2014

Queens University
Belfast

Malak Abdelmoaty
40140238

[CHANGE MANAGEMENT ON
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS]
ARC7058: Project Management, Planning and Control
Lecturer: Ron Coates
 [CHANGE MANAGEMENT ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS] November 20, 2014

Change Management on Construction

Projects
Table of Contents
List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 1
Executive Summary:- .............................................................................................................................. 2
Introduction:- .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Change Management in construction what is the essence of managing change:- ............................. 4
Setting time, cost, quality and project safety priorities for specific projects what are the
influences:-.............................................................................................................................................. 7
Planning, monitoring and control within each priority how might this change during the life-time of
a project:- .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Planning:- .......................................................................................................................................... 11
Monitoring and Controlling:- ............................................................................................................ 12
Conclusion:- .......................................................................................................................................... 14
References/Bibliography:- .................................................................................................................... 15

List of Figures
Figure 1: Changes During a Project (Lock, 2013) .................................................................................... 5
Figure 2: Clients Project Manager Dealing with Changes (Coates, 2014) .............................................. 5
Figure 3: Contractors Project Manager Dealing with Changes (Coates, 2014)...................................... 5
Figure 4: Points to Consider for the Requested Change (Lock, 2013) .................................................... 6
Figure 5: Critical Factors to Consider for Successful Change (PMI, 2013) .............................................. 6
Figure 6: Relation between Tim and Cost of Change (Lock, 2013) ......................................................... 7
Figure 7: Cost and Risk of Change Relative to Time (PMI, 2008) ............................................................ 7
Figure 8: Models of Priorities (Lock, 2013; Lester, 2013) ....................................................................... 8
Figure 9: Models of Priorities (Lock, 2013; Lester, 2013) ....................................................................... 8
Figure 10: Cost, Time, and Quality Venn diagram (Harman, 2010; Ruess, 2014) ................................... 9
Figure 11: Priority Matrix (Lock, 2013) ................................................................................................. 10
Figure 12: Level of Process Interaction Relative to Time (PMI, 2008) .................................................. 11
Figure 13: Level of Process Interaction Relative to Time (PMI, 2008) .................................................. 12
Figure 14: Level of Process Interaction Relative to Time (PMI, 2008) .................................................. 13
Figure 15: Level of Process Interaction Relative to Time (PMI, 2008) .................................................. 13

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Executive Summary:-

Managing projects is difficult and can be quite a challenge, undertaking-a large number of
projects fail to be completed on time, on budget, or to specifications, and one of the many
reasons behind that goes back to the great amount of change orders that a single project might
come up against.

The aim of this paper is to discuss change management in construction. Not to mention, the
paper outlines how managing a project is different from managing any other business, and
that project management is all about change, as well as propose several aspects to consider
before implementing any requested changes.

The paper then moves on by discussing how specific priorities, set for time, cost, quality and
project safety, will influence or define how specific projects will be managed, with particular
reference to the planning, monitoring and control of these four influences during the life-time
of a project from its inception to its completion and hand-over. This section starts by listing
the objectives and priorities of any project, and the models that have been made for those
priorities. Furthermore, a review for the order of the priorities proposed by a few authors is
included, in addition to a priority matrix involving all the project stakeholders to help define
clear project priorities to avoid any conflicts in the future.

Last but not least, the paper also talks over with another important aspect which is planning,
monitoring and controlling of a project. This part starts by introducing the five process
groups that project management goes through in any project. Consequently, it goes through
by focusing on two of those process groups which are planning, monitoring and controlling,
and how these processes interact together to deliver a project successfully and avoid any
associated risks or hazards.

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Introduction:-
APM defines project management as (2006, p.2):

Project management is the process, by which projects are defined, planned,

monitored, controlled, and delivered such that the agreed benefits are
realised. Projects are unique, transient, endeavours undertaken to achieve a
desired outcome. Projects bring about change and project management is
recognized as the most efficient way managing such change.

Because of the possibility of change, the plans of project management are repetitive
and endure liberal illustration throughout the lifecycle of a project. Liberal
illustration draws in unending elaboration and improvements for the project
management plans, and developing more precise estimates, meeting the extra
information and specifications being introduced to the initial project management
plans (PMI, 2008).

A change may be requested by any of the projects stakeholders. As much as change

could be essential and bound to happen, it could as well be worthless and
inconvenient. As a result, the project must have an efficient change control team, in
addition to developing an appropriate and proper change implementation strategy
and methods to dispatch the requested change effectively and successfully, and
keeping up with projects objectives and priorities as in scope, cost, time and quality.

