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Assignment

You are a Project Manager on site where work for 3K.m. long Tunnel has been undertaken.

The site is remote and takes about 2 days travel to nearest town. Supervisors, Technicians &

Skilled Workers are engaged in dangerous / hazardous work. Absenteeism due to sickness,quarrels, drinking are adding to less output of work and chances of accidents on site are

increasing. Management has urged to do something so that time targets can be achieved.

Discuss how will you tackle the problem and increase the output of the work.

Understanding the problem

It is a typical problem faced at construction site located in remote regions. Both workforceand management slowly become tired with a life of work and no source of entertainment. It

leads to heightened level of frustration among people working in remote areas. But the case

presented here has worsened, possibly due to lack of basic infrastructure i.e. proper housing

and healthcare facilities and easy availability of liquor.Also it is evident that a safety officer is not present at the work site and work force is not keptmotivated by the leadership. As a result the project is losing both quality and time.

Summarizing the main Problems1. Absenteeism Due To Sickness

2. Absenteeism Due To Quarrels & Drinking

3. Accidents at site4. Technical problems

Possible reasons of various problems Lack of Manpower Management (or) Planning Un-Hygienic surroundings & Temporary Accommodation

Lack of Medication

Consumption of Alcohol

Availability of Alcohol Storage of materials

Roof Spalling

Water seepage

Needs and Their Fulfillment on Site: -

Lack of Manpower Management (or) Planning Prepare a proper schedule of the Project and Assign Resources to each Task i.e.

each Activity, Assigning Resources means Identify manpower required for each Task andwhat is the availability of manpower and how much work has been done till date and how

much work is to be done. Identify Type of manpower required i.e. Skilled (or) unskilled.

If manpower is in adequate try to get more manpower or Try to use the availablemanpower Fully so that maximum amount of work to complete and try to complete the

Urgent woks such that it does not affect our project duration, reschedule the project and

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updated schedule to head office and inform them weekly work progress so that they can help

you to overcome the manpower problem (or),

Try to motivate the available manpower by giving extra benefits if theycomplete the project in time. (Or)

If manpower is very less than required then immediately inform head office sothat they can send some more manpower so that the project can run smoothly.

Suggestion & Recommendation to Management on Manpower Management

(or) Planning

Understand the project in all respects and get all details of the projects i.e.o Site condition,

o contract conditions,

o technical specifications,

o construction techniques, and

o time frame.Working out the labour component in various parameters of the project .by using

constants to workout labour requirement Classifying and categorizing labour requirement and

various jobs by level of skill, responsibility, nature of work etc. Determine the duration of

each job or task at every stage of project.Estimate the number of manpower required in view of the anticipated of absenteeism and

labour turnover and the stability factor.

Manpower management has some principles to follow that should be known by the projectmanager and also the management of the company.

After understanding the factors stated above, following principles should be

appliedo Care and skill should be exercised in the selection of employees.

o Introduction to the job should be friendly, skillful and adequate.

o Each employee should be made to feel that his efforts are really appreciated.o Consideration should be given to the effect that each rule and instruction may have on the

feelings of employees.

o Employees should have apart in planning those things that affect their working conditions.o Management should be absolutely fair in every policy and every practice.

o Each employee should have a feeling of pride in the importance of his work and his place in

the company

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Administrative setup

Based on the construction programme and various other norms, the administrative set

up is worked out for completion of project.

It is proposed to have two Chief Engineers (Level-1),

o one for head works ando other for canal & canal structures headed by the Project Manager.

Under the Chief Engineer (Head work) four circle offices will be proposed and under the

Chief Engineer (Canal & Canal Structures) three Circle offices will be proposed.There will also be

o one Director (Administration),

o one Director (Finance),o one Director (Quality Control) and

o one Director (Technical) under the Project Manager.

There will also be attached Superintending Engineer (Mechanical) under the eachChief Engineer. All these offices will be suitably located for effective monitoring and control

over the execution of project.

Un-Hygienic surroundings & Temporary Accommodation

Before Starting of the project Management has to well plan because this project islong duration so manpower involved will be more it is the one of the preliminary need for the

employees & workers.

