Cuevas, Dustin Glenn C.

May 6, 2016

CE119/C1

HOMEWORK
1. What are the components of communication?
a. Context
Context is a very broad field that consists different aspects. One aspect is country, culture
and organization. Every organization, culture and country communicate information in
their own way.
Another aspect of context is external stimulus. The sources of external stimulus includes;
meeting, letter, memo, telephone call, fax, note, email and even a casual conversation.
This external stimuli motivates you to respond and this response may be oral or written.
Internal stimuli is another aspect of communication. Internal Stimuli includes; opinion,
attitude, likes, dis-likes, emotions, experience, education and confidence. These all have
multifaceted influence on the way you communicate ideas.
b. Sender/ Encoder
Encoder is the person who sends message. In oral communication the encoder is speaker,
and in written communication writer is the encoder. An encoder uses combination of
symbols, words, graphs and pictures understandable by the receiver, to best convey his
message in order to achieve his desired response.
c. Message
Message is the information that is exchanged between sender and receiver. The first task
is to decide what you want to communicate and what would be the content of your
message; what are the main points of your message are and what other information to
include. The central idea of the message must be clear. While writing the message,
encoder should keep in mind all aspects of context and the receiver.
d. Medium
Medium is the channel through which encoder will communicate his message. How the
message gets there. Your medium to send a message, may be print, electronic, or sound.
Medium may be a person as postman. The choice of medium totally depends on the

nature of you message and contextual factors discussed above. Choice of medium is also
influence by the relationship between the sender and receiver.
The oral medium, to convey your message, is effective when your message is urgent,
personal or when immediate feedback is desired. While, when your message is ling,
technical and needs to be documented, then written medium should be preferred that is
formal in nature. These guidelines may change while communicating internationally
where complex situations are dealt orally and communicated in writing later on.
e. Receiver/ Decoder
The person to whom the message is being sent is called receiver/decoder. Receiver
may be a listener or a reader depending on the choice of medium by sender to transmit
the message. Receiver is also influenced by the context, internal and external stimuli.
Receiver is the person who interprets the message, so higher the chances are of miscommunication because of receivers perception, opinion, attitude and personality. There
will be minor deviation in transmitting the exact idea only if your receiver is educated
and have communication skills.
f. Feedback
Response or reaction of the receiver, to a message, is called feedback. Feedback may be
written or oral message, an action or simply, silence may also be a feedback to a message.
Feedback is the most important component of communication in business.
Communication is said to be effective only when it receives some feedback. Feedback,
actually, completes the loop of communication.

2. What are the types of communication?

a. Verbal Communication
Verbal or oral communication uses spoken words to communicate a message. When most
people think of verbal communication, they think of speaking, but listening is an equally
important skill for this type of communication to be successful. Verbal communication is
applicable to a wide range of situations, ranging from informal office discussions to
public speeches made to thousands of people.
b. Non Verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication includes body language, gestures, facial expressions, and
even posture. Non-verbal communication sets the tone of a conversation, and can
seriously undermine the message contained in your words if you are not careful to control

it. For example, slouching and shrinking back in your chair during a business meeting can
make you seem under-confident, which may lead people to doubt the strength of your
verbal contributions. In contrast, leaning over an employees desk and invading his or her
personal space can turn a friendly chat into an aggressive confrontation that leaves the
employee feeling victimized and undervalued.
c. Written Communication
Written communication is essential for communicating complicated information, such as
statistics or other data that could not be easily communicated through speech alone.
Written communication also allows information to be recorded so that it can be referred
to at a later date. When producing a piece of written communication, especially one that
is likely to be referred to over and over again, you need to plan what you want to say
carefully to ensure that all the relevant information is accurately and clearly
communicated.

3. What are construction project documents?

a.

