opinion of Wang et al. (2021), in the maintenance of errorless projects negotiation related to the suspension of work has an important role in the operation of a construction site successfully. Experts and experienced professionals are necessary for the company for different kinds of negotiation which may be both internal and external. Negotiation is important to eliminate conflicts among workers and among parties who are involved in construction projects.
Responsibilities of projects manager
A project manager has a significant role in the operation of any construction project. He is one of the key players in the success of construction projects and in generating marginal profit from any construction projects. As per the opinion of Hong et al. (2018) in a construction project, a project manager acts as a regular who focuses on budgets and ethical practices in the construction sites. Projects manager of ABC Construction Company requested the respective clients not to charge any kinds of penalties of delaying projects due to asbestos and reservoirs problem. He has to manage different cost of internal activities effectively within extra budget provided by the company due to delays. As a project manager, the role is to determine the best way possible to complete a project within time. All workers include the construction labour, carpenter, electrician, contractor, subcontractor, civil engineer, and safety workers. Success in any construction project is only achievable by effective leadership in any construction site. Corrupt people are the key elements of the failure of any construction project. A project manager has a significant role in maintaining different processes in any construction site.
Figure 3: Responsibilities of construction projects management.
(Source: Hong et al. 2018)
A project manager has played a significant role in the application of different modern equipment and machinery in the construction sites and maintaining them properly for reduction of accidents in construction sites. Identification of proper material and resources to complete the project within budgets and time is one of the most important responsibilities of a project manager. It is the duty of contractors and professional advisors to pay for all remedial works and not the fault of project manager. Maintenance of a construction site is difficult for any company due to any kind of difficult situation which may arise which is not possible to predict before its occurrence. A project manager should focus on different building codes and ethics during the process of construction (Levy, 2018). Collecting locally available material is important for any project manager of ABC company construction sites. Clients of the ABC Company hired highly skilled employees of a multinational construction company for inspection of their projects.
Conclusion
Based on the above discussion it can be concluded that a construction company should always be prepared to face unexpected problems or challenges which may be difficult to bear for them. One of the main reasons for delays in projects of the ABC construction company is old asbestos in the construction sites and they lost much of their important time to remove the asbestos. For this reason, they have to pay more budgets to complete the shopping mall projects to satisfy their clients. From the earlier discussion, the principle negotiation model is highly recommended for the ABC Company for retaining operational excellence in their construction sites. Due to this reason, they have to hire more efficient professionals for their projects which get delayed.
The earlier discussion also recommended the importance of proper inspection before starting construction projects on a site. For this reason, they have to do proper planning about their operation and internal process. From the earlier discussion, it is recommended that starting new construction in the replacements of older construction is a very difficult job for the company in terms of budgets and timeline. Earlier discussion recommended the importance of projects manager in any construction project for maintaining both internal and external atmosphere.
References
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