Construction Management Guide

by Michael Dunphy and James Bremen

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has not been left behind in the construction boom, which has swept the Middle East in the past decade.

Strong growth supported by high oil prices has meant KSA has had increased demand for petro chemical projects, IWPP’s, power, infrastructure and new housing and retail developments. [Read more...]

by Jeffrey Badman

Hill International director Jeffrey Badman.The contractor has submitted his extension of time claim, some months have passed but no award or response has been forthcoming from the engineer – an all too familiar scenario experienced by most contractors at one time or another.

So what can the contractor do next? There are some initial practical avenues that can be taken in an attempt to secure an award: [Read more...]

There are two major definitions for configuration management.

1. It can be a term given to the identification, tracking and managing of all the assets of a project. This definition would be especially relevant on software development projects where the “configuration” refers to the collection of artifacts, code components, executables, etc. The items that you will track under configuration management are called “configuration items” in the Capability Maturity Model (CMMI). These configuration items can be interpreted quite broadly to include things such as: [Read more...]

Efficiency and effectiveness are key to the smooth functioning of an organization and can be achieved if work is properly planned and delegated. Before you start your work, take some time to plan. These plans should be flexible so that you can adapt them to different situations. However, you should ensure that details do not slow down your work. Here are some tips: [Read more...]

by KK Sarachandra Bose

Organisation of business is a matter of municipal laws. As such, the organisational form that a business can assume depends on its place of creation. While entering into contracts, it is important for the contracting parties to understand the legal system in the country. The legal system in one country can vary greatly from that in another. [Read more...]

by Michael Pilkington and Peter Smith

As the economic slowdown continues to affect the Dubai construction market, there is no doubt that for much of the industry one inevitability will be an even greater squeeze on cashflow. [Read more...]

Have you ever been on a project that missed all of its commitments for cost, schedule, and quality? Although it may seem counterintuitive, there are a number of projects that have major problems, even some that are cancelled, on which the team members all receive great reviews and the project manager is promoted. [Read more...]

In organizations where poor performers are (involuntarily) allowed to thrive, the levels of productivity and morale take deep plunges, and turnover increases. When organizations impose no checks on performance, top performers leave because they want to avoid associating with a management that tolerates mediocrity. With only mediocre employees staying on, the work culture evolves to accommodate mediocrity. This has a damaging, long-term effect on productivity and, even worse, the organization’s reputation. [Read more...]

A Hewlett-Packard executive once noted, “If you catch a two cent resistor before you use it and throw it away, you lose two cents.  If you don’t find it until it has been soldered into a computer component, it may cost $10 to repair the part.  If you don’t catch the component until it is in the computer . . . the expense may exceed the manufacturing cost.” [Read more...]