Construction Contract and Purchase Orders

The first document that must be reviewed in any construction dispute is the construction
contract. The contract must be reviewed to determine which clauses apply to the
contractors entitlement to prevail on the claim and what, if any, clauses limit the
contractor's ability to recover the additional costs created by the claim. In addition to the
construction contract, purchase orders are typically used to establish delays.
b. Bid Documents
The lack of such documentation calls into question both the contractor's professionalism
and the veracity of the purported as-planned costs. In order to prove that the additional
project costs incurred were reasonable, it is necessary to establish that the underlying
contract amount was appropriate. The bid documentation should include the following:
takeoffs, unit pricing, subcontractor and supplier bids, calculations setting forth expected
production, overhead and profit mark-ups, and mark-ups for labor burdens.
c. Schedule Data and Devices
In order to prevail on a delay claim, the party asserting the claim must prove that the
delay was excusable, compensable and critical. To prove those three elements it is
necessary to establish the anticipated project scheduling which was the basis for project
bid. A comparison is then made with the as-built scheduling. Therefore, the contractor
must have an as-planned and have regularly updated as-built schedules. Ideally, the
schedules should be based on a critical path method. In addition, any weekly "look

ahead" schedules should be retained. If any third parties had input into the scheduling, the
related documentation should be maintained.
d. Project Diaries
Project superintendents should maintain a diary that contains daily entries that, at a
minium, set forth: (1) each day's weather conditions, (2) on-site subcontractors and
employees, (3) deliveries of critical materials, (4) on-site visits by third parties (e.g.
project architect, owner or engineer), (5) discovery of hidden site conditions,
discrepancies in plans and/or conflicts, (6) important conversations, and (7) any other
noteworthy event. If a delay, hidden condition or project conflict is encountered, the
project superintendent should start a separate report that tracks the discovery and
resolution of that particular problem.
e. Change Orders and Change Order Logs
Almost every project will have one or more change orders. The delay in responding to
change orders can impact the completion the project. Thus, it is important to retain a
record when the change order was submitted and when it was approved or rejected.
f. Plans, Specifications, Shop Drawings, Requests For Information and Submittals
The design documents and related correspondence concerning the design of the project
should be retained. A sound practice is to create a request for information log, a shop
drawing log and submittal log that includes the date that the document was tendered and
the date a response was received, along with any germane comments. Such logs simplify
a review of delays in the completion of the project.
g. Project Correspondence
Any correspondence concerning the project should be retained. Typically, separate
correspondence files are established for each party to the construction project. Ideally, the
correspondence should be docketed (i.e. a chronological list that is maintained at the front
of the file that states the subject matter for each letter, including who the letter is from
and to whom it is written). If a critical delay is identified, a separate folder should be
maintained for that issue. Copies of the key correspondence should be placed in that
separate issue file, as well as in the regular correspondence file.
h. Job Cost Reports and Estimates
For larger projects, it is a common cost- accounting practice to produce a report of the
actual cost of each line item on the bid for comparison to the estimated costs for that line
item. Once again, these records are a key element of the as-planned and as-built analysis.
In addition, a review of those reports will help identify cost overruns that may be created
by changed job site conditions.
i. Financial Statements

A component of every delay claim is home office overhead. The home office overhead
calculation is based on the general administrative expenses for the delay years as well as
prior years. In addition, more elaborate computer-based accounting systems allow for
detailed accounting reports for each project.
j.

Employee Payroll Records

On many projects manpower can be the largest expense. The ability to establish, through
payroll reports, that the manpower loading for a particular project was not as anticipated
when the project was bid is a key part of any disruption and/or delay claim. Typically, the
manpower loading is depicted on a graph, with one side for hours and the other side for
the date the labor was provided. For example, spikes in the labor loading graph can depict
disruption.
k. Photographs and Videos
Dated photographs and videos are useful in determining percentages of completion. They
can also be useful in establishing that the work was performed in accordance with the
plans and specifications.
l.

Miscellaneous documents

If it becomes necessary to pursue a mechanic's lien, stop notice and/or bond claim,
additional project documentation may be critical. For example, documentation that
evidences the start and completion of the project (i.e. punchlists) will be useful in
determining the time for recording a mechanic's lien. Additional documentation should
include preliminary lien notices and lien releases.
In most contracts there are claims notice requirements. All correspondence and
memorandums that prove that notice of a claim was given in a timely manner should be
maintained. Similarly, notices that the contractor is proceeding under protest should be
maintained.
Another category of documents are meeting minutes. Such minutes can be from weekly
meetings with the owner, general contractor and/or the design team. Ideally, those
minutes reflect completion of prior activities and open activities.