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Modern Construction Management

Article in Construction Management and Economics · March 2014

DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2013.867519

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Construction Management and Economics

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Modern Construction Management

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Ole Jonny Klakegg
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Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
Published online: 03 Mar 2013.

To cite this article: Ole Jonny Klakegg (2013) Modern Construction Management, Construction Management and Economics,
31:12, 1215-1217, DOI: 10.1080/01446193.2013.867519

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 Construction Management and Economics, 2013
Vol. 31, No. 12, 1215–1219

Book Reviews

Modern Construction Management a special focus on what’s new. A seventh edition

Frank Harris and Ronald McCaffer, with Francis indicates that the book has been around for a while in
Downloaded by [Universitetbiblioteket I Trondheim NTNU], [Ole Jonny Klakegg] at 02:17 12 March 2014

Edum-Fotwe, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, 7th edn, previous editions.

2013 The basis of the book is quality management which
576 pp, ISBN 978 0 470 67217 4, £34.95 (pb) consequently is chosen as the first chapter after the
introduction. It communicates ideas and principles that
Modern Construction Management is a textbook for are recognizable throughout the book. I like the idea; it
advanced studies in construction management. It is a makes a holistic approach from a defined perspective
substantial volume of 572 pages with general possible. I will get back to my consideration of how well
descriptions, partly detailed texts, numerous examples this is achieved and how well my expectations are met.
and references. The seventh edition has 21 chapters All chapters follow the same pattern: summary (gen-
on relevant issues in four sections, including a whole erally more like keywords), introduction (motivation),
section of self-learning exercises. And that’s not all; it theory (typically 7 to 10 selected topics presented over
also comes with a website where the reader can find a half a page to three pages, 20–40 pages each chapter),
questions directory, solutions to the self-learning exer- references (not too many). There is an abundance of fig-
cises and PowerPoint slides with discussion topics. ures, tables and diagrams to illustrate the topics in each
The site is a helpful resource for teachers and students. chapter. Looking at the book and the website as one
On the website there is also a list of relevant journals unit, this should be a good teaching tool for construc-
and sources to each chapter that really makes this into tion management. Traditional pedagogic instruments
an interesting starting place for accessing knowledge on of textbooks are all here. The form is rather traditional
construction management. and could be updated with modern ideas like goals for
This book is for students and graduates of civil the students, tips for the teachers, fact boxes, etc.
engineering, construction management, building and To assess the qualities of the book we need to look
quantity surveying. It is arranged to reflect the typical at it a bit more in detail. From Chapter 2 I noted the
career development starting on site, then business and most important starting point: ‘quality in construction
corporate level issues. This helps the authors structure management can only be achieved through direct effort
the chapters in a logical sequence. Section 1 is on of all stakeholders’ (p. 7). This is in contrast to earlier
production management (in projects), Section 2 is construction management texts that often have an
business management (how the company assesses and internal focus where the construction activity tends to
gets into new projects), and the third section is admin- be limited to what goes on ‘on site’. Based on the
istration and company management (how the company quoted sentence I would have expected the stakehold-
survives with projects in the long-term perspective). ers to have more attention throughout the book, both
This is an interesting idea that may help some students internally and externally to the project.
understand better why their future onsite management Chapter 3 gives a nice overview of production
is so important to the project and their company. process improvement methods. Some methods are
I read the book as part of a process of seeking a new explained, others are just mentioned. The selection of
textbook for advanced students in construction methods is seldom motivated, and some concepts
management. When I start to read a book with the title (e.g. value) are not defined in the text. This tendency
Modern Construction Management I have some expecta- follows through many chapters of the book. Very
tions: construction management, to me, indicates a good texts are mixed with some texts that are not
book with strong focus on the construction activity. quite of the same quality (or should I say maturity).
I expected the book to have much emphasis on Chapter 4 is a good presentation of classic project
production management; I did not expect company planning techniques, although I would have expected
management to have such a prominent place. The word to see a key element like work breakdown structure
‘modern’ also carries a lot of expectations, indicating (WBS) and the alternative location-based approaches
that this is recently updated and represents what a con- included. In this chapter I also miss a particular focus
struction manager needs to know today, probably with on the planning challenges of designers and design
 1216 Book Reviews

