Roles and responsibilities of a project manager

The roles and responsibility of project manager to make sure that the customer is satisfied and the work scope is completed in a quality manner, using budget, and on time. The Project Manager has primary responsibility for providing leadership in planning, organizing and controlling the work effort to accomplish the project objectives.

In other words, the project manager provides the leadership to project team to accomplish the project objective. The project manager coordinates the activities of various team members to ensure that they perform the right tasks at the proper time, as a cohesive group.

Roles of a Project Manager

The different roles of project manager are as follows:

• Planning
• Organizing
• Controlling
• Leading
• Communicating
• Cognitive functions
• Self management functions
• Motivational and personal development functions
• Customer awareness functions
• Organizational savvy functions

Planning

First, the project manager clearly defines the project objectives and reaches agreement with the customer on this objective. The manager then communicate this objective to the project team in such a manner as to create a vision of what will constitute successful accomplishment of the objective. The project manager spearheads development of a plan to achieve the project objectives. By involving the project team in developing this plan, the project manager ensures more comprehensive plan than he or she could develop alone. Furthermore, such participation gains the commitment of the team to achieve the plan. The project manager reviews the plan with the customer to gain endorsement and then sets up the project management information system-either manual or computerized-for comparing actual progress to plan progress. It’s important that this system be explained to the project team so that the team can use it properly to manage the project.

Organizing

Organizing involves securing the appropriate resources to perform the work. First, the project must decide which tasks should be done in-house and which tasks should be done by subcontractors or consultants. For tasks that will be carried out in-house, the project manager gains a commitment from the specific people who will work on the project. For tasks that will be performed by subcontractors, the project manager clearly defines the work scope and deliverables and negotiates a contract with each subcontractor. The project manager also assigns responsibility and delegates’ authority to specific individuals or subcontractors for the various tasks, with the understanding that they will be accountable for the accomplishment of their tasks within the assigned budget and schedule. For large projects involving many individuals, the project manager may designate leaders for specific group of tasks. Finally, and most important, the task of organizing involves creating an environment in which the individuals are highly motivated to work together as a project team.

Controlling

To control the project, the project manager implements a management information system designed to track actual progress and compare it with planned progress. Such a system helps the manager distinguish between busy-ness and accomplishments. Project team members monitor the progress of their assigned tasks and regularly provide data on progress, schedule and cost. These data are supplemented by regular project review meetings. If actual progress falls behind planned progress or unexpected events occur the project manager takes immediate action. He or she obtains input and advice from team members regarding appropriate corrective actions and how to replan those parts of the project. It’s important that problems and even potential problems, be identified early and action taken. The project manager cannot take a “let’s wait and see how things works out” approach- things never works out on their own. He or she must intervene and be proactive, resolving problems before they become worse.

Leading

Project manager fosters development of a common mission and vision to the team members. He should clearly define roles, responsibilities and performance expectations for all his team members. He uses leadership style appropriately to situation or stage of team development. He should be able to foster collaboration among team members. He should provide clear direction and priorities to his team members. He should be efficient enough to remove obstacles that hamper team progress, readiness or effectiveness. He should promote team participation in problem solving and decision making as appropriate. He should pass credit on to team, and promotes their positive visibility to upper management. He should appreciate, promote and leverage the diversity within the team.

Communicating

The Project Manager should be able to communicate effectively with all levels inside and outside of the organizations. He should be able to negotiate fairly and effectively with the customers/subcontractors. He should be able to bring conflicts into the open and manages it collaboratively and productively with the help of other team members. He should be able to able to influence without relying on coercive power or threats. He should be able to convey ideas and information clearly and concisely, both in writing and orally to all the team members.

Cognitive functions

The project manager should identify the problem and gathers information systematically and seeks input from several sources. He should then consider a broad range of issues or factors while solving these problems. For this he collects the appropriate quantity of data for the situation and discusses it with all the team members before making a decision. He then draws accurate conclusions from quantitative data and makes decisions in an unbiased, objective manner using an appropriate process. For this process of decision making he understands the concept of risk versus return and makes decision accordingly.

