Construction Management

Construction management is a term referring to the study of the managerial and technological aspects of the construction industry, or to a type of company that serves as a construction consultant, providing both design and construction advice.It is also the overall management of the processes required to bring the site operations of a project to a satisfactory conclusion, typically carried out either by a private consultant or an employee of the project client. Construction management procedure is almost synonymous with management contracting save that work contractors answer directly to the client rather than as to the contract manager.

It is a project delivery method whereby the client retains a construction manager to provide certain preconstruction expertise including cost estimating, value engineering, and scheduling and, during the construction phase of the project, coordination of all construction activities.

According to the American Council for Construction Education (the academic accrediting body of construction management educational programs in the U.S.), the academic field of construction management encompasses a wide range of topics. These range from general management skills, to management skills specifically related to construction, to technical knowledge of construction methods and practices.

Typically, the construction industry includes three parties: an owner, a designer (called the architect/engineer), and the builder (called the contractor or constructor). Traditionally, there are two contracts between these three parties as they work together to plan, design, and construct the project. The first contract is the owner-designer contract, which involves planning, design, and possibly, some aspects of construction. The second contract is the owner-contractor contract, which involves construction. An indirect, third-party relationship exists between the designer and the contractor due to these two contracts.