teams. The biggest disappointment in Section 1 is ends this section with a well-explained overview on
Chapter 5 on workforce motivation. It presents well important issues in construction business.
some of the classic issues, but has a tendency to fall into The final section of self-learning exercises contains
a focus on only measurable, money-based motivation Chapter 19 on construction management, Chapter 20
factors. Only actions achieve control (p. 133). This is on operational research and Chapter 21 on six sigma
the main message of Chapter 6 which includes many quality methodology. I have not tested all the exercises,
important issues and presents them well. Chapter 7 but they seem relevant and cover a wide array of topics
addresses making decisions on equipment and and levels of difficulty. In Chapter 20 the exercises
concludes the first section. require methods and tools not included in this book
Chapter 8 on project management keeps up the and website.
Downloaded by [Universitetbiblioteket I Trondheim NTNU], [Ole Jonny Klakegg] at 02:17 12 March 2014

intended wide perspective indicated in the introduction. There are many analytical methods and tech-
Important issues are well covered. The same can be said niques in the book, and they are generally well
for Chapter 9 on estimating and tendering. Chapter 10 explained and generously illustrated by examples
on competitive bidding on the other hand was a disap- and tables. Still there is one critical remark I want
pointment to me. On the positive side it shows some to make: as typical for books of this type, all data
of the fundamental weaknesses of theory in this field. and information that serve as input to these analyses
On the negative side this chapter does not demonstrate are given without reference or explanation of where
understanding of uncertainty, and ends up as rather they come from in practice. When students and grad-
uninteresting. I would have preferred a more practical uates meet real life, one of their main challenges will
guide on this specific issue. The small Chapter 11 on be getting hold of the real data and right input for
company budgetary control illustrates a distinct their analyses. Getting help on this is something I
tendency in this book: The fundamental issues believe would be welcomed by teachers and students.
(economics) are well presented, then comes, rather Some of the chapters of the book are context
unmotivated, a paragraph on carbon footprint (environ- specific to the United Kingdom, using British standards
ment) that does not support the chapter topic and is and building on British construction traditions. For an
nowhere near a complete explanation of the issue. I international reader, this does create some challenges. I
interpret this as a sign of the modernization in the believe that these challenges can be overcome, but
seventh edition of the book, and that it is not 100% suc- require extra work for teachers wanting to use this as
cessful. This chapter is not the only example of this. a textbook in a different country. In Norway Section 3
Chapter 12 on cash flow and Chapter 13 on economic would not normally be a part of construction manage-
assessments complete Section 2. These issues are ment curriculum. However, if you accept the big
important in understanding modern construction volume, getting more than expected on important
management. issues is not a bad thing.
Chapter 14 on company organization presents orga- All in all, this book has many good qualities and
nizational structures and roles. Without going into covers most of the issues normally included in
details this chapter feels like a rollercoaster ride: some construction management. It is not perfect, and to be
good and some bad parts. The structure and roles completely satisfied I would need to see something on
are well presented, but for instance the illustration of work site planning to make sure logistics are efficient
the matrix organization in Figure 14.7 should have and improving productivity, a good presentation of
been much better. It also has other weak points, like earned value methodology, stakeholder analysis and
why is outsourcing (p. 349) only related to offshore? some more on leadership issues in construction man-
This is one of several seemingly unmotivated choices agement. I would also need to see the new paragraphs
in this part of the book. Chapter 15 on market planning of the book (the recent modernization compared to
and business development is good. Chapter 16 on the sixth edition) developed to a good level that
international construction contains information that is matches the more established parts of the book. These
nice to know for construction management candidates. new paragraphs relate to key issues like environmental
Chapter 17 is on information resources and ICT sys- aspects, BIM and lean construction. In the future
tems, which are important issues. However, much of knowledge of these issues will be required in modern
this chapter feels unnecessary; it is more a technical/his- construction management. Unfortunately, these are
torical overview that does not really help the student of the weakest parts of the book.
today. One important issue, however, is not adequately My conclusion was that I found the concept of the
covered: building information modelling (BIM). BIM book and website interesting and useful. The volume
needs to be a core issue in modern construction is large and includes more than expected in some fields,
management. Chapter 18 on financial management but still key issues are missing. My opinion on the
modernization in the latest edition is that the most
 Book Reviews 1217