Since project management is all about managing change, we can say that they are
both two sides of the same coin, or that project management is the essence of
change. A detailed explanation of change management, and how they could affect
the projects priorities, as well as how to develop planning to adapt with those
changes, in addition to controlling and monitoring the required modifications, is
discussed through the coming sections of this paper.

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Change Management in construction what is the essence of

managing change:-

Lester discussed a very important issue which is the reason behind having project
management in the first place, and how is managing a project different from managing any
other business (2013). According to Lesters elucidation, project management is basically
management of change, while due to the nature of an on-going business or an enterprise, it
can be considered as managing a continuum or what he described as business-as-usual
(2013).

Lester illustrated further by giving an example which is that:

Project management is not applicable to running a factory making sausage

pies, but it will be the right system when there is a requirement to relocate
the factory, build and extension, or produce a different product requiring
new machinery, skills, staff training, and even marketing techniques (2013,
p. 1)

Accordingly, managing of a business or an enterprise seeks as minimum change as possible,

and keeping related processes likely going on as usual and typical, which could also be
described as a routine. Moreover, a manager involved in an on-going business is often
irritated by change and thus assumed to be reactive. On the other hand, project management
is considered to be the essence of change. A project manager involved in any project features
a set of skills that distinguishes him from any other manager in an on-going business, such as
being able to think out of the box, having leadership and communication skills, having
common sense and being a good negotiator, being good at time management, having a
charisma and the list could keep on going.

Lock (2013) presumes that it is almost impossible for any project of any size to operate from
start till end without at least a single change. Furthermore, this might only exist in a project
managers illusion of Utopia; otherwise it can be hardly tangible.

Considering Winston Churchills famous quote To improve is to change; to be perfect is to

change often, eventually there has to be change for the sake of improvement. However, a
project manager is fully aware that he does not seek perfection; on the contrary, he grasps the
concept of change management as to do reasonably practicable change within the projects
priorities as set for budget, time and quality, in addition to safety, health, welfare and
sustainability. A typical construction project encounters changes throughout the whole
project life cycle, starting from the project initiation phase, till the handover phase, and
sometimes even after that. The following diagram (Fig.1) outlines some of the changes that
might emanate during a project, and they are mainly changes caused by the client, the design
engineer(s) or the contractor. However, there are some other changes that arise due to
unforeseen circumstances, for example force majeure; weather conditions; other natural
phenomenaetc.

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Figure 1: Changes During a Project (Lock, 2013)

Subsequently, a clients project manager will have to deal with changes in the scope of a
project throughout the various stages of a project as in show in fig.2

Feasibility Strategy Design Construction Commissioning

Can we do How do we How do we Problem-so Does it do

it?...Which is best manage best realise how do we what we
best? to do it? the project? build it? want it to do?

Figure 2: Clients Project Manager Dealing with Changes (Coates, 2014)

Furthermore, a contractors project manager will also have to deal with changes to the scope
of a project as shown in fig.3

Design Construction Commissioning

Likelihood: Likelihood: Likelihood:

Perhaps if it is Certainly Perhaps
a design and
build project

Figure 3: Contractors Project Manager Dealing with Changes (Coates, 2014)

Since change in a project is frequent and ceaseless, limited projects can face several
confrontations when implementing changes. Therefore, the board responsible for approving
of the requested changes should acknowledge several points (as shown in fig.4) at first before
implementing those changes.

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Is the change
actually
What possible to Is it a
drawings, make? customer-
specifications
requested or
and other
a self-
documents
inflicted
will have to
change?
be modified?

Will scrap or What is the

redundant estimated
materials be cost of the
created? Requested change?
(Proposed)
CHANGE

How will Will the

safety, customer
reliability and pay? If so,
performance what should
be affected? be the price?
If the change
is not
What will be
customer-
the effect on
requested, is
the project
it really
timescale?
necessary?
Why?
Figure 4: Points to Consider for the Requested Change (Lock, 2013)

Additionally, PMI (2013, p.106) listed out the most critical factors to consider when
delivering successful change through projects and they are as follows (Fig.5):

Change that is reasonable, measureable, and capable of being sustained over a long
period of time.

Thoughtful planning to address risks in the fluid environment of change and the
limitations in controlling those risks

Capability of the project team to carry out and integrate all supporting activities
that impact the delivering of project benefits.

Importance and challenges of communications, stakeholder participation, and

monitoring/responding to potential resistance.

