Ques 1 : What do you mean by management ?

why it is important in
construction work?
ANS 1 :
Management: The process of dealing with or controlling things or people. The
Construction management function focuses on the coordination of all building
activities, according to budgets, deadlines, industry quality standards, and legal
safety regulations, while providing the most solid and ingenious building
engineering solutions.
Why it is important for construction work :

Completing the work with in estimated budget and specified time.

Maintaining a reputation for high quality workmanship.
Taking sound decisions and delegation of authority.
Developing an organization that works as a team.
Coordinating and controlling all the site activities.
Financial planning and cost controlling; reporting.

Ques 2 : Give a brief account of construction industry of india.

ANS 2 : The Indian construction industry forms an integral part of the economy and
a conduit for a substantial part of its development investment, is poised for growth
on account of industrialization, urbanization, economic development and people's
rising expectations for improved quality of living. Construction constitutes 40% to
50% of India's capital expenditure on projects in various sectors such as highways,
roads, railways, energy, airports, irrigation, etc and is the second largest industry in
India after agriculture. It accounts for about 11% of India's GDP.
Indian Construction Industry is highly fragmented. There are mostly unorganised
players in the industry which work on the subcontracting basis. As the Construction
activity being labour intensive, construction companies have been mainly focusing
on mechanization over past few years.
Green buildings in India have gained tremendous momentum during 3 to 4 years,
ever since the Green Business Centre embarked on achieving the prestigious LEED
rating for their own centre at Hyderabad. The Platinum rating for green building has
sensitized the stakeholders of construction industry. There is tremendous potential
for construction of green buildings in India. The estimated market potential for
green building will be about $ 400 million in 2010. There will be favorable policies
and the government would provide the right impetus for advancing the green
building movement in India.
Indian Construction Industry consists of 200 firms in the corporate sector. In
addition to these firms, there are about 1, 20,000 class a contractors registered with
various government construction bodies. There are thousands of small contractors,
which compete for small jobs or work as sub-contractors of prime or other
contractors. Total sales of construction industry have reached Rs. 42885.38 cores in
2004 05 from Rs. 21451.9 cores in 2000-01

Top leading Companies

Larsen & Toubro

DLF
Tata Projects
Gammon India
Sobha Developers Ltd
Shapoorji Pallonji & Co
Unitech
Nagarjuna Construction Company
Punj Lloyd

Ques 3 : Define the various management functions and their meaning with
reference to construction jobs.
ANS 3 :
Construction Project Planning:
It is the process of selecting a particular method and the order of work to be
adopted for a project from all the possible ways and sequences in which it could be
done. It essentially covers the aspects of What to do and How to do it.
Organizing:
Organizing is concerned with decision of the total construction work into
manageable departments/sections and systematically managing various operations
by delegating specific tasks to individuals.
Controlling:
It involves a constant review of the work plan to check on actual achievements and
to discover and rectify deviation through appropriate corrective measures.
Coordinating:
It involves bringing together and coordinating the work of various departments and
sections so as to have good communication. It is necessary for each section to
aware of its role and the assistance to be expected from others.
Construction Project Scheduling:
Scheduling of the programming, planning and construction process is a vital tool in
both the daily management and reporting of the project progress.
Ques 4 : How can you classify construction industry? Give example of each
type.
ANS 4 :

Building Construction Industry: All general contractors and operative builders

primarily engaged in the construction of residential, farm, industrial, commercial, or
other buildings.
Heavy Construction Industry: All general contractors primarily engaged in heavy
construction other than building, such as highways and streets, bridges, sewers,
railroads, irrigation projects, and flood control projects and marine construction. This
includes special trade contractors primarily engaged in activities not normally
performed on buildings, such as highway grading or underwater rock removal. This
does not include special trade contractors primarily engaged activities performed on
buildings
Special Trade Construction Industry: All special trade contractors who
undertake activities of a type that are specialized either to building construction,
including work on mobile homes, or to both building and nonbuilding projects. This
includes projects such as painting, electrical work, plumbing, etc. This does not
include activities specialized for heavy.