important new issues do not live up to the level of the Contract (Engineering and Construction Contract),
established parts. Neither do I find the ‘modern’ NEC3 ECC, and the Standard Building Contract
ambition fulfilled. I find that the holistic approach is 2005, produced by the Joint Contracts Tribunal,
there, but not complete. My expectations were not otherwise known as JCT SBC05. The emphasis is
met. The book does not fill the need for knowledge in mainly on NEC3 and JCT SBC05 and he gives a clause
my production management classes. I am hoping for by clause account of the NEC3 and JCT contracts.
an eighth edition pretty soon. The book potentially fills There is also one chapter devoted to the use of part-
an important place in the construction management nering agreements. This is important in view of the
curriculum: we need a book like this, but unfortunately developments in technology and the government’s
the current edition is not the one for me. interest in building information modelling (BIM),
Downloaded by [Universitetbiblioteket I Trondheim NTNU], [Ole Jonny Klakegg] at 02:17 12 March 2014

though Powell does not mention BIM. In spite of the

OLE JONNY KLAKEGG increasing awareness of the potential of information
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway technology to influence the way building teams are
© 2014, Ole Jonny Klakegg likely to collaborate in the future, partnering contracts
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2013.867519 such as PPC 2000 are dismissed without a proper
discussion of their benefits and practicalities. A full
consideration of the PPC 2000 family of contracts
might have given greater weight to the need for partic-
Construction Contract Preparation and ipation by employers in the construction process and to
Management: From Concept to Completion current discussions about changes in the relationships
Geoff Powell, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2013 between firms in the supply chain that may be taking
528 pp, ISBN 978 0 230 27379 5, £13.99 (pb) place. See, for example, the comprehensive treatment
of supply chain management (SCM) in Pryke (2009)
Powell sets out to explain the legal obligations of and the constraints of implementing SCM as discussed
contracts to non-lawyers in the field of construction. by Saad et al. (2002).
This is not intended to be a ‘law book’. It is written The main reason for the author’s rejection of
from the point of view of the author’s background of partnering agreements like PPC 2000 is the small
33 years spent working for a large water utility, Severn percentage of contracts using them in the RICS 2007
Trent Water. Although the author’s background is survey on Contracts in Use. Nevertheless partnering
in the water industry, there are many references to arrangements, joint ventures and alliances are dis-
different types of construction outputs. Powell claims cussed in general. No doubt this is a comprehensive
that he has seen at first hand the misunderstandings book on the predominant contemporary construction
and mistakes that construction professionals make. In contracts used in the UK and their management, taking
the preface he points a finger of blame for this failing the reader through all the stages from inception to
at the inadequacies of university education and by completion and beyond but it does not engage with
implication university lecturers, although he concedes the current industry and academic debate, which can
it can be difficult to convey contractual issues! be found in Murdoch and Hughes (2008) or in the
The book has 28 chapters, which break the subject more general Oxford Handbook of Project Management
matter up into reasonably sized and logical divisions. edited by Morris et al. (2011).
They take the reader through an introduction to the Powell gives a detailed description of the processes
construction industry, investment, stakeholders and involved. This is both a strength and a weakness. For
the general principles of contracts. Powell then moves example, Powell describes different tendering
on to describe the tendering process, the importance approaches, which he calls tendering options, ranging
of site investigation and health and safety legislation. from open tendering to framework agreements. In
In Chapter 9 he looks at contract strategies and then describing these options he brings nothing new or origi-
the role of designers. These topics are followed by a nal to the subject that is not covered in a multitude of
number of chapters on framework agreements, EU textbooks, including Harris et al. (2013) and papers
procurement directives, bills of quantities and other such as Smyth (2010).
practicalities such as pricing and payment mechanisms. Because the book is descriptive it is not critical and
There are further chapters on various legal aspects because it is not critical, it does not invite the reader to
of the building process, including contract law, consider improvements or changes or alternatives that
construction contracts, liquidated damages and might improve the process. There is little explanation
negligence. of the employers’ responsibility for health and safety,
Finally, Powell reaches his main focus in Chapters their obligation to cooperate with their contractors or
21 to 27, which describe the New Engineering their obligation to pay their contractors or a discussion

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