The preconstruction planning process from a site manager perspective Master of Science Thesis in the Master's Programme Design and Construction Project Management

Today the site manager’s role has become even more important than before as the complexity of construction projects has increased and as the business environment has become more dynamic. To deal with the challenges in construction projects the site managers’ planning is essential and the preconstruction planning has been claimed to be a major determinant for project success. It is during the preconstruction planning that the production is planned so that the right production flow can be reached. Previous studies on construction planning have often been limited upon the methods and techniques of project planning or the planning process as a whole and not just the preconstruction planning. The purpose of this study has been to describe the preconstruction planning from the contractor’s perspective and identify aspects that govern how site managers plan for an appropriate production flow. The study is based on a literature review and five semi-structured qualitative interviews with site managers at large construction companies. To analyse the results from the interviews a structure model with five important factors for construction planning was used. The results showed that the respondents managed to fulfil these factors to an adequate level. Moreover, three main aspects that govern how site managers plan in the preconstruction planning were identified. These are project characteristics, site managers’ abilities and assigned resources. Our recommendations for further studies are to analyse these aspects more thorough to find out more precise how they influence the preconstruction planning. Additionally further studies should focus on the issue of how to transfer the knowledge that experienced site managers have over to new and inexperienced planners.

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