These are Site Supervision Techniques and Coordination
Site Control
Controlling is the management function that aims at regulating organizational activities so that actual performance conforms to expected organizational standards and goals. In order to do the necessary regulating, Managers need to monitor on-going activities, compare the results with expected standards or progress towards goals and take corrective actions as needed.
Controlling is a three steps-process of measuring progress towards an objective, evaluating what remains to be done, and taking the necessary corrective action to achieve or exceed the objectives. The three steps are measuring, evaluating and correcting. The significance of the control process lies in that:
Ø It provides the means of monitoring and making adjustments in performance so that plans can be realized;
Ø It supports the organizing and leading functions by helping to ensure that resources are channeled towards organizational objectives; feedback form the control process might signal the need to reorganize, provide more training to workers, clarify communications, increase leadership influence or take other actions associated with the respective organizing and leading functions.
Ø It can assists the manager with some challenges like coping with uncertainty, detecting irregularities, identifying opportunities, handling complex situations, and decentralizing authority.
Three levels of control are identified, namely:
a) Strategic control: A control which involves monitoring critical environmental factors that affect the viability of the strategic plans, assessing the effect of organizational strategic actions, and ensuring that strategic plans are implemented as intended.
b) Tactical level: This type of control focuses on assessing the implementation of tactical plans at departmental levels, monitoring associated periodic results, and taking correcting actions as necessary.
c) Optical control: A control that involves overseeing the implementation of operating plans, monitoring day-to-day results, and taking corrective action when required.
3. Resource Scheduling (Coordination of Labour, Materials and Plant)
Supervision of labour on site is important in order to achieve the specified production rates, and specified workmanship/quality. The two are closely related to the estimated time for executing an activity or task. In addition, the right combination of skilled/unskilled labour with plant/equipment has to be established, controlled and sustained in order to achieve the set objectives.
Materials constitute a significant portion of the construction costs; hence, supervision of the production, manufacturing and delivery of materials to the site for subsequent incorporation in the permanent works is a very important management function. The project management must make sure that he materials meet functional/technical and other specifications, and that they are delivered according the established delivery schedule in order to avoid disruption of the project activities.
Site Supervision Techniques and Coordination
Two levels of supervision are identified. These include supervision provided by the consultant, and the contractor’s supervision roles. The consultant supervises the contractor in order to make sure that the project or facility is build according to technical specifications, design drawings and meets the desired quality (workmanship) aspects.
It is the consultant’s responsibility to ensure that the right technical staff is made available at the site and in accordance with contract documents. To conduct effective supervision of the contractor’s activities, the consultant is normally assisted by the consultant’s supervisory staff or personnel.
The contractor is responsible for the implementation of the project. Project execution is accomplished through the contractor’s site project team which includes the Site Agent, Site Engineers, Technicians and Foremen. The site engineer supervises the project through technicians and foremen; while the latter supervise skilled and unskilled labour directly.
As it will be noted, a large number of people and organizations are involved in the execution of a construction project. In such a situation, effective coordination of the specialist inputs from different people and organizations is required in order to achieve the desired objective.
In a project setting, the coordination function is primarily undertaken by the consultant; while the contractor coordinates his/her construction resources in order to achieve the set organizational objectives.
Planning for Supervision
Proper supervision is necessary for the labour force to operate efficiently. Supervision is needed at various levels, but it is particularly important at the site agent and site foreman levels. Site supervision is needed for the following reasons:
1. To motivate the workers to work efficiently;
2. To make sure that the quality of work is up to standard;
3. To ensure that safety and security regulations are followed (workforce and general public);
4. To maintain high activity level;
5. To give the workers clear instructions;
6. To have people on the site who can suggest more efficient ways of doing things;
7. To have people on the job who can report on problems;
8. To authorize payments to the workers
9. To measure productivity.
6. Planning factors
There are five (5) important factors to not when planning/arranging for proper site supervision, namely:
i) Allocation of the right number of workers per supervisor
If there are too many workers per foreman, it becomes difficult to keep an eye on them all; while if there are too few, it means that the supervision costs will be high. Finding a balance of the two is needed and this is accomplished through experience.
ii) Organize at all levels
Supervisors should know exactly who and what are responsible for and who they are responsible to the site manager supervises the foremen and the latter supervises the gang leaders; while the contractor supervises the Site Manager. If the site staff at all levels knows that they have to answer for the progress of those under their supervision, they have to answer for the progress of those under their supervision, they have an additional incentive to supervise well
iii) Establish Systems of Reporting
All supervisors must report daily to their superiors on the operations and daily activities that fall under their responsibility. For example, the foreman should prepare daily reports describing what has taken place during the day and hand over the report to the Site Agent or contractor. Table 1 illustrates an example of a daily record.