Ques 5 : What do you mean by construction team?

ANS 5 : The Construction Team is the group responsible for the planning, design
and construction of the Project. Its members are the Construction Manager, the
Architect and the Owner. It is important to the success of the Project that the owner
assign to the Construction Team competent personnel with the authority to make
timely decisions concerning budget and program.
Ques 6 : What do you mean by scientific management ?
ANS 6 :
Scientific management: management of a business, industry, or economy,
according to principles of efficiency derived from experiments in methods of work
and production, especially from time-and-motion studies. According to Fredrick
Winslow Taylor, "Scientific management means knowing exactly what you want men
to do and seeing that they do it in the best and the cheapest way."
Characteristics / Features of Scientific Management

Approach: It is a systematic, analytical and objective approach to solve

industrial problems.

Discards old methods: It discards the age old methods of rule of thumb and hit or
miss approach.

Emphasis: It lays emphasis on all factors of production, men, material and

technology.

Techniques: It implies scientific techniques in methods of work, recruitment,

selection and training of workers.

Attempts: It attempts to develop each man to his greatest efficiency and

prosperities.

Primary Principles of scientific management as evolved by F.W. Taylor:

Science, not Rule of Thumb
Rule of thumb was the technique of pre-scientific management era. Taylor maintained
that the rule of thumb should be replaced by scientific knowledge. While rule of thumb
emphasizes mere estimation, scientific method denotes precision in determining any
aspect of work. This should be done with the help of careful scientific investigation.
Harmony not Discord
Taylor emphasized that harmony rather than discord should be obtained in group action.
Harmony means that a group should work as a unit and contribute to the maximum.
Within it there should be mutual give and take situation and proper understanding.

Co-operation not Individualism

Scientific management requires that parts of industrial body co-operate with each
other, scientific management is based on mutual confidence, co-operation and
goodwill. It requires a complete mental revolution on the part of both workers and
management.
Ques 7 : What do you mean by construction planning ?
ANS 7 :
Construction planning is a fundamental and challenging activity in the
management and execution of construction projects.
It involves the choice of technology, the definition of work tasks, the estimation of
the required resources and durations for individual task,
and the identification of any interactions among the different work tasks. A good
construction plan is the basis for developing the budget and the schedule for work.
Construction planning may be said to consist of five steps:
1. A determination of the general approach to the project
2. Breakdown of the project into job steps or oeactivities that must be
performed
3. Ascertainment of the sequential relationships among these activities
4. Graphic presentation of this planning information in the form of a network
5. Endorsement by the project team.
Ques 8 : Explain the terms :
(a)Budget

(b)Administrative

(c)Technical sanction

Ans 8 :
A budget is a quantitative expression of a plan for a defined period of time. It may
include planned sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities, costs and

expenses, assets, liabilities and cash flows. It expresses strategic plans of business
units, organizations, activities or events in measurable terms.
For every work (excluding repairs) initiated by, or connected with, the requirements
of another department, it is first necessary to obtain the concurrence of the
department concerned to the proposals. The formal acceptance by the department
concern is termed administrative approval of the work, and is, in effect, an
order to execute certain specified works at a stated sum to meet the administrative
needs of the department requiring the work.
The amounts are variable pursuant to the orders issued by the competent authority
from time to time. For every work proposed to be carried out, except petty repairs
and annual repairs, a properly detailed estimate must be prepared for the sanction
of competent authority. This sanction is known as the Technical Sanction.
Ques 9 : What do you mean by scheduling ?What are the advantages of
scheduling a construction job?
ANS 9 :
A schedule or a timetable, as a basic time-management tool, consists of a list of
times at which possible tasks, events, or actions are intended to take place and The
process of creating a schedule - deciding how to order these tasks and how to commit
resources between the variety of possible tasks - is called scheduling.
Construction project scheduling : It simply shows the sequence of building activities (which
activity follows which activity) and which ones can be going on at the same time. It also shows how
long each activity should take to complete.
1. Many alternative method can be choosen.
2. Clear idea regarding workers, materials, equipments.
3. Staring time of work is known.
4. Carried out in systematic manner.
5. Resources utilization is minimum.
6. Actual work is monitored.
7. Inter-relationship of various activities are known.
8. Actual progress of work can be check.
9. Gives quantity of work involved, labour, materials and equipment at each stage.
10. Coordinate among trades and subcontractors, and expose and adjust conflicts.
11. Improve work efficiency.
12. Predict and calculate the cash flow.

