Construction Science

Construction project management (CM) is a professional service that uses specialized, project management techniques to oversee the planning, design, and construction of a project, from its beginning to its end. The purpose of CM is to control a project's time, cost and quality. CM is compatible with all project delivery systems, including design-bid-build, design-build, CM At-Risk and Public Private Partnerships. Every construction project features some amount of CM. However, professional construction managers, or CMs, are typically reserved for lengthy, large-scale, high budget undertakings (commercial real estate, transportation infrastructure, industrial facilities, military infrastructure, etc...), called capital projects. No matter the setting, a CM's responsibility is to the owner, and to a successful project.

A contractor is assigned to a construction project during the design or once the design has been completed by a licensed architect. This is done by going through a bidding process with different contractors. The contractor is selected by using one of three common selection methods: low-bid selection, best-value selection, or qualifications-based selection.

A construction manager should have the ability to handle public safety, time management, cost management, quality management, decision making, mathematics, working drawings, and human resources.

The functions of construction management typically include the following:

The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) says the 120 most common responsibilities of a Construction Manager fall into the following 7 categories: Project Management Planning, Cost Management, Time Management, Quality Management, Contract Administration, Safety Management, and CM Professional Practice. CM professional practice includes specific activities, such as defining the responsibilities and management structure of the project management team, organizing and leading by implementing project controls, defining roles and responsibilities, developing communication protocols, and identifying elements of project design and construction likely to give rise to disputes and claims.

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