CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

MAPS the future of Method

Statements

Nov 20, 2015255 views7 Likes6 CommentsShare

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Imagine a simple work tool the Project top

management (Project Director/ Project
Controls Manager) can use to inform the
Project Team managers about the actions
(and the deadlines) that need to be
completed so that the construction activities
can start,
Imagine a simple work tool each Project
Team manager can use to follow up and
chase what needs to be done to ensure the
Construction activities will start at the
planned dates,
Imagine a simple work tool the person in
charge to prepare the Method Statements
can use to list the construction activities
tasks by chronological order of execution
and where it is possible to allocate the
construction resources (Manpower,
Equipments & Materials) to each task in a
comprehensive yet simple way that can be
clearly understood by all concerned parties,
from the Construction Managers to the Site
Superintendents/ Foremen,
Imagine a simple work tool that the
Planning Manager can use to prepare a
detailed and comprehensive activity

schedule that will ensure the completion of

the construction activity in due time,
Imagine a simple work tool that the HSE
Manager can use to prepare detailed and
comprehensive Health & Safety Risk
Assessments and/ or Environmental
Impacts Assessments based on the tasks of
the construction activities,
Imagine a simple work tool that the QA/QC
Manager can use to prepare detailed and
comprehensive Inspection & Test Plans
based on the tasks of the construction
activities,
Imagine a simple work tool that can be use
by the Package Managers/ Construction
Managers to clarify the allocation of
resources with the awarded Subcontractors,
Imagine a simple work tool that can be use
by the Site Superintendents/ Foremen to
clearly understand the construction activity
tasks, the recourses (Manpower,
Equipments & Materials) allocated to each
task and who should provide for these the
Contractor or the awarded Subcontractors.
At this time I would like to raise the
following question:
Is it possible that all previous points can be
explained by means of a narrative that all
the concerned parties in the planning,
coordination, supervision and execution of
the construction activities can actually use
as a work toll?
Well, we Engineers love practical and simple
things such as when the information that we

need to manage a certain process its

displayed in a tabulated form, where all the
process tasks are listed by chronological
order of execution and where the inputs and
outputs of these processes are clearly
determined.
Having said this, the answer to the previous
question is: NO, a narrative its not the best
way to provide clear information that can be
easily understood by all the construction
professionals involved in the planning,
coordination, supervision and execution of
construction activities.
The purpose of this post its to introduce the
Construction Process Map (CPM) that is a
document that replaces the classical
narrative that can be found in the
Construction Method Statements under the
Section Construction Methodology.
The CPMs inputs can be easily understood
in the following image:

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CPMs are divided in two sections:

Section A: Preparatory Activities
Section B: Construction Works
The Section A of the CPM (Preparatory
Activities) aims to inform the Project Team
managers about the actions (and the
deadlines) that need to be completed so that
the construction activities can start; these
actions are:
Design approval
Vendors qualification
Vendors selection
Materials/ Equipments Approvals
Const. Drawings approval

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Const. Methods approval

Detailed Planning approval
Risk assessment approval
Inspection & test plans approval
Materials/ Equipments 3th party clearance
Materials/ Equipments shipped to site
Legal & other requirements (NOCs
approval)
HSE Kick-off meeting with the vendors
QA/QC Kick-off meeting with the vendors
Kick-off meeting with the project team
members
Pre-task briefing with the site supervision
The following image illustrate how this
section looks like:

In the Section B of the CPM (Construction

Activities) the construction tasks are listed
by chronological order of execution, and the
construction resources (Manpower,
Equipments & Materials) are allocated to
each task and linked to the concerned party
(Contractor or Subcontractor) in a
comprehensive yet simple way that can be
clearly understood by all concerned parties,
from the Construction Managers to the Site
Superintendents/ Foremen; by doing this:
The Planning Manager will have a simple
work toll he can use to prepare a detailed
and comprehensive activity schedule that
will ensure the completion of the
construction activity in due time,
The HSE Manager will have a simple work
toll he can use to prepare detailed and
comprehensive Health & Safety Risk
Assessments and/ or Environmental
Impacts Assessments based on the tasks of
the construction activities,
The QA/QC Manager will have a simple work
toll he can use to prepare detailed and
comprehensive Inspection & Test Plans
based on the tasks of the construction
activities,
The Package Managers/ Construction
Managers will have a simple work toll they
can use to clarify the allocation of resources
with the awarded Subcontractors,
The Site Superintendents/ Foremen will
have a simple work tool they can use to
clearly understand the sequence in which

the construction activity tasks should be

executed, the resources (Manpower,
Equipments & Materials) allocated to each
task and who should provide for these the
Contractor or the awarded Subcontractors
and the critical issues that should be
considered during the execution of these
tasks.
The following image illustrate how this
section looks like for the construction
activity Installation of a concrete waste
water pipe:

I sincerely hope that this post will help

providing a very useful work tool to the
construction professionals involved in the
Planning, Coordination, Supervision and
Execution.
Realizing that reputed and recognized
worldwide Project Management Consulting
(PMC) and Consultant Supervision (CS)
organizations keep on validating
construction Method Statements where the
constructions resources are not linked in a
clear, simple and logical way to the

construction tasks, its something that for

sure does not help in changing the way
Construction Method Statements should be
prepared and used to the benefit of
everyone.