Suggestion Methods for Hygiene FactorsManagement has to well plan for the temporary shelters in such a way that number of workers

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will be involved in the project and how many shelters are required and for different category

of employees will be working at site and different types of shelters should be constructed withdifferent facility what all materials required for construction any how much time required to

construct it so that all those thing should be completed before starting of project, Management

should built temporary shelters for the workers who will be working at site because the site is

at remote area workers cannot be able to say at their home and come for work it is thepreliminary requirement for the workers so management has to take extra precautions, A site

office also be built with all necessary requirements, drinking water should be good because

most of diseases are spread by water so it is important step to taken care by management.

Lack of Medication

Management should send a medical team to site and they should stay there till

completion of project. They should be supplied necessary equipments and medical kits so thatthey can manage any hazardous situation i.e. any sudden accidents they can handle the

situation, any epidemic occurred they can over come that situation. By this work will be

smoothly progressed and number of workers absenteeism will be reduced. Worker who is sick

will be taken care by medical team he will be recovered quickly and he can start doing thework so that manpower problem is solved.

Consumption and Availability of Alcohol

This is the major problem with labour because they drink daily after work so that theyget some relief from whole day work and body pains, but management should try to avoid

drinking alcohol or try to get them in limited dose so that they have it n just go for sleep if

they get it in excess quantities they will be drinking whole night and next day they will beabsenteeism and also after excess drinking they start quarreling between themselves its a bigproblem for the project manager while quarreling they may be any accidents that leads to

more absenteeism that will also indirectly effects the progress of project. If this quarreling

happens regularly then management has to take some precaution steps to handle that problem.Such as try to avoid the availability of alcohol near the site so that the labour cannot consume

much alcohol and this problem is solved and the project may continue smoothly

Storage of MaterialsThis is also a major problem for such a big project and at remote place materials will be at site

well before start of project so store rooms should be properly built well in advance so that it

will not create a problem while execution of work for that what all employees required andhow many number required should be planned before so that materials are properly handled

by this only the cost of project depends.

Roof SpallingThe management should have complete knowledge of what all technical problem may occurs

while execution of project and it has to take proper precautions and it should be well planned

before so that it would not affect the project duration, what are causes of the problems and

how to overcome the problems.The cause of roof spalling is type of formation of rock, rock with excess of foliations, joint &

poor rock mass leads to the rock spalling.

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Suggestion & Methods to overcome Roof Spalling ProblemTunnel should be properly scaling to remove loose rock mass & cement grouting should be

done so that the rock will get some extra strength so that it can hold properly it cannot be

fallen down easily. Tunnel should be properly provision of steel ribs immediately so that it

will be support on the steel rids and work can be progress smoothly and project managershould have all this materials well in advance because these materials are required suddenly.

Water SeepageThe management should have complete knowledge of what all technical problem may occurs

while execution of project and it has to take proper precautions and it should be well planned

before so that it would not affect the project duration, what are causes of the problems and

how to overcome the problems. The cause of water seepage is mainly due to thediscontinuous rock formation, Ground water table height etc.

Suggestion & Methods to overcome Water Seepage ProblemWhile designing the tunnel they should provide proper drainage system so that if the water isaccumulating in the tunnel it will affect the progress of work, so drainage system should be

such that water accumulated should be quickly drained any from working space so that it does

not affect the work progress. Or proper grouting should be done so that the rock will get morestrength so that it can stop the water seepage into the tunnel. This is the easy method to

overcome the seepage problem, the other method to overcome the seepage problem covering

the tunnel section with water proofing membranes it will also not allow the water to seepage

into the tunnel so that work can be progress smoothly.

Recommendation to ManagementTop Management should be more responsible and it should have to properly monitor the

progress of work and if any urgent needs at site should be fulfilled as quickly as possible andit should see that the lower and middle management is working properly are not. If any

accidents are hazardous situation then top management has to urge to do some help to lower

and middle management so that they can overcome the situation they must send some team sothat will help them and work will be progress smoothly. Tunnel project is a very large project

it will take lot of time to complete the whole project so management has to be well prepared

of all the fore coming situations i.e. labors problems, absenteeism etc. Management has to

determine the functions of each level of management it should be clear for all the employeesand management has to monitor such that each employee is doing his duty properly are not.

FUNCTIONS OF TOP MANAGEMENT:1. Determining the objectives2. Framing policies & making plans to carryout the objectives & policies.