Ques 10 : Define ORGANISATION and outline why it is necessary?

ANS 10 :

A social unit of people that is structured and managed to meet a need or to pursue
collective goals. All organizations have a management structure that
determines relationships between the different activities and the members, and
subdivides and assigns roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out
different tasks. Organizations are open systems--they affect and are affected by
their environment.
It Help in the Growth of Enterprise: Good organisation is helpful to the growth,
expansion and diversifications of the enterprise.
It Ensures Optimum Use of Human Resources: Good organisation establishes
persons with different interests, skills, knowledge and viewpoints.
It Stimulates Creativity: A sound and well-conceived organisation structure is the
source of creative thinking and initiation of new ideas.
A Tool of Achieving Objectives: Organisation is a vital tool in the hands of the
management for achieving set objectives of the business enterprise.
Prevents Corruption: Usually corruption exists in those enterprises which lack
sound organisation. Sound organization prevents corruption by raising the morale of
employees. They are motivated to work with greater efficiency, honesty and
devotion.
Ques 11 : Describe different form of scheduling.

ANS 11:
Type of scheduling :
Construction Schedule: Bar Charts
Bar Charts are the most simple and easiest way to produce a scheduling form in
the construction industry. It is widely used due to its simplicity and multiple
adaptations to numerous events. A bar charts is formed with a list of activities,
specifying the start date, duration of the activity and completion date of each
activity, and then plotted into a the project time scale. The detailed level of the bar
chart will depend on your project complexity and the intended use of the schedule.
Construction Schedule: Critical Path Method
This process is more elaborated and detailed than the previous one. With a large list
of activities, each activity is then linked to previous and subsequent activities,
specifying that each activity has at least another one that must be
completed prior to starting the preceding one. With the Critical Path Method,
calendar days are established and activities are assigned with an early date, first
date that an activity can start; late start, specifying the last possible date that this
activity must be started to avoid delays in the overall construction process; early
finish, the earlier date that the proposed activity will be completed; and the late
finish, that is the last date the activity must be completed without affecting the
start of the next one, and subsequently affecting the entire construction

schedule.The steps in producing a network are:

- Listing of activities
- Producing a network showing the logical relationship between activities.
- Assessing the duration of each activity, producing a schedule, and determining the
start and finish times of each activity and the available float
- Assessing the required resources.
Construction Schedule: Line of Balance
This process is a planning technique for repetitive work. The essential procedure for
this scheduling technique is to allocate the resources needed for each step or
operation, so the following activities are not delayed and the result can be obtained.
This process is usually applied in the construction work and more specific in road
construction.
Construction Schedule: Q Scheduling
Q. Scheduling is quantitative scheduling, in the context that quantities to be
executed at different locations of the construction project form the elements of the
schedule.
It is the only scheduling technique that reveals a relation between the sequence of
doing a job and the cost to be incurred. The Q schedule is similar to the Line of
Balance with some modifications, to allow for a varying volume of repetitive
activities at different segments or locations of the construction project, thus the
model produced is closer to reality.
Ques 12 : Enumerate the principles of organization.
ANS 12:
Principles of Organisation
The Principle of Objective
Every enterprise, big or small, prescribes certain basic objectives. Organisation
serves as a tool in attaining these prescribed objectives. Every part of the
organisation and the organisation as a whole should be geared to the basic
objective determined by the enterprise.
Principle of Specialization
Precise division of work facilitates specialization. According to this principles division
of work between the employees must be based on their ability, capability, tasks,
knowledge and interest. This will ensure specialization and specialization will lead to
efficiency, quality and elimination of wastage etc.
The Principle of Definition
The contents of every position should be clearly defined. The duties, responsibilities,
authorities and organizational relationship of an individual working on a particular
position should be well defined.