Self management functions

The project manager should be able to maintain focus and control when faced with ambiguity and uncertainty and should be able to show consistency among principles, values and behavior. He should be resilient and tenacious in the face of pressure, opposition, constraints, or adversity. Being the head of the project he should manage implementations effectively and should recognize as someone “who gets things done.” He should continuously seek feedbacks from the team members and modify his behavior accordingly. He should take keen interest in learning and self development opportunities.

Motivational and personal development functions

Project manager should consider individual skills, values and interest of all his team members when assigning or delegating tasks to them. He should allow team members an appropriate amount of freedom to do the job. He should accurately access individual strength and development needs of his team members to complete the work effectively. He should continuously offer opportunities for personal and professional growth to his team members. He should arrange for training program and continuously seeks support to his team member when needed. He should pass credit on to the individuals and promote their positive visibility to upper management. He should give timely, specific and constructive feedback to all his team members.

Customer awareness functions

Project manager should be able to anticipate customer’s needs effectively and proactively strives to satisfy them. He should be able to accurately translate the customer’s verbalized wants into what they actually needs. He should be able to understand customers and their business and actively build and maintain strong customer relationships. He should understand customer’s issues, concerns and queries and try to resolve them effectively. He should actively strive to exceed customer expectations.

Organizational savvy functions

Project manager should involve the right people at the right time for a particular job. Understands, accepts and properly uses power and influence in relationships. He should build and leverage formal and informal networks to get things done. He should know the mission, structure and functions of the organizations and others. He should understand profitability and general management philosophy. He balances interests and needs of team/project with those of the broader organization.

Points to be keep in mind for civil site engineer

Following are few general points to remember for civil site engineers to make the construction work easier while maintaining quality of construction.

• Lapping is not allowed for the bars having diameters more than 36 mm.
• Chair spacing maximum spacing is 1.00 m (or) 1 No per 1m2.
• For dowels rod minimum of 12 mm diameter should be used.
• Chairs minimum of 12 mm diameter bars to be used.
• Longitudinal reinforcement in column, not less than 0.8% and more than 6% of gross C/S.
• Minimum bars for square column is 4 No’s and 6 No’s for circular column.
• Main bars in the slabs shall not be less than 8 mm (HYSD) or 10 mm (Plain bars) and the distributors not less than 8 mm and not more than 1/8 of slab thickness.
• Minimum thickness of slab is 125 mm.
• Dimension tolerance for cubes + 2 mm.
• Free fall of concrete is allowed maximum to 1.50m.
• PH value of the water should not be less than 6.
• Water absorption of bricks should not be more than 15 %.

• First class bricks—20%

• Second class bricks—22 %

• Third class bricks—25%

• Compressive strength of Bricks is

• First class bricks— 10.5 N / mm2.
• Second class bricks—7.0 N / mm2.
• Common building bricks—3.5 N / mm2.

• In steel reinforcement binding wire required is 8 kg per MT.
• In soil filling as per IS code, 3 samples should be taken for core cutting test for every 100m2.

Density of Materials:

Sr.No.	Material	Density
1	Bricks	1500-1800
2	Cement	1440
3	Cement mortar	2080
4	Lime	640
5	Lime mortar	1760
6	Concrete (P.C.C)	2400
7	Concrete (R.C.C)	2500
8	Steel	7850

De-Shuttering time of different RCC Members:

De-shuttering period relates to the maturity of concrete and depends on the ambient temperature. Forms shall not struck until the concrete has reached strength at least twice the stress of which the concrete may be subjected at the time of removal of form work.

Assuming standard conditions of workmanship and quality of materials, you can refer to the following time-frames for the removal of forms.

Form	Summers	Winters (Temp <18° C)
Walls, columns and vertical faces of structural members	24 hrs.	48 hrs.
Removal of props under slab Spanning up to 4.5 m	7 days	14 days
Removal of props under beams and arches spanning up to 6 m	14 days	28 days

Cube samples required for different quantity of concrete:

Quantity of Concrete	No. of cubes required
1 – 5 m3	1 No’s
6 - 15 m3	2 No’s
16 – 30 m3	3 No’s
31 – 50 m3	4 No’s
Above 50 m3	4 + 1 No’s of addition of each 50 m3

Roles and Responsibilities of a Consulting Civil Engineer

A consulting civil engineer is an independent, professional engineer who performs well-detailed engineering services for clients on agreed sum of money.

