Did you know that a well-crafted construction management plan (CMP) can reduce project delays? Science Direct has a detailed paper on the value of Lean construction methodology, which has been found to drastically reduce project delays and improve construction efficiencies.
Lean construction methodology is one of many CMPs that help contractors and subcontractors deliver better service to their clients. Let’s look into what makes a great CMP, and some of the best practices you can follow to build a plan that works for your unique business needs.
What is a Construction Management Plan?
Firstly, you should have a firm grasp on how to define a construction management plan. It’s a fundamental strategy to define how you’ll manage the tasks, the resources, and the technologies for a construction project.
The Purpose of a Construction Management Plan
A well-crafted CMP will help you create a proper budget and work schedule to complete the construction project. By building a well-thought-out budget and work schedule, you can communicate your plans with clients and give them a transparent overview of your project proposal.
When clients fully understand your proposed CMP, it puts their minds at ease as you get to work. Having client buy-in on your proposal will lessen the updates you need to provide clients so that you can concentrate your time and resources on doing the work.
Who creates and uses a construction management plan?
Typically, it’s your job as a contractor or project manager to produce a thought-out CMP that you can share with clients. Remember that clients aren’t the only stakeholders that need to view your proposal. As the contractor and project manager, you need to brief your architects, engineers, subcontractors, and supervisors on the master plan. Being transparent with all stakeholders clarifies objectives, reduces confusion, and improves focus.
Importance of permits and compliance protocols
Every construction project must receive the appropriate permits before work can begin. Permits are an essential part of maintaining compliance with jurisdictional laws.
To receive your permit, these are the items you must confirm to secure a building permit for a residential construction project.
- Review zoning by-laws so your project aligns with what’s legal and feasible
- Provide building blueprints, cost estimates, and preliminary construction plans
- Await regulatory approval for your plans and a receipt of zoning certificate
- Prepare to finalize your construction management plan and hire contractors
What to Include in a Construction Management Plan?
Now that we’ve defined a proper CMP and the benefits of those proposals, it’s time for you to learn about the construction management plan components that build a successful proposal. This process is made much easier if you use construction management software for contractors, which functions as an all-in-one solution to streamline project management.
Here is what to include in CMP project planning and steps to build a proposal that will deliver results.
Project Scope and Objectives
This is the first phase of project planning in construction. Before any other work can begin, you must define the project scope and the overall objectives of the proposed work. Typically, the goals of any project planning in construction relate to the following:
- Completing a new development
- Erecting a custom designed building
- Sticking to a reasonable construction budget
- Satisfying the client’s specific construction needs
Work Breakdown Schedule
A work breakdown schedule (WBS) helps break down the larger project into manageable tasks, facilitating better oversight and control. When deciding what to include in a CMP project, a WBS is a very effective project management resource.
Break down the larger project into smaller phases with set timelines for each deliverable. By mapping out the project timeline, you intuitively inform your work crew of when each task must be completed so that the full project remains on schedule.
Resource Management
With your work schedule mapped out, you can now assign the proper resources to help achieve each project milestone. Resources include anything like labor, materials, and equipment that will be needed to complete the project. Assign the proper resources to each phase of the construction project so you can stick to your submitted timeline.
Budget and Cost Management
Obviously, any construction project lives or dies based on the budget available for the work. It’s your responsibility as the project manager to budget item each phase of the project and manage those costs so that the client isn’t hit with unexpected cost overruns.
Safety and Risk Management
Along with the project budget, the well-being of your construction crew is one of the most important aspects of any responsible CMP. Include detailed specifications to manage safety and reduce risks on the job site so that the well-being of your workers is always guaranteed.
Communication Plan
Finally, a well-thought-out CMP also includes a detailed communication plan that will help all project stakeholders remain in the loop. A communication plan isn’t just for your workers or clients—it should also include strategies to communicate with third-party suppliers.