The Principle of the Unity of Direction

The basic rationale for the very existence of organisation is the attainment of
certain objectives. Major objective should be split into functional activities and there
should be one objective and one plan for each group of people.
The Principle of Supremacy of Organisation Objectives
The organisation goals and objectives should be given wide publicity within the
organisation. The people contributing to it, should be made to understand that
enterprise objectives are more valuable and significant and one should place one's
personal motives under it.
The Principle of Balance
In every organisation structure there is need for balance. For effective grouping and
assigning activities, this principle calls for putting balance on all types of factors
human, technical as well as financial.
Ques 13 : What resources are required for the completion of any project?
ANS 13 :
Contract Closure: Contract closure is concerned with completing and settling the
terms of the contracts let for the project. It supports the project completion process
because the contract closure process determines if the work described in the
contracts was completed accurately and satisfactorily.
FINAL PAYMENTS: If the supplier has met all the contractual obligations, including
fixing problems and making repairs as noted on a punch list, the project team signs
off on the contract and submits it to the accounting department for final payment.
The supplier is notified that the last payment is final and completes the contractual
agreement with the project.
RELEASING THE PROJECT TEAM: Releasing project team members is not an
official process. However, it should be noted that at the conclusion of the project,
you will release your project team members, and they will go back to their
functional managers or get assigned to a new project.Let them know a few months
ahead of time what the schedule looks like and how soon they can plan on using
their employees on new projects.
POST-PROJECT EVALUATIONS: Before the team is dissolved and begins to focus
on the next project, a review is conducted to capture the lessons that can be
learned from this project, often called a lessons-learned meeting or document.
The team explores what went well and captures the processes to understand why
they went well. The team also explores what did not go well and what people
learned from the experience. The process is not to find blame, but to learn.
PROCUREMENT CONTRACTS: The performance of suppliers and vendors is
reviewed to determine if they should still be included in the list of qualified suppliers
or vendors. The choice of contract for each is reviewed to determine if the decision
to share risk was justified and if the choice of incentives worked.

ARCHIVING OF DOCUMENT: The documents associated with the project must be

stored in a safe location where they can be retrieved for future reference. Signed
contracts or other documents that might be used in tax reviews or lawsuits must be
stored. Organizations will have legal document storage and retrieval policies that
apply to project documents and must be followed. Some project documents can be
stored electronically.
Ques 14 : Distinguish between workcharged established and contingent
establishment.
ANS 14 :
Work-charged Establishment
Broadly speaking work-charged establishment means that establishment whose pay
and allowances etc. are directly chargeable to Works. Work-charged Staff is
employed on the actual execution of a specific work, sub-works of a specific work,
etc. The cost of work-charged establishment should invariably be shown as a
separate sub-head of the estimate for a work. In other respects, the workcharged
staffs is comparable to the regular categories.
Ques 15 : Distinguish between Tender and Agreement.
ANS 15 : The term 'tender' formally means an invitation to trade under the terms on
offer. 'Contract' refers to any agreement entered into between or on behalf of the
buyer and another party for the execution of any work for the supply of goods,
works or services.
Ques 16 : Under what circumstances aids (financial) can be granted to
contractor?
It is necessary sometimes, in the interest of work, to engage labourers or
contractors or to incur other liabilities on behalf of the contractor concerned, with a
view to complete the work which he has neglected or failed to complete. In such a
case it is permissible to spend Government funds on behalf of the contractor in
accordance with the terms of his agreement. Otherwise, no advance or recoverable
payment should be made to or on behalf of a contractor nor should financial aid be
given to him in any form.
With a view to avoid subsequent disputes with the contractor, suitable intimation
should be sent to him as soon as action is taken and subsequently, as charges are
incurred on his account.
Ques 17 : Explain the method of preparation, examination and payment of
bills for work done.
Preparation : Before the bill of a contractor is prepared, the entries in the
measurement book relating to the description and quantities of work of supplies
should be scrutinized and check measured by the Sub-divisional Officer and the
calculations of Contents or area should be checked arithmeticaly under his
supervision. The bill should then be prepared from the entries in the Measurement

