101 case studies in construction management

179 Pages·2019·5.71 MB·English

by  Holm

101 CASE STUDIES IN
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
This book provides 101 real-life construction management case studies from
an author with over 40 years’ experience in the construction industry and as a
lecturer in construction management. Over 14 chapters, Len Holm has included
case studies from real jobsites that cover organization, procurement, estimating,
scheduling, subcontractors, communications, quality and cost control, change
orders, claims and disputes, safety, and close-outs. Other hot topics covered
include BIM, sustainability, and lean.
Each case is written in straightforward language and designed to test the reader’s
independent and critical thinking skills to develop their real-world problem-solving
ability. The cases are open to interpretation, and students will need to develop their
own opinions of what’s presented to them in order to reach a satisfactory solution.
The cases are ideal for use in the classroom or flipped classroom, for individual
or group exercises, and to encourage research, writing, and presenting skills in all
manner of applied construction management situations. Such a broad and useful
selection of case studies cannot be found anywhere else. While there is often no
“right” answer, the author has provided model solutions to instructors through the
online eResource.
Len Holm is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Washington, USA. He has
over 40 years’ construction industry experience at all levels and owns his own con-
struction management firm. He is the author of numerous books on construction,
including Management of Construction Projects: A Constructor’s Perspective, 2nd edition,
also published by Routledge.

101 CASE STUDIES
IN CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT
Len Holm
First published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
 2019 Len Holm
The right of Len Holm to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted by him accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Holm, Len, author.
Title: 101 case studies in construction management / Len Holm.
Other titles: One hundred and one studies in construction
management | One hundred one studies in construction
management
Description: Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge, 2019.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018020482| ISBN 9780815361978 (hardback :
alk. paper) | ISBN 9780815361985 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN
9781351113632 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Building—Superintendence—Case studies. |
Construction industry—Management—Case studies.
Classification: LCC TH438 .H65 2019 | DDC 690.068—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018020482
ISBN: 978-0-8153-6197-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-8153-6198-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-11363-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, UK
Visit the eResources: www.routledge.com/9780815361985
CONTENTS
The 101 case studies are generally organized according to their primary topic or
“chapter,” as indicated below. The order of the 14 chapters follows the textbook
Management of Construction Projects: A Constructor’s Perspective, 2nd ed., Routledge,
2017, by John E. Schaufelberger and Len Holm.
List of illustrations vii
About the author viii
About the illustrator ix
Preface x
1 Construction organizations, including personnel issues 1
2 Procurement, including pricing and delivery methods 12
3 Construction contracts, including insurance and bond issues 30
4 Estimating 49
5 Schedules and schedule control 56
6 Subcontractors and suppliers 62
7 Start-up, including preconstruction, mobilization, and value
engineering 76
8 Communications, including RFIs and submittals 85
vi Contents
9 Pay requests, including liens, lien releases, and retention 92
10 Cost control, including lean construction 99
11 Quality and safety controls 106
12 Change orders 119
13 Claims, including dispute resolution techniques 128
14 Advanced topics, including close-out, BIM, and
sustainability 138
Appendix A: Abbreviations 148
Appendix B: Glossary 152
There are several case studies that fit within each of the above primary topics. Each
of the 14 chapters begins with a general topic overview and its own detailed table
of contents. Many cases relate to other sections as well (most of the examples cross
many topics). A complete detailed table of contents with all 101 cases is included
with the instructor’s manual (see www.routledge.com/9780815361985).
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figures
1.1 Traditional organization chart 1
1.2 GC’s jobsite organization chart 2
2.1 Project variations 14
2.2 Project manager’s toolbox 29
3.1 Contract documents 31
3.2 Contract house 33
4.1 Summary estimate 51
5.1 Summary schedule 57
6.1 Organization chart 63
7.1 Preconstruction contract 79
8.1 Active quality control 86
9.1 Pay request summary 94
10.1 Cost control cycle 100
11.1 Evolution of project controls 107
12.1 Change order proposal 121
12.2 Potential suspects 127
13.1 Three-party agreement 129
13.2 Attorneys 130
14.1 LEED gold 140
Tables
4.1 Estimating process 50
7.1 Value engineering log 82
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Len Holm grew up in a construction family. His father Arne Holm was a high-
end residential and light commercial general contractor in Grays Harbor County,
Washington. Len was shoveling concrete and driving nails from the age of 10. He
eventually became a journeyman carpenter and foreman. Len was the only member
of his family to go to college, and earned bachelor’s degrees in Building Construction
and Economics and a master’s degree in Construction Management, all from the
University of Washington. Len’s first job out of college in the early 1980s was as an
estimator and a scheduler traveling around the country building power plants for
one of the largest construction firms in the world. He later found his way back to
Seattle and worked on numerous high-technology, medical, and industrial projects
with a large local general contractor as a project manager, senior project manager,
and company stockholder. Len founded his own company, Holm Construction
Services, in 1994, which has provided a variety of construction consulting services
on hundreds of residential and commercial projects, including owner’s represen-
tation, expert witness, and contractor training. He has been an instructor at the
University of Washington since 1993 and has taught over 110 quarter-long courses
on 13 different topics to over 3,500 students. He has authored and co-authored
several books and articles on a variety of construction issues, including project man-
agement, estimating, and dispute resolution. Three books are standard textbooks
for many construction management programs throughout the United States and in
other countries: Management of Construction Projects: A Constructor’s Perspective, 2nd
ed., 2017, Routledge, and Construction Cost Estimating: Process and Practices, 2005,
Pearson, both co-authored with Dean John Schaufelberger, Ph.D., and Introduction
to Construction Project Engineering, 2018, Routledge, co-authored with Dr. Giovanni
Migliaccio. Another new book is in construction close-out with Routledge as
well, with an expected release in late 2018, titled Cost Accounting and Financial
Management for Construction Project Managers. Questions or comments regarding this
case study book may be sent to [email protected]. I hope you enjoy the stories.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Barbara Holm is a stand-up comedian, writer, author, artist, and actor based out of
Portland, Oregon. She has performed in several comedy festivals across the United
States, and was recently seen on NBC’s Last Comic Standing TV series, as well as
LaughsTV and Portlandia. Barbara has written for several publications, including
IGA and the Huffington Post. She was awarded Time Out New York’s Joke of
the Week and was named “one of the best things about comedy” in 2012. Her
comedy has been described as clever, unique, idiosyncratic, and exuberant. Barbara
has published several graphic novels, which are also available on Amazon. Follow
Barbara’s work on Twitter @barbara_holm or look her up at barbaraholm.com.