What is Construction Management? | TAMU College of Architecture
Every construction project offers a chance to create a welcoming and purposeful space that benefits individuals, families, or entire communities. It would be an understatement to call these projects complex. Strict budgets, timelines, zoning concerns, and sustainability efforts complicate a demanding and time-consuming process.
Construction management offers a blueprint for dealing with these often-competing concerns while ensuring that construction projects reach their full potential. Bringing structure to a fast-paced and always-changing environment, construction management determines whether projects are completed on time, under budget, and according to a long list of strict specifications.
The Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) defines this as a “service that provides a project’s owner(s) with effective management of the project’s schedule, cost, quality, safety, scope, and function.” The field goes beyond specific projects to influence many concerns within the broader construction industry, determining how construction companies and contractors approach innovation, sustainability, and regulatory compliance.
This realm presents opportunities to shape built environments and delight the many people who live and work in these spaces. Numerous roles are available within the construction industry, and given its quickly expanding scope, some aspiring construction professionals might seek to understand further: What is construction management, and what is a construction manager? We explore these essentials below while touching on the compelling opportunities within this dynamic field and how a Master of Science in Construction Management can help open doors.
Key Roles in Construction Management
Every construction project is complicated yet exciting in its way. Beginning with a project plan and eventually moving into budgeting, architectural design, and civil engineering, these endeavors require input and support from vast teams of professionals. Each team member has something unique to offer, but construction managers ensure that all perspectives are appreciated without hampering the project’s momentum. To reveal the breadth of this industry, we have highlighted several key construction management roles:
Construction Manager
A construction manager is an on-site leader responsible for planning, coordinating, and delegating activities at construction sites. Shaping the entire life cycle of each construction project, these managers work closely with personnel, clients, and other stakeholders to ensure the project is completed successfully and according to the vision and goals established by the project owner. Experts at CMAA explain that the construction manager “represents the owner’s interest and provides oversight over the entire project directly for the owner.”
Project Manager
While construction project managers share much in common with construction managers, they place a far greater focus on the intricacies of the project life cycle, handling planning, coordination, and budget management so that construction managers are free to deal with on-site concerns.
Construction leader Jason Schroeder refers to this critical professional as the “orchestrator of the entire [construction] project,” referencing core responsibilities such as building, coaching, and mentoring project teams. Additionally, it’s essential to anticipate the project owner’s distinct needs and preferences — and go above and beyond to ensure these are met.
Project Engineer
Project engineers tackle the technical components of construction initiatives and determine whether designs abide by various codes and specifications. They are primarily committed to regulatory compliance but must leverage high-level technical knowledge and skills to pinpoint and address various engineering concerns. Working closely with architects and subcontractors, project engineers maintain more of an on-site presence than their project management counterparts.
Safety Officer
Tasked with preserving the health and safety of the many team members who contribute to construction projects, safety officers conduct in-depth inspections and audits to determine where safety hazards exist before taking active steps to address these issues. Their efforts ensure construction sites comply with various regulations, including those established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Safety officers generally promote a health and safety culture, ensuring that these are prioritized on construction sites and through all phases of construction projects.
Key Responsibilities of a Construction Manager
There is something uniquely satisfying about working as a construction manager. This role combines the best of both worlds, offering hands-on opportunities at the center of the action and encouraging management-minded individuals to participate actively in project planning and coordination.
Because this role is so dynamic, no two days will look quite alike — and for many aspiring construction managers, that is a pivotal part of the appeal. Still, most construction managers can expect to tackle these essentials:
Project Planning and Scheduling
Early planning can make or break any construction project, determining how teams address project-specific scope, timing, and budget concerns. This can be a delicate balance, but it is the construction manager’s prerogative to navigate many competing demands. Although planning is an especially critical aspect of construction project management, construction managers are also heavily involved and often tackle the operational elements of plans to ensure seamless on-site execution.
Budget Management and Cost Control
With strict operational budgets, construction managers must determine how limited funds will be allocated for labor, equipment, and materials while still making discernible progress toward the project’s central objectives. Significant discrepancies between projected expenses and actual on-site costs may occur, so the construction manager should expect to adjust estimates over time while also completing detailed budget reports.
Cost control measures ensure that construction managers and their teams maximize allocated resources. This calls for detailed and realistic cost estimates based on historical data and present-day market conditions — but it must always involve contingency planning, given the strong potential for unforeseen circumstances or even changes to project scope.
Safety and Compliance
Safety officers are by no means alone in their effort to improve construction site safety. Construction managers aid in this process by developing detailed safety protocols and plans. These should reveal which risks are most relevant on any construction site (and how such hazards can be avoided or mitigated).
In addition, construction managers may be involved in training team members on safe construction practices and the proper use of potentially dangerous equipment. Throughout the project life cycle, construction managers closely monitor conditions and practices to ensure full compliance with safety regulations.
The Construction Management Process
Every construction project involves different goals and stakeholders, but a basic workflow brings structure and reliability to these initiatives. Core elements of the construction management process include:
Pre-Construction Phase
Centered on planning, the pre-construction phase begins, as the need for a given project is identified. This stage may involve feasibility studies to determine whether such projects are viable. Should the owner choose to move forward with a proposed project, the pre-construction phase will also require a detailed scope definition, such as crucial deliverables or milestones.