Book, The rates allowed should be entered in the Abstract of measurements and in
the bill. Full rates as per agreement catalogue, indent or other order should be
allowed only if the quality of work done or supplies made is up to the stipulated
specification. When the work or supplies fall short of that, specification, standard,
and under the agreement it is permissible to make a final payment if the contract is
to run on, only, such a fraction of the full rate to be determined with regard to the
work remaining to be done and the general terms of the agreement.
Examination : Before signing and submission of the bill to Divisional Officer for
check and payment, the Sub-divisional Officer should compare the quantities in the
bill with those recorded in the measurement book and see that all the rates are
correctly entered and that calculations have been checked arithmetically. When the
bill is on a running account, it should be compared with the previous bill.
Memorandum of Payments should then be made up, any recoveries which should be
made on account of the work or supply on other accounts being shown therein.
From the measurement book all quantities should be clearly traceable into the
documents on which payments are made. When a bill is prepared for the work or
supplies measured, every page containing the detailed measurements must be
invariably scored out by a diagonal red ink line, and when the payment is made an
endorsement must be made in red ink, on the abstract of measurements, giving a
reference to the number and date of the voucher of payment
Payment : Payments for work done or supplies made on a running account should
ordinarily be made monthly, in terms of the relevant clauses of the Contract
Agreement. Both the quantities and amount of each distinct item of work or
supply should be shown separately in the bill except in the case of advance
payments when quantities need not be specified.
(b) Such payments should be treated as payments on account, subject to
adjustment in the final bill which should be drawn, in the appropriate Form (FORM
CPWA 27-B) but printed on yellow paper, when work or supply is completed or the
running account is to be closed for other reasons. When a final payment is made on
a running account, the payee, if he is able to write, should add in his own hand
writing that the payment is in full and final settlement of all demands. If the payee
is illiterate, or is unable to write beyond signing his name, these words should be
filled in by the officer making the payment.
Ques 18 : What do you mean by stock? What are the subheads of stock?
ANS 18 :
Stock : The head stock is opened in all divisions in which stock of materials is
maintained for general purposes, vide paragraph 143 of the Central Public Works
Department Code. In divisions in which no stocks are maintained, this account
should be opened only when any manufacture operations are undertaken.
The money limit for the stock reserve of a division, prescribed by the Administrative
Ministry/Administrator concerned, is meant to be applied to the value of materials
acquired or manufactured for stock purposes only. Excesses over this limit are,

therefore, permissible only when caused by unadjusted expenditure on manufacture

operations connected with specific sanctioned works.
The account head stock is debited with all expenditure connected with the
acquisition of stock materials, and with all manufacture operations. It is credited
with the value of materials issued to works, or sold, transferred or otherwise
disposed of, and the balance of account will represent the book value of the
materials in stock plus the unadjusted charges, etc., connected with manufacture.
The sub-heads of the Stock account are:- (1) Small Stores, (2) Building Materials, (3)
Timber, (4) Metals (5) Fuel, (6) Painters Stores, (7) House Fittings, (8) Miscellaneous
Stores, (9) Land, Kilns etc., (10) Manufacture and (11) Handling and other Incidental
Charges Nos. (1) to (8) may be replaced locally by other suitable Heads, if
necessary.
The general account of the receipts, issues and balances of the suspense head,
Stock should be maintained in the Suspense Register, Form 67. A separate
account should be kept in respect of each sub-head, the transactions of the several
sub-divisions being detailed therein as separate items and the totals of all subdivisions as another. Transfers within the division should be accounted for against a
single item Deduct Transfers within Division before the total for the entire head
Stock is struck.
Ques 19: What are the causes of accidents? How will you prevent
accidents in construction project?
ANS 19: Causes of Accidents
There are many causes for accidents. These are carelessness of workers in handling
of the equipment, technical defects in the equipment, defects in the system
planning, bad quality scaffolding and formwork, etc. These defects can be broadly
classified into:
1. Execution of work