Clearing foundations gang elays due to having to clean out dirt from footings which had fallen from piles of excavated materials along the trench.
iv) Recruit effective supervisors
The contractor’s prime responsibility is to recruit good, qualified foremen and site managers who can be trusted to get the work done quickly and to acceptable standard of quality. A good site manager can ensure that a project is executed without cost or time overruns.
A site manager is responsible for running the operations on the site efficiently. He must be able to prepare daily and weekly programmes, keep records, coordinate the workforce efficiently and be a good trouble shooter. A foreman is closer to the workers.
Whereas the site manager needs to have good overall administrative abilities, the foreman needs to possess personal qualities which lead the workers to respect him and to work as efficiently as possible. Hence, the foreman should possess the following qualities: Honesty, integrity, leadership, authority, capacity to organize, ability to motivate others and to maintain discipline. It is important to train site mangers and foremen to carry out their supervisory duties effectively.
v) Authority must match responsibility
A supervisor at any level must be given the authority that matches his responsibility. Like in the world of sports where the captain is responsible to make sure that the football team never goes into action without each player knowing who he is supposed to mark and what the goalkeeper and the striker are meant to be doing, in the world of work, many contractors neglect to take similar precautions in their businesses.
Proper supervision is necessary for the labour force to operate efficiently. Supervision is needed at various levels, but it is particularly important at the site agent and site foreman levels. Site supervision is needed for the following reasons:
1. To motivate the workers to work efficiently;
2. To make sure that the quality of work is up to standard;
3. To ensure that safety and security regulations are followed (workforce and general public);
4. To maintain high activity level;
5. To give the workers clear instructions;
6. To have people on the site who can suggest more efficient ways of doing things;
7. To have people on the job who can report on problems;
8. To authorize payments to the workers
9. To measure productivity.
6. Planning factors
There are five (5) important factors to not when planning/arranging for proper site supervision, namely:
i) Allocation of the right number of workers per supervisor
If there are too many workers per foreman, it becomes difficult to keep an eye on them all; while if there are too few, it means that the supervision costs will be high. Finding a balance of the two is needed and this is accomplished through experience.
ii) Organize at all levels
Supervisors should know exactly who and what are responsible for and who they are responsible to the site manager supervises the foremen and the latter supervises the gang leaders; while the contractor supervises the Site Manager. If the site staff at all levels knows that they have to answer for the progress of those under their supervision, they have to answer for the progress of those under their supervision, they have an additional incentive to supervise well
iii) Establish Systems of Reporting
All supervisors must report daily to their superiors on the operations and daily activities that fall under their responsibility. For example, the foreman should prepare daily reports describing what has taken place during the day and hand over the report to the Site Agent or contractor. Table 1 illustrates an example of a daily record.
Clearing foundations gang elays due to having to clean out dirt from footings which had fallen from piles of excavated materials along the trench.
iv) Recruit effective supervisors
The contractor’s prime responsibility is to recruit good, qualified foremen and site managers who can be trusted to get the work done quickly and to acceptable standard of quality. A good site manager can ensure that a project is executed without cost or time overruns.
A site manager is responsible for running the operations on the site efficiently. He must be able to prepare daily and weekly programmes, keep records, coordinate the workforce efficiently and be a good trouble shooter. A foreman is closer to the workers.
Whereas the site manager needs to have good overall administrative abilities, the foreman needs to possess personal qualities which lead the workers to respect him and to work as efficiently as possible. Hence, the foreman should possess the following qualities: Honesty, integrity, leadership, authority, capacity to organize, ability to motivate others and to maintain discipline. It is important to train site mangers and foremen to carry out their supervisory duties effectively.
v) Authority must match responsibility
A supervisor at any level must be given the authority that matches his responsibility. Like in the world of sports where the captain is responsible to make sure that the football team never goes into action without each player knowing who he is supposed to mark and what the goalkeeper and the striker are meant to be doing, in the world of work, many contractors neglect to take similar precautions in their businesses.
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