Queensadjusting
Proactive monitoring, University Belfast
and | Project
reworking Management,
of project Planning and
plans to optimize the Control 6
intended outcomes

Figure 5: Critical Factors to Consider for Successful Change (PMI, 2013)

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Since change is a destined fate for any project, the timing of introducing this change is crucial
to the project cost. A project manager would very much hate to face any changes at a late
stage in the project due to the huge costs and risks it burdens the whole project with. Fig.6
and Fig.7 show the relation between costs of change over time in a project in addition to risks
relative to time, and how much the cost increases as time goes, as well as the high potential of
risks and disruption of the project sequence that may occur at later stages of the projects time
line.

Figure 6: Relation between Tim and Cost of Change (Lock, 2013) Figure 7: Cost and Risk of Change Relative to Time (PMI, 2008)

Finally, the change originator must be aware of whether they will have any type of
compensations as in changing the budget or offering any extension of time (changing the
budget or giving an extension of time only occurs if the change is originated by the client,
otherwise if the change is created elsewhere, the client has to approve of any changes to the
budget or time of the project).

Setting time, cost, quality and project safety priorities for specific
projects what are the influences:-
A definition of a project is a matter that almost every piece of literature discussing project
management must include. APMs (2006, p. xv) definition of a project was that A project is
a unique, transient endeavour undertaken to achieve a desired outcome. PMI (2008, p. 1)
also state that A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to create a unique product,
service or result. The temporary nature of projects indicates a definite beginning and end. In
a like manner, Lester (2013) construes a project as a set of activities with a precise beginning
and ending points, with a necessity of fulfilling certain particularized aims and goals at
completion; on-time, within budget; accomplishing recommended performance and quality
demands.

Hence, what can be obviously deduced from the previously mentioned definitions is that any
project is unique in its own scope and nature, and that there are certain objectives that the
delivered project must meet in order to be named successful. As a result of the unique
character each project has, the order of priority given to those objectives varies accordingly in
each project being delivered, depending on the desired outcome.

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Several objectives models have been developed to outline the three most important priorities
any project seeks (Fig.8), however, several other priorities have been introduced some of
them being crucial aspects such as safety which is a non-negotiable prospect in the UK
industry, and others that might be optional depending on the project scope such as
sustainability, which is actually becoming of a greater importance due to the environments
degradation (Fig.9)

Figure 8: Models of Priorities (Lock, 2013; Lester, 2013)

Figure 9: Models of Priorities (Coates, 2014)

Normally in a real world, a client can never have a project which is cheap, fast and of a high
quality at the same time. Considering that safety is non-negotiable, cannot be compromised,
and probably takes the first seat in any project, other objectives have to be prioritized by the
client according to his requirements. Therefore a client should be aware that optimizing the
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three other priorities is practically impossible as one will always suffer, thus he must only
choose two priorities (Fig.10).

Lester (2013) discussed the importance of safety by presuming that while cost, time, quality
can be shuffled to meet the changing needs of the project; safety cannot be negotiated by any
means.

Based upon this theory Lester (2013) proposed an order listing the four project management
criteria relative to their significance, where safety takes the lead, followed by performance,
then time and finally cost in the back seat. He supported his argument by mentioning that:

-If the project is not safe, it can cost lives and/or destroy the constructor and
other stakeholders.

-If the performance is not acceptable, the project will have been a waste of
time and money.

-If the project is not on time, it can still be a success, but may have caused a
financial loss.

-Even if the cost exceeds the budget, the project can still be viable, as extra
money can usually be found. (Lester, 2013, p.4)

Figure 10: Cost, Time, and Quality Venn diagram (Harman, 2010; Ruess, 2014)

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Lock (2013) supports that proposal of Lester mentioned previously with regards to
quality/performance, concentrating on the fact that degrading quality/performance is
not an option, as any project manager should never deliver a project which is not
convenient or proper.

On the other hand, there may be other numerous facets affecting the order of the
project management priorities, some of them might be political, others might be due
to the clients commercial needs, and much less the changes that any project could
encounter through the projects lifecycle, that may possibly force the client;
stakeholders; project managers to reorder their priorities depending on those
implemented changes, and therefore the project manager must be ready to make
sacrifices and compromises to the initially planned criteria for the projects best
interest.

One way of help ordering the priorities of each project is through a matrix that
includes all the stakeholders, reaching the conception of the objectives triangle, and
involving all stakeholders in having the decision of listing the priorities in the most
appropriate manner (Fig.11) (Lock, 2013).