It is quite unfortunate that the services and responsibilities that a consulting civil engineer renders are poorly understood while those who seek to engage him have only a vague idea of his functions. Most graduates of engineering background also have a meager understanding of the role he plays. Even some consulting civil engineers lack adequate comprehension of their responsibilities and obligations.

This article is presented to address all of the above shortcomings and to make the public at large appreciate the works of a consulting civil engineer. I have drawn mostly on my experiences as a professional engineer who has worked with both governmental and corporate organizations on various landmark projects.

Consulting is not a field for a person who hesitates to face new challenges. The competent engineer who likes variety and enjoys the challenge of ever-changing problems can find a fascinating and rewarding career in a consulting firm.

The profession demands business and management skills in addition to engineering and professional trainings. It offers a unique opportunity for self-employment and it is perhaps the only path open to an engineer with the spirit of an entrepreneur who wishes to become his own boss in full-time engineering practice.

In spite of its importance, challenge and fascination, the profession of consulting engineering is little recognized and poorly appreciated by members of the public largely due to the fact that his services are seldom performed for individuals as in the case of other professions like medicine and law.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Consulting Civil Engineer

The types of services performed by consulting civil engineers are outlined and discussed below.

Consultation

Consultation occurs when a client, who needs an opinion on some engineering problems, avails himself of the expert knowledge and the experience of a consulting civil engineer. Consultations may be brief or extended and may sometimes require considerable travel and a substantial portion of the consultant’s time.

Investigation

Most consultations usually require some study and investigation which involve analysis and simple computations while others may require field trips to observe and inspect equipment or structures. Still again, they may involve a review of studies, reports, investigations or communications prepared by other engineers or by the client’s management.

Feasibility Reports

These reports are concerned with determining the feasibility of some projects while presenting the results of surveys, studies and investigation carried out to confirm the engineering solution to be adopted in line with the financial cost. A feasibility study will usually include such items as purpose of study, requirements and needs of project, alternate solutions, estimated construction cost, recommendations and conclusion.

Engineering Design

Engineering design is the process of determining the physical characteristics and dimensions of a structure or project to be constructed or manufactured. These characteristics and dimensions are presented graphically on drawings, commonly referred to as blueprints by the layman. Such drawings, or plans, are supplemented by written documents called specifications.

Plans and Specifications are used to direct the contractor or the manufacturer on the details of work expected from him. Frequently, the design process includes the preparation of detailed lists of materials called bill of quantities which is used to procure all the materials needed for the construction or manufacturing work.

Procurement

The consulting civil engineer often assists the client in the selection of contractors or in the purchase of materials for the award of contracts. Procurement usually involves the receipt of a proposal from one or more material suppliers and selection is made on a competitive or a negotiated basis.

On construction projects, particularly for government organizations, contracts are usually awarded on the basis of competitive bidding while the engineer will normally prepare the contract documents in addition to drawings and specifications in conjunction with the client’s legal officer.

With the plans, specifications and contract documents, bids are solicited from contractors or manufacturers through public notices issued in accordance with legal requirements. After the receipt of all interested tenders, bids are opened publicly, as a rule, read and tabulated by the consulting civil engineer who will then makes his recommendations to the client.

Construction Supervision

This activity consists of two parts – general supervision and resident supervision. General supervision involves the following:

a) Periodic visits to site

b) Consultation with the Owner/Client

c) Interpretation of plans and specifications

d) Checking working drawings and data

e) Processing & certification of contractor’s payment estimates

f) Preparation of amendments to contractor’s contract

g) Final inspection of project

h) Preparation of “as-built” drawings

Resident supervision however requires the consulting engineer to send a representative or a resident engineer to the site of the project. The resident engineer is responsible for detailed supervision and inspection to ensure that the project is constructed according to the plans and specifications. In addition, he also coordinates and expedites the activities of the contractors.

