This Article is Published in “The Housing Times, July 25, 2018” issue.
The Construction Project & its Management is the primary responsibility of the Builder/ Developer. The Development Agreement typically has a clause of reporting the progress of the Construction by the Builder/ Developer to the Society. The Builder/ Developer usually reports Construction Project progress to the Society on a milestone basis. However, it is in the interest of the Society to get involved into the Construction Project Management activities that are carried out by the Builder/ Developer on a regular basis.
Initially, the Project Management Consultant (PMC) of the Society collects the detailed schedule of the Construction Project from the Builder/ developer & develops the Project Management Plan in the Software used by their company. The PMC also assigns a dedicated team for the Construction Project of the Society. This team of the PMC includes Architects & Engineers visiting the Construction site for collecting the data & monitoring the Construction activities. The Architects & Engineers upload the collected data & monitoring reports on the Project Management Software system for evaluation by the senior PMC professionals.
The major activities involved in the Construction Project Management by the PMC are as follows.
A. Document Management- The PMC collects the IOD, CC, Approved Building Plans of the Construction project & any other approvals/ remarks and maintains the same in a Document Repository. The non- availability of any important document is reported to the senior PMC professionals.
B. Quality Management- The Quality of input Material as also the finished Structure at various stages is monitored regularly & the Quality reports are generated. These Quality reports along with those obtained from various test laboratories are collected & maintained in the Document Repository. Any deviation with respect to the Quality as guaranteed by the Builder/ Developer is reported to the senior PMC professionals.
C. Time Management- The progress of the Construction project is monitored regularly in comparison with the initial schedule uploaded in the Project Management Software. The delays in the progress of the Construction project that may cause time overruns are reported to the senior PMC professionals.
D. Change Management- Every Construction project goes through various changes during the execution stage. It is imperative to note these changes & record their impact on the Quality, Time & Progress of the project. These changes are recorded regularly & are reported to the senior PMC professionals.
E. Compliance Management- The Construction project has a requirement of Compliance with many Government Agencies. The PMC generates report about the Compliance Management at various stages during the Construction project. Any default in the Compliance Management is reported to the senior PMC professionals.
The senior PMC professionals monitor the above activities & regularly report the same to the Managing Committee of the Society. The deviations/ delays if any, are red flagged by the PMC for the Managing Committee Members to take a serious note of. The senior PMC professionals advise the Managing Committee about the impact of the deviations/ delays on the Quality, Time frame & progress of the Construction project.
The Managing Committee Members discuss these issues among themselves & also with the Legal team advising the Society. The Legal team advises the Managing Committee Members the Legal implications of the deviations/ delays. The Legal team also advises the Managing Committee members about the documentation to be made to notify the Builder/ Developer about the deviations/ delays.
The timely documentation to notify the Builder/ Developer about the deviations/ delays ensures that the Builder/ Developer is held accountable for the same. This documentation makes the Builder/ Developer to take prompt actions to remedy the deviations/ delays, thereby improving the efficacy of his Construction Project Management. The timely intervention by the Builder/ Developer also improves the Construction project deliverable for both, the Society & the Builder/ Developer. The joint action by the Society & the Builder/ Developer save a lot of heartburn for both of them in the future.
The stakes of all the Society Members are completely invested in the Redevelopment project on their handing over the vacant possession of their premises to the Builder/ Developer. Any act (whether by commission or by omission) by the Builder/ Developer that can adversely affect the Construction project, can jeopardize the stakes of all the Society Members. The Society must put in place a robust mechanism so that the stakes of the Society Members are protected throughout the Construction stage of the Redevelopment project.
The major advantage of monitoring this Construction Project Management is that, in case the Construction project encounters a serious incidence of deviations/ delays, the Managing Committee in consultation with the PMC & the Legal team can formulate an appropriate response to the situation. This timely appropriate response is helpful in salvaging the situation in favour of the Society & its Members. It helps to protect the stakes of the Society & its Members in the worst-case scenario as well.
The role of the Society during the Construction Project Management is mostly of Monitoring nature. The Society can effectively monitor the Construction Project Management through its PMC & Legal team. The Society capable of putting in place this robust mechanism of monitoring the Construction Project Management regularly reaps the rich benefits at the end.
Sanjay Geete