Figure 11: Priority Matrix (Lock, 2013)

Planning, monitoring and control within each priority how might

this change during the life-time of a project:-

Any project to be delivered should pass through five process groups; Initiating; planning,
executing; monitoring and controlling; closing. However, although these processes may
seem to be sequential, in practice, those processes overlap and inter-react together throughout
the project lifecycle, more specifically during the planning, executing, and monitoring and
controlling processes (Fig.12), and that is due to the continuous and iterative changes the

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project encounters, which as a result requires further planning to adapt with the proposed
modifications, in addition to qualified monitoring and controlling to avoid any risks arising
from those changes. The complexity of how those processes work together puts an immense
burden over project management, in order to deliver the project according to the required
specifications efficiently and effectively.

Figure 12: Level of Process Interaction Relative to Time (PMI, 2008)

Planning:-

The planning phase or the planning process group is the stage where the project objectives
and specifications in the clients brief are turned out into project management plans and
documentations necessary for delivering the project, and acting as inputs for the execution
phase to be established.

One can rarely find final planning documents for any project, and that is because of the
nature of project management which develops continuous feedback loops for further
inspection, and furthermore because of the fact that the more information and specifications
are gathered about the project, the more it becomes essential for additional planning to meet
those specs.

Planning process examines all project aspects as in scope, cost, time, quality, communication,
risk and procurement (Fig.13), turning them into project management plans and project
documents. As a result of the significant amount of changes any project faces, it is essential
to revisit those plans and update them precisely to insure they meet the defined project scope,
and that is due to the great impacts they could have on the project schedule, cost and
resources in addition to the huge risks that can evolve if those changes were not compatible
with the project plans.

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Figure 13: Fields Involved in Planning Process (PMI, 2008)

Monitoring and Controlling:-

Monitoring and controlling process group interacts with all other process groups (Fig.14) to
trail, examine, and manage the advancement and accomplishments reached by the project
(Fig.15). Moreover, it explores the extents requiring changes to the initial plan and setting up
the matching and appropriate change (PMI, 2008). To control change is to guarantee that all
changes proposed for one of the projects objectives, as in scope, cost, time, and quality, are
recognized, assessed, endorsed, rebuffed or postponed (APM, 2006).

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The constant monitoring gives an overview of the whole projects health, as monitoring and
controlling does not only involve the processes related to them, but it involves the entire
project effort. Furthermore, monitoring and controlling often results in updates in the project
management plans, giving corrective and preventive actions to carry out the project according
to the requirements.

Figure 14: Project Process Groups (PMI, 2008)

Figure 15: Fields involved in Monitoring and Controlling Process (PMI, 2008)

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Conclusion:-

To sum up, it is very unusual to come across projects that have not experienced any sort of
change throughout its life cycle. Evenly, there are hardly any changes that do not affect any
of the projects scope or objectives presented in cost, time, performance, safety or any other
objectives the project seeks. As a result, it is crucial for those changes to be documented,
assessed, and handled to ensure that their creator is well aware of all the sequences and
consequences of implementing the requested change.

Moreover, a project manager must be aware that sometimes he would have to reconsider the
projects objectives and priorities as they might need updating if the introduced changes
create extra costs, increase the whole project duration, change the projects quality or threaten
the implemented safety measures.

And last but not least, efficient monitoring and controlling will help determine the
seriousness of the proposed modifications, as well as help determine the best way of planning
how to introduce those changes into the projects original plans, with minimal alteration to
the projects objectives.

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References/Bibliography:-

1) PMI (2013) Managing Change in Organizations: A Practice Guide, USA: Project Management
Institute, Inc.

2) APM (2006) APM Body of Knowledge, 5th edn., UK: Association for Project Management.

3) Coates, R. (2014) The Management of Change, Available at:

https://learning.qol.qub.ac.uk/2141/ARC/7058-AUT-
QUB/Resources/The%20Management%20of%20Change%20-%20in%20colour.pdf
(Accessed: 19th November 2014).

4) Lock, D. (2013) Project Management, 10th edn., England: Gower Publishing Limited.

5) Lester, A. (2013) Project Management, Planning and Control. Managing Engineering, Construction
and Manufacturing Projects to PMI, APM and BSI Standards, 6th edn., England: Butterworth-
Heinemann.

6) PMI (2008) A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 4th edn., Pennsylvania:
Project Management Institute, Inc.

7) Harman, R. (2010) How Would You Like Your Graphic Design, Available
at:http://www.colinharman.com/how-would-you-like-your-graphic-design/ (Accessed: 19th
November 2014).

8) Ruess, B. (2014) How to Choose the Right Website Development Firm, Available
at:http://blog.tbhcreative.com/2014/06/how-to-choose-right-websitedevelopment.html
(Accessed: 19th November 2014).

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