Roles and Responsibilities of Structural Design Engineers in Construction

Structural design engineer performs various roles and responsibilities in a construction project providing technical details for the activities to be performed at construction site.

Structural engineering is a wider discipline under the field of civil engineering. It is a vast topic with unlimited theories and practices. It’s a field that is still developing with huge innovations and ideas.

So being a structural engineer, the roles and responsibilities that have to be received is of greater importance.

The structural engineering is more concerned with the design and the physical integrity of the structures. These structures can be buildings, dams, tunnels, bridges etc.

The main focused responsibility of a structural engineer is to bring a structure that will ensure safety and durability till the service period.

The architects develop building only based on the size, shape and use of the building. But these have certain hidden technical issues during construction and after, that can be found and resolved only by the structural engineers. The structural engineers help the architects to achieve his or her vision of the project planned.

Roles and Responsibilities of Structural Design Engineers in Construction

A strong knowledge of physics, creative problem solving and three-dimensional conceptual skill must be gained by a structural engineer. Other than these, the roles and the responsibilities of the structural engineer includes:

1. Structural Designing
2. Site and Work Investigations
3. Communication
4. Construction Management
5. Adequate Training

Structural Designing

Structural engineers are more graduated for structural detailing and their analysis. So, they are more in to design of structures. The structural designing procedures carried out by the structural engineers include calculating the loads and the stresses acting on the building, analysis for the loads, design of sections of structures to sustain the loads; so that the structure designed will withstand the loads predicted safely.

The structural engineers are also involved in the selection of materials best suited for the structure. This will hence ask for good knowledge about the different materials that are used in the construction at the current condition like their economic factors, strength factors and durability factors.

The quality factors of different building materials can be analyzed by a structural engineer to finalize their suitability in the design of the beams, columns or the foundations.

Another skill of a structural designer is the analysis of structures. This is presently carried out by the software like ETABS, STAAD, SAP etc. As years pass new software are being developed for the analysis of structures at different conditions of loads like wind, earthquake etc.

Most of the structural engineers have to study and work with these software with a knowledge of both the technical details and the programming details. In some organizations, the analysis is carried out by a programmer who may not have the civil engineering graduation but is assisted by a structural engineer.

Whatever be the mode of analysis done, the structural engineer must have the ability to understand and interpret the results from the software to know the validity of the values provided as output. Some organization won’t completely rely on the computer results, they conduct a separate man-made calculation for assurance.

Site Investigations

When dealing with the site investigation, the structural engineers are involved in checking the condition of the soil for the construction of the project. Based on the loads calculated by the designer, it must be checked whether the soil is suitable to bear the calculated loads.

This investigation will also decide the foundation systems that must be used for the structure. Any kind of treatment required for the soil too is decided based on the investigation. This investigation is carried out by testing the soil which is the part of geotechnical engineer.

Communication

Even though structural engineers are the ones that bring and develop the design ideas and detail, he can only see it happen on the site only if the structure is constructed as desired. For this, his interpretation and ideas have to conveyed with the other members of the projects.

The structural engineer has to coordinate and consult other members like the site engineers, other design engineers, geotechnical engineers, landscape architects, architects, project managers etc. Proper knowledge helps in spreading correct information among the group avoiding confusion and errors.

Construction Management

The management responsibility of a structural engineer starts from the collection of sufficient information for the project to the execution of different activities on the construction site. In certain critical situations, they are responsible for material and equipment delivery for undergoing a special task of the construction project. They conduct frequent checks of the on-site labor works and the activities.

Training Works

Not all structural engineers are trained for the complete responsibilities. Some are gained through years of experience and some standard skills through different training activities. As construction is an industry prone to more of safety issues, structural engineers are to be trained for strict standards of working.

Organization authorities can train the structural engineers for special quality certifications or for special analysis or design software. Proper knowledge of the National codes of the area is an important technical knowledge for any structural engineer.