Construction management

Construction management (CM) is a professional service that applies project management techniques to the planning, design, and construction of a project, from its beginning to its completion. The goal of CM is to control a project's scope, time, cost, and quality (sometimes called the project management triangle or "triple constraints") to achieve the owner’s objectives.

Practitioners of construction management are called construction managers. They combine knowledge of building science and business management to coordinate and deliver capital projects such as commercial real estate, transportation infrastructure, and military infrastructure. Professional services firms in North America and Europe increasingly provide CM alongside related specialties such as critical path method (CPM) scheduling, delay analysis, and expert witness testimony for construction disputes.

Overview

Construction management focuses on integrating cost, schedule, quality, safety, and scope throughout the project lifecycle. Unlike a general contractor, a CM firm or professional may be engaged as an owner’s representative to advise during feasibility, design, procurement, and construction.

Roles and responsibilities

A construction manager’s responsibilities typically include:

Planning and scheduling

Budgeting and cost control

Contract administration

Quality and safety management

Communication and stakeholder coordination

Documentation and claims management

According to the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), the seven common categories of responsibility are: Project Management Planning, Cost Management, Time Management, Quality Management, Contract Administration, Safety Management, and CM Professional Practice.

Functions

Core functions of construction management include:

Specifying project objectives and plans, including scope, budgeting, scheduling, performance requirements, and selecting participants

Maximizing resource efficiency through procurement of labor, materials, and equipment

Coordinating design, estimating, contracting, and construction

Establishing communication systems and conflict-resolution mechanisms

Procurement

Bids

Open bid: Any contractor can submit a bid (common in public projects).

Closed bid: Only invited contractors can submit (common in private projects).