3. Setting up the organizational framework to conduct the operation as per plans.

4. Gathering the resources needed to put the plans into effect.5. Controlling the operations through the organization.

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Middle management is concerned with the task of implementing the policies & plans

chalked out by the top management. Middle management consists of departmental headsexercise the usual functions of management in respect of their own departments. They have

top plan the operations, issue instructions to their assistants; collect the resources required &

control the work of the men under them.

FUNCTIONS OF MIDDLE MANAGEMENT:1. Understanding the policies framed by top management.

2. Preparing the organizational set-up in their department.3. Finding out the suitable operative & supervisory personnel & fixing duties &

responsibilities to them.

4. Arranging & issuing instructions to the assistants & operatives.

5. Motivating the personnel for higher productivity.6. Co-operating with other departments for smooth functioning of organizations.

7. Collecting reports, statistical information & other records about the work turned out in the

respective departments & forwarding the same to the top management.

8. Recommending to the top management new or revised policies for their departments toobtain better performance.

LOWER LEVEL MANAGEMENT It is the lowest level in the administrativeframework & actual operations are performed here. Foremen supervisors assisted by a no of

workers & clerks carryout the actual operations as per schedule. Their authority &

responsibility is limited & they have to follow the lines drawn by the higher levels of

management. The foremen or supervisors are responsible for carrying out work orders allottedto their respective departments. They pass on the instructions of middle management to the

workers. The quality of the workmanship & quality of output will depend upon the hard labor,

discipline & loyalty of the operating personnel.

Motivation of Employees in Construction Project

Motivation is the driving force within individuals that drive them physiologically andpsychologically to pursue one or more goals to fulfill their needs or expectations. Motivatorsmay be intrinsic or extrinsic. An example of an intrinsic motivator is the self-fulfillment of a

worker as a result of performing a task well.

Motivation of labor in Construction Project

Construction labor can be motivated. This is important because dwindling productivity

is a major problem confronting construction today. Productivity has decreased every year forthe past decade, in part because of increasing design complexity, more rigorous federal and

state regulations and socio-economic changes affecting the work force. Our findings indicatethat a highly motivated workforce enhances productivity and project effectiveness. In

construction, the work itselfthat is, the building of a structure for all to behold is a key

motivator for all levels of management and the work force. Therefore, a well-planned projectseems to be the firstand most importantstep to achieve good productivity.

Unfortunately, on large industrial projects, craftsmen often receive only minimal amounts of

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information about their work. Duplication of effort, numerous modifications to plans, and

schedules that consistently slip makes it difficult to maintain a motivated workforce. On largepower plant projects, changes in design and problems with material availability are considered

the major demotivating factors. With effective pre-planning, the availability of materials will

be checked before workers are assigned to an area so workers do not start in one location only

to have to be shifted to another location. Care in this respect should improve workermotivation and productivity and help promote a high level of accomplishment. Most foremen

and craftsmen take considerable pride in the work they do. Having to rip out their work and

redo it can be extremely discomforting. In fact, if it is extensive, redoing parts of a projectmay be the worst demotivator of all. Craftsmen view overcrowded conditions and crew

interference due to extensive rework as demotivating. Worse, such problems can create

hostile feelings as a result of the frustration. Design standardization can help to minimizerework and improve morale.

Motivational programs

Although some unique motivational programs were found, the vast majority can be

grouped into five primary categories: goal setting, incentives, positive reinforcement (i.e.,recognition for a job well done), worker participation, and work facilitation. The following

presents a dissertation on each of the five categories discussing first their use in other

industries and then their application to construction.

Absenteeism and TurnoverThe Department of Energy study indicated that the absenteeism and turnover are a relatively

minor concern to workmen. Still, they can have a major impact on total project productivity.High rates of absenteeism are a concern, however, to individuals who had to carry extra

workloads to compensate for missing crewmembers. The low job satisfaction resulted in high

absence from work and high turnover. Thus absenteeism and turnover can be viewed as

effects of motivational Activities or demotivational concerns. The cost of motivationalprograms is often justified by the reduced absenteeism and turnover.

For example, the cost of M2 group Engineering Pvt Ltd. Big Designing & ConstructionCompany On eight projects has been more than paid for by the reduction in absenteeism and

the reduced costs associated with hiring fewer workmen. Director indicated that it required

some amount per employee to process paper work plus two to three weeks of each newemployee's time to learn the job. Again, the figures on attendance and turnover measure the

motivational effort that is financially justified. Moreover, awards for good records are perhaps

the most effective method to decrease absenteeism.