Next, pre-construction planning involves scheduling and budgeting, often relying on Gantt charts to help sequence critical tasks. Meanwhile, a detailed budget must be developed highlighting anticipated personnel, materials, and equipment expenses. Other elements of the pre-construction phase include:
- Architectural design and blueprint creation
- Contract drafting for subcontractors or other third parties
- Securing building permits and other necessary approvals
- Procuring materials and issuing purchase orders
Construction Phase
Following in-depth planning, construction managers and their teams should finally be ready to move forward with the more action-oriented aspects of the construction process. Sometimes referred to as “execution,” this phase is what most people picture when they think of a construction project: a dynamic work environment complete with heavy machinery and numerous stacks of materials, not to mention trailers, scaffolding, and safety signs.
However, before this vision becomes a reality, construction managers must lead site preparation efforts, including clearing the area and setting up the necessary infrastructure. Once team members have access to the site, they can lay the foundation and build the structure’s framework. This may be followed by work on the electric, plumbing, and HVAC systems, with inspections conducted along the way for quality control and compliance purposes.
Post-Construction and Project Closeout
Aimed at delivering closure and peace of mind — while ensuring that all parties are on the same page regarding contractual obligations — the post-construction phase marks the transition between construction and occupancy. This is when final invoices are completed, final payments are made, and any discrepancies regarding change orders are resolved. Post-construction is also heavy on documentation; contracts, change orders, and other vital records are compiled for future reference.
This phase includes a final inspection to confirm that the project has met the owner’s objectives while abiding by regulatory standards. Plumbing and electrical systems may require extensive testing. Punch lists reveal which tasks need to be handled before the project’s successful closeout. Success in post-construction will limit the potential for unexpected issues to arise once the structure has reached the occupancy stage.
Why Is Construction Management Important?
Construction projects are multi-faceted, with many personnel, ideas, and tasks coming together to help achieve an ambitious goal: successfully constructing a desired structure. With so many moving parts, projects can easily be derailed through poor planning or communication. Such issues can be avoided if projects are carefully organized and receive the strong oversight that only a skilled construction manager can provide. Specifically, construction management achieves these critical goals:
Reduce Costs
Construction costs can quickly spiral out of control, from raw materials to permitting expenses to labor. Construction managers play a vital role in keeping these costs manageable without compromising the objectives of the project. Through strategic scheduling and resource management, construction managers can limit the potential for waste. They also reduce costs by integrating efficiency-enhancing technology and securing excellent terms through competitive bidding.
Improve Quality
Quality control is a central component of modern construction management, and leaders are setting the stage with clear definitions of quality standards and specifications. They conduct in-depth site inspections and quality checks to ensure that construction teams and subcontractors adhere to high standards — and, when needed, they seek corrective measures to address any quality issues that emerge.
Minimize Delays
Through strategic scheduling and coordination, construction managers help ensure the right personnel and materials are available at the correct times. This prevents bottlenecks and guarantees team members are adequately equipped to complete critical tasks efficiently and stay within established quality standards. Additionally, scheduling strategies may encompass overlapping tasks, with many completed concurrently to optimize tight project schedules.
Reduce Risk
Risks are inherent in all construction projects but can be avoided (or at least mitigated) if identified and planned for from the outset. From safety concerns to financial issues and even environmental challenges, construction managers work with construction project managers and owners to identify critical areas of risk and assess which are most likely to occur or which areas need to be prioritized. Construction managers can also reduce risk through careful subcontractor selection, ongoing budget monitoring, and safety training.
Careers in Construction Management
As the construction management opportunities highlighted above reveal, this vast field encompasses many significant and potentially rewarding roles. Career opportunities may also emerge across various niches that include residential, commercial, and industrial construction and sustainable projects, renovations, and restoration management. Across all roles and specialties, it is clear that construction managers require extensive training—including an overview of fundamental management concepts and in-depth insights into how these play out within the construction world.
Education
Different construction management roles call for different educational requirements, but increasingly, aspiring construction professionals must seek undergraduate training to secure entry-level jobs, followed by targeted graduate programs to help them move into senior or leadership roles.
Many look to the Master of Science in Construction Management for structured skill development. This program offers a deep dive into scheduling, cost estimating, and project management in the construction industry.
Career Outlook
Construction management is a rapidly expanding field, spurred partly by the unprecedented demand for housing and infrastructure. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) highlights a promising outlook of 9% growth for construction managers. Contributing to this heightened demand is the current reality that “construction processes and building technology are becoming more complex, requiring greater oversight and spurring demand for specialized management personnel even as technology makes construction managers more productive.”
Explore Construction Management Opportunities with Texas A&M University
Do you aspire to a dynamic and influential career in construction management? Prepare for a future full of opportunities and growth in this thriving field as you pursue your Master of Science in Construction Management. At Texas A&M, our industry-targeted degree program not only equips students with the necessary skills but also fosters personal and professional growth. Request more information today to start your inspiring journey.
