What Is Construction Management? A Complete Guide

Construction management is a professional field related to coordinating and managing all aspects required to deliver a construction project, including time, cost, resources, quality, health and safety, procurement, risk, and contract management. In contrast to the technical process, the discipline integrates all aspects to allow the delivery of the project according to the plans and project goals.

The phrase ‘construction management’ also has another meaning in the UK context. Construction management can mean not only the professional field itself, but also the type of procurement used for certain projects. This guide provides definitions of construction management in two meanings and describes the purpose and scope of the professional field, its application area, as well as other general issues to give you a solid background to study the subject further.

What Does Construction Management Mean in the UK?

In the UK, construction management can mean either a profession in construction or a procurement method. These two concepts are connected in that they both relate to coordination of construction activities, but each refers to a different concept. This term relates to the management of construction as a profession, while a procurement method relates to a contract between the employer, construction manager, and contractors.

Construction Management Term	Meaning	Main Focus
As Professional Discipline	An extensive field of knowledge that deals with the management and coordination of construction projects and their needs.	Construction Technology, Planning, Commercial Management, Procurement, Contracts, Health and Safety, Quality, Risk, Sustainability and Resources.
As a Procurement Method	A particular form of procurement where the employer hires trade contractors independently while the construction manager manages them.	Coordination of trade contractors, construction packages, interfaces, programme and project delivery through the chosen procurement method.

What is the Scope of Construction Management?

The scope of construction management extends well beyond supervising construction at the construction site. It includes construction technology, planning, commercial and cost management, procurement, contract management, health and safety, quality, risk, sustainability, and resource management.

This is seen in the way that construction management is taught professionally in construction technology, project management, health, safety, and environment, procurement, commercial management, estimating, contract management, cost management, value engineering, and claims and disputes management, precisely because the subject demands knowledge of all these areas and not any particular one.

What is the Purpose of Construction Management?

Construction management aims at integrating various requirements in construction projects in order to facilitate the management of technical, financial, programme, contractual and operational issues as an integrated process of project delivery. Construction projects usually include a number of organisations and a number of interrelated activities, constraints relating to finance, programmes, technical requirements and contracts.

Construction management facilitates integration and coordination of these requirements during the entire process of project delivery. This allows the team working on a project to comprehend the way various decisions will impact other areas, for instance, how changes in procurement may impact resource allocation and how programme changes will impact costs and contractual issues.

What Sectors Use Construction Management?

Construction management is applied in projects that may vary in scale, technical aspects, stakeholders, and delivery. Construction management is not bound to any specific structure but changes depending on the nature of the project. Some common types of projects include:

• Residential construction: Housing developments, residential buildings and regeneration schemes.
• Commercial construction: Offices, retail developments, leisure facilities and mixed-use buildings.
• Education: Schools, colleges, universities and campus development projects.
• Healthcare: Hospitals, clinics and other technically complex healthcare facilities.
• Industrial projects: Manufacturing facilities, warehouses, processing plants and industrial developments.
• Infrastructure: Major public works, roads, bridges and other large-scale infrastructure assets.
• Transport: Railways, stations, highways, tunnels and transport infrastructure.
• Utilities: Water, wastewater, energy and utility network projects.
• Civil engineering: Structural, ground, marine and other civil engineering works.

What Areas are Connected to Construction Management?

Construction management connects various professions that have direct relevance to the delivery of the project. The various functions relate to each other in a project cycle in the sense that what happens in one profession may impact what will be needed in another profession. The table below shows what construction management does in every area:

Area	What Construction Management Involves
Project planning	Coordinates activities, programme requirements, and objectives of the project.
Cost management	Assists in budgeting, cost control, and financial control.
Procurement	Coordinates procurement of the construction works, materials, and services.
Contract administration	Manages the contractual obligations and documentation.
Quality management	Coordinates processes to meet specified construction standards.
Health and safety	Includes safety requirements in construction planning and implementation.
Risk management	Risk management and coordination of project risks.
Sustainability	Includes environmental issues in project decisions.
Resource management	Coordinates labour, materials, machinery, and other resources.

