People who take up civil engineering as career are responsible for the design, building and maintenance of different types of infrastructure. They need to go out of their way to ensure that such structures are safe and durable enough to withstand natural calamities like earthquakes. In this profession, a practitioner needs to have a thorough knowledge of project management and its application in the construction industry. Such an expert needs to consider every building assignment he/she undertakes in its own unique light. This implies that he/she needs draws up a specific blueprint for each infrastructure assignment he/she constructs.
V. Reddy Kancharla is a civil engineer who has got over 25 years of valuable experience in the field of civil construction and geotechnical consultation. He is also the most sought-after expert in the area of construction quality assurance and control including implementing quality systems in accordance with ISO standards. This master’s degree holder from Texas Tech University in Lubbock is the brainchild behind the design, construction, development and maintenance of various infrastructure projects. These include different high-rise buildings in the city of New York, the USTA National Tennis Center, Yankee Stadium and Terminals 1, 4, 5 and 7 of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Airport.
Managing Components
He explains that when civil engineers undertake the construction of an infrastructure project to tackle a particular need, they have to employ certain managerial techniques to guarantee its success. These experts have to take critical decisions regarding how they intend of progress with the assignment and assemble its various components. They also need to allocate tasks to various individuals and explain to them the work they need to do to ensure its proper completion. In addition to this, they have to gather and manage the necessary resources to achieve this objective.
Handling team members and clients
To ensure the proper completion of a construction project, civil engineers need to establish a professional relationship with other professionals in their team and the client. It is necessary for such experts to maintain effective lines of communication with such individuals to ensure project progresses according to relevant plans. Moreover, they need to go out of their way to explain certain important processes to their clients in a clear and lucid manner. This is necessary to ensure they understand how the project is moving ahead.
Phasing
Another vital managerial decision, civil engineers need to take is how to progress with the execution of the construction project, which these experts refer to as “phasing”. This is necessary to ensure that assignment moves ahead according to the relevant plans and cater to the needs of their clients.
Planning out
After figuring out the necessary phases of the construction project will go through, civil engineers need to devise an implementation plan to ensure its successful completion. This scheme lay down the task various individuals need to do, identify the location site and period within which they need to complete the project.
V. Reddy Kancharla further clarifies that project management is field of civil engineering is critical because a single mistake in construction can have significant consequences. Effectively applying its principles goes a long way in ensuring the successful completion of a construction assignment.