How to Create a Construction Management Plan
Now you’re ready for the steps to make CMP proposals that you can share with your colleagues, clients, and subcontractors. Keep in mind that these construction planning steps are just a blueprint, and that you may have unique construction requirements that must be incorporated into your master CMP.
Gather Project Details
This is the stage where you want to consult and communicate with all stakeholders as much as possible. An effective CMP considers the needs and concerns of all parties involved in the construction process. Use this opportunity to align the project goals with the needs of everyone involved in the development.
Break Down Project Phases
In this phase, you want to break down the full project timeline into smaller tasks and deliverables. Use construction planning steps to break down:
- Client consultation → an initial kickoff meeting to discuss the full project scope
- Design work → mockups, blueprints, and CADs for the project
- Resource acquisition → hiring of staff, gathering of materials, procuring equipment, etc.
- Construction work → the physical development of the project
- Quality assurance → status updates and compliance reviews
- Finalization → the finishing touches of the construction
- Final review and sign-off → a client walkthrough to validate the work is up to code
Each one of these steps requires a timeline and work schedule to move the project forward. Set realistic deadlines in your steps to make CMP proposals so that an accurate work plan starts to come together.
Allocate Resources
In the resource acquisition phase of your project, you list out all the resources you’ll need to complete the development. Then, you need to go and acquire those resources. You have to hire crew workers you trust will complete the work to specifications. You must gather materials that are in compliance with building codes and equipment to help manage the construction.
Develop a Risk Management Plan
With the resources on-hand, you have to evaluate the potential risks that can disrupt the project’s progress. Use this assessment to create contingency plans in case there are disruptions. You should build standard protocols for how to address these matters and implement back-up plans, so the project continues to move forward regardless of challenges.
Finalize and Share the Plan
Once all these details are fully fleshed out, you’re ready to share the plan with all stakeholders. Ask for feedback and for each stakeholder to raise any concerns they can see with the plan. The sooner you create alignment on a feasible project road map, the easier it will be to get the work done.
Best Practices for Construction Management Plans
When other stakeholders share their feedback about your CMP, take any constructive criticisms as an opportunity to improve the quality of your proposal. Any good construction project is only as effective as the buy-in you earn from every stakeholder in the process.
To help take their feedback in earnest, here are some best practices to improve your construction management plan.
Plan Every Step in Greater Detail
Some stakeholder criticisms may simply be that they don’t fully understand how each phase of the project will be completed. This is a fairly simple obstacle to overcome—just add greater detail in each of your plans.
People appreciate transparency, and they better understand their expectations when they can visualize the full scope of a project. By adding additional detail to your CMP, you clarify any initial concerns about the scope of the work and help all stakeholders align around the proposal.
Standardize Your Documents and Create Greater Transparency
Another useful way to improve your CMP is by using templates to map out the development plan. Construction management software comes with many pre-built templates and other documentation that gives any stakeholders a transparent overview of what can be expected.
Using templates, you create a consistent model to build all your contracts, work schedules, reports, and checklists. If stakeholders know there are standard templates for each project proposal, any concerns or misconceptions are immediately cleared up. This will help everyone on your team feel more comfortable so they can focus on the deliverables.
Maintain Flexibility and Be Open to Adjustments
Remember that most stakeholder feedback is meant to be constructive. A member of your team may raise a red flag about a matter you hadn’t considered when you initially built your construction management plan.
By remaining open to suggestions and amendments to your initial proposal, you create a greater sense of teamwork and ownership among your stakeholders. Being adaptable to unexpected concerns or points of view shows a willingness to do what’s in the best interests of the project—earning loyalty, dedication, respect, and productivity from your crew.
Conclusion
A construction management plan is vitally important to any new development. As the project manager, you own the initial development process, and it’s your job to bring the rest of your stakeholders into the planning process so that the plans lead to the best possible outcome.
To help you build a construction management plan that’s adaptable and effective, you should invest in construction management software that is built for this kind of forward-thinking project planning. Visit Contractor Foreman today and start a free trial so you can build your master plan.