Construction Management and the UK Regulatory Environment

Construction management in the UK takes place against the backdrop of the general health and safety and regulatory framework, most especially the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015). The CDM 2015 sets out particular health and safety duties for each dutyholder involved in a particular project, including the client, principal designer, designers, principal contractor, and contractors.

It is useful to point out here that the term “construction manager” is not one of these CDM 2015 dutyholders; the CDM duties have been allocated to the aforementioned individuals, and the duties of the construction manager depend upon the particular project and procurement process.

Why is Construction Management Important?

The significance of construction management is that construction projects require coordination of a number of different organisations, actions and considerations. Its significance can be viewed in the context of coordinating these interrelated considerations, as opposed to viewing programme, cost, quality, safety, resources and contracts as separate issues.

The functions below show why the construction management role expands beyond site supervision itself, because construction management also includes:

• Coordinates project parties: Useful in coordinating the clients, designers, contractors, consultants, suppliers and others about the project requirements.
• Assists programme delivery: Useful in coordinating the various activities and dependencies which contribute to the construction programme.
• Assists cost control: Takes into account the financial aspects of the project planning process.
• Maintains quality requirements: Coordinates construction activities with the requirements of quality.
• Resource management: Useful in managing the labour, materials, plant and other requirements in the construction process.
• Health and Safety: Assists in incorporating the aspects of health and safety in the construction process.
• Project risk management: Aids in identifying and dealing with risks related to project requirements.
• Contractual compliance: Helps in managing the contracts and procedures of the projects during delivery.
• Competing requirements: Takes into consideration how programme, cost, quality, resource, and other requirements affect each other.

Construction Management in the Modern Built Environment

Development in construction management keeps changing along with changes in technology, information management, environmental considerations, and methods of construction. These days, the changes influence the planning and monitoring of construction projects. The main objective of construction management is the coordination of project needs; however, the method by which it is done keeps changing.

Building Information Modelling

BIM enables an effective means of managing information about constructed assets and can enable coordination between design and construction processes. As such, construction management may require an appreciation of how information about BIM is generated, communicated and used during project implementation.

Sustainability and Low-Carbon Construction

Sustainability has become an issue alongside programme, cost, quality and technical issues. Construction management may require coordination on materials, waste, energy consumption, carbon emissions and so forth.

Modern Methods of Construction

Modern methods of construction can affect the design, manufacture, assembly and delivery of structures. This means that construction management should be able to address issues relating to the construction process, logistics, manufacturing and integration of on- and off-site activities.

Data-based Project Monitoring

Project data can help in monitoring the programme, cost, resources, quality and other project information. Construction management is increasingly data-driven when monitoring performance changes during construction.

Understanding Construction Management Knowledge

The practice of construction management necessitates expertise in a number of interrelated fields rather than in one technical field only. The expert could be required to be knowledgeable about construction technology as well as project planning, procurement, commercial management, health and safety, contract management, cost management, sustainability and claims. This diversity accounts for construction management being regarded as a multidisciplinary field of professional knowledge.

Professionals can develop knowledge of construction management in construction technology, project management, and other areas through several pathways, including formal education and professional training programmes, especially for those with tight work schedules.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is construction management? Construction management refers to the science of organising and managing the different aspects of the construction project, including time, cost, quality, safety, procurement, and contractual issues.

What is included in construction management? It consists of project management, cost and commercial management, procurement, contract management, quality management, health and safety, risk management, sustainability, and many more.

What is construction management as a procurement pathway? It is a UK procurement system whereby the employer engages separate trade contractors and appoints a construction manager to organise and manage the works on behalf of the employer.

Why is construction management important? It is important since it ensures the coordination required for the effective management of competing project requirements, programme delivery, resource management, quality management, and risk management.

Where is construction management implemented? It is implemented within various construction environments, which include housing, commercial, educational, health, industrial, infrastructure, transportation, utility services, and civil engineering construction projects.