Use of defective materials

Construction defects

Wrong processing of materials

2. Role of workers

Carelessness

Unauthorized acts

Unskilled working
3. Equipment

Defects in the equipment

Insufficient maintenance

Improper handling
4. Planning

Award of work to incompetent agencies

Lack of proper supervision

Absence of coordination

Safety in Various Stages of Construction

Excavation - Excavation shall be done with proper care to the safety of

workers, avoiding disturbance to adjoining property and underground electric
cables, water supply lines, sewage pipes, etc. The excavated materials and
other items should be removed from the work site as early as possible so that it
should not act as a hindrance to the ongoing work and workers can move freely.
Proper signals and warning boards should be erected so that people will be
aware of the work and will take necessary precautions.

Piling for foundations - Piling is adopted for deep foundations of high rise
buildings. There are bored piles and driven piles. Sufficient precautions should
be taken so that no damage is caused to the adjoining structures.

Walls - Scaffolding used for wall construction should be checked to see their
strength and stability. Platforms must be rigid and non-slippery. The ladders
should also be fabricated from strong and sturdy materials, and the joinery and
bracing should be properly done and secured.

Formwork of roofing - The formwork should be designed and fabricated

properly so that they do not collapse during the course of construction. All
vertical members shall be properly joined and braced.
Ques 20 : Describe briefly : a) Minimum wages act b) Workman
Compensation Act.
ANS 20 : MINIMUM WAGES ACT
The Minimum Wages Act, 1948 was enacted to safeguard the interests of
workers, mostly in the unorganized sector by providing for the fixation of minimum
wages in certain specified employments. It binds the employers to pay their workers
the minimum wages fixed under the Act from time to time.
In the Central sphere, the Act is enforced through the Central Industrial
Relations Machinery (CIRM). CIRM is an attached office of the Ministry of Labour
and is also known as the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) [CLC(C)]
Organisation.
Under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, there are two methods for fixation/revision
of minimum wages, namely:

Committee method - Under this method, committees and sub-committees

are set up by the appropriate Governments to hold enquiries and make
recommendations with regard to fixation and revision of minimum wages, as
the case may be.

Notification method - Under this method, Government proposals are

published in the Official Gazette for information of the persons likely to be
affected thereby and specify a date not less than two months from the date
of the notification on which the proposals will be taken into consideration.

Workman Compensation Act 1923

The Workmens Compensation Act, 1923 provides for payment of compensation to
workmen and their dependants in case of injury and accident (including certain
occupational disease) arising out of and in the course of employment and resulting
in disablement or death. The Act applies to railway servants and persons employed
in any such capacity as is specified in Schedule II of the Act. The schedule II includes
persons employed in factories, mines, plantations, mechanically propelled vehicles,
construction works and certain other hazardous occupations.
The amount of compensation to be paid depends on the nature of the injury and the
average monthly wages and age of workmen.The minimum and maximum rates of
compensation payable for death (in such cases it is paid to the dependents of
workmen) and for disability have been fixed and is subject to revision from time to
time.
The main provisions of the Act are:

An employer is liable to pay compensation:- (i) if personal injury is caused to

a workman by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment;
(ii) if a workman employed in any employment contracts any disease,
specified in the Act as an occupational disease peculiar to that employment.

However, the employer is not liable to pay compensation in the following

cases:

If the injury does not result in the total or partial disablement of the
workman for a period exceeding three days.

If the injury, not resulting in death or permanent total disablement, is

caused by an accident which is directly attributable to:- (i) the
workman having been at the time of the accident under the influence
of drink or drugs; or (ii) the willful disobedience of the workman to an
order expressly given, or to a rule expressly framed, for the purpose of
securing the safety of workmen; or (iii) the willful removal or disregard
by the workman of any safety guard or other device which has been
provided for the purpose of securing safety of workmen.