Group Case Study
I selected the role of James Olinder, Site Construction Manager with Ace Always Construction who has been with the company for five years. I settled on Site Construction Manager because it was listed first. At the time of the selection process, I really did not have a preference because I was not able to relate to any of the roles. After doing a little research and giving it some more thought, I feel a little more knowledgeable.
According to Indeed.com, the duties for this role include but are not limited to: working closely with architects and engineers to establish the requirements for the construction and liaise with local authorities to obtain licenses and permits for the project.
One of the sample job descriptions on Indeed.com stated, “leads job site walk downs and all meetings with engineering, construction, and contract management personnel”. While a specific job posting for Hanjo Contractors Inc. listed the below under “Primary Job Responsibility”:-
-Contributes and provides input to site meetings (alongside the project manager) and interacts with the clients, client reps, architects, interior designers, etc.
-Is well-versed in reading construction plans and project specifications.
Based on this information, I can offer the following. The fact that the wheelchair could not make it up the ramp is problematic for James Olinder if he did not follow the plans that were provided to him by the architects/engineers or was not forthcoming during the walk-throughs with supervisors, architects, and engineers. Also, a challenge for Olinder would be if there were some irregularities with regards in the paperwork that was provided to the City Public Works Director Larry Edinger for the permits and licenses need for this project.
Another valuable skill for this role would be to have “Foresight into Risk Management” according to the article “12 Skills Every Successful Construction Project Manager Should Have” on Auto Desk’s construction blog. The article states, “A successful construction project manager understands that risks happen and has a thorough plan in place to handle anything that goes wrong. The project manager, as well as the team, has to sit down and identify as many risks as possible before the project begins, so their action plan is actionable when initiated.” This act is the pre-mortem concept that we learned about from Kawasaki.
References:
Indeed.com - Construction Site Supervisor Hanjo Contractors Inc New York, NY 10018
https://constructionblog.autodesk.com/construction-project-manager/
Kawasaki, Guy (2011) Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions Penguin