Process Management in Construction

Introduction

The following report is an individual assessment for the module "Process Management in Construction". The purpose of this report is to select and analyse any recently built construction project that can be recognised as an "iconic" construction. The timeframe for this construction project should be within the past ten years. Since the task allowed us to choose this project from any part of this world, the report chose to investigate the recent construction of Islamabad's International Airport in Pakistan. The reason why the report considers this project as iconic is its success around the country and how it has contributed to the improvement of Pakistan's infrastructure. The main two requirements of the task are to provide a thorough background of this project, and it's success. Secondly, the task requires us to create three different IDEFO diagrams which include the pre-construction phase of the project. Other than the IDEFO diagrams, the assignment report will have some further frameworks and UML activity diagrams to describe the activities' flow for the project.

Iconic Construction Project

The word “iconic” is described as something very popular or famous to such an extent that it could be considered admirable by people (Cambridge University Press, 2020). Talking about architecture or construction, an iconic project is usually a project that turns out to be groundbreaking in such a way that it sets new standards about the idea or the concept. An iconic construction project ideally inspires other construction teams to follow as a benchmark. To categorize a project as iconic, the aspects considered include the design, delivery and success of the project (Jennings, 2020).

Elements that make a project iconic includes its ambition, history, design, infrastructure, delivery and message. Iconic construction projects can help to improve the overall image or recognition of a country (Sklair, 2012). Iconic projects are those that change the idea about a country or a town. They are projects that are always remembered and inspired(Tomlinson, 2020). There have been many iconic buildings and projects around the world throughout history. However, iconic projects are not limited to a country's history or architect, it can be anything that helps the country earn prestige, and therefore we can consider an airport construction as an iconic project (Mapei, 2019).

The need for new Islamabad International Airport

Based on a report by "Guide to Sleeping in Airports", the old airport of Islamabad, Benazir International Airport was rated as the world's worst airport. It was a shameful moment for Pakistan as this airport was the country's capital city's main airport and many international flights used to have layovers here (Hodal, 2014). It was also the home to the National Airline of the country, i.e. PIA. Some of the worst criticisms and feedback regarding the Benazir International Airport were regarding its crowd itself & crowd control, inconsistent security checks, pervasive corruption and lack of technology & tidiness (Zhang, 2014).

Due to such bad reviews and image, people started avoiding Islamabad's airport as a layover. They would agree to pay more just so that they do not have to land at this airport (Ali, 2020). It even led to the dismantling of many airline's contracts with the airport. As a result, airlines stopped using this airport and started using Lahore or Karachi Airport. It, along with many other circumstances determined that it was time to either renovate this airport or to change this airport and since the area of this airport was not big enough, it was inevitable that the airport would not look much better even after the renovation. Hence, authorities decide to construct a new airport, on a more significant land. Looking at the final picture of the airport, it can be said that this project was successful. (Wong, 2014)

Project Description – WHY Iconic?

As described earlier, the construction of a new international airport for Islamabad was critically important for the country to retain and preserve its image internationally. The old airport has since been converted into Chaklala Airbase. The base of the new Islamabad International Airport was set by the ex-prime minister Mr Shaukat Aziz in the April of 2007, and the formal launch of this airport was in the April of 2018. The airport itself has many resources and is very well-structured in order to ensure convenience and safe travelling for the passengers. The land area of this airport is 19 square kilometres, and it has a total number of 15 boarding bridges, two 3600-meter long runways and various lounges for the passengers. (CAA, 2020)

This new airport increased the air passengers. Several players decided to enter the airline industry of Pakistan right before the launch of the new airport. Even before this project was launched, it was predicted that it was going to be an iconic project for the country as it will bring many economic and social benefits to the country. (Hanif, 2019)

Table 1: Facilities at the airport – Source: (CAA, 2020)

Facilities	Number
Passenger Boarding Bridges	15
Remote Bays	15
Runways	2
Check-in zones	7
Check-in counters	112
Annual passenger capacity	9 million
Movie theatre and play area	1
Car park capacity	2,200 vehicles

This new airport increased the air passengers. Several players decided to enter the airline industry of Pakistan right before the launch of the new airport. Even before this project was launched, it was predicted that it was going to be an iconic project for the country as it will bring many economic and social benefits to the country. (Hanif, 2019)

Key Project Information

Location	Islamabad
Client	CAA
Ownership	Aviation Division Government of Pakistan
Consultant	Mott MacDonald
Cost	PKR 10,924 Million
HCS Share	5% of cost
Start Date	February 15, 2010
End Date	May 14, 2014

Project highlights

Earthworks	14.3 million m3
Excavation	19.2 million m3
Base/Sub base	1.4 million m3
Concrete	134,727 m3
Asphalt	254,596 m3

Pre-construction Planning Process

To map the pre-construction processes for the Islamabad International Airport, the RIBA plan of work will be applied. This framework was developed by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). This basically splits the design and construction phases of a given project into 8 critical stages to serve as both a process map and management tool (RIBA, 2020). The key work stages include:

• Strategic definition - period to determine the best means to achieve the requirements of the client.
• Preparation and briefing - period to get every detail of the brief correct and make sure that all information and resources needed for the design process is in place.
• Concept design - period when the structure is visually presented to the client, making sure it meets his vision and budget.
• Spatial coordination - period when the spatial requirements of the design are ascertained.
• Technical design - period when the information required for the actual construction activities is developed.
• Manufacturing and construction - period when the actual construction activities take place.
• Handover - period when the contractor rectifies any defects after completing the construction activities and client takes over the site.
• Use - period when the structure is being used until it comes to the end of its life.

Given that the current assignment requires the student to focus on the pre-construction stage, the stages to be covered according to the RIBA plan of work are:

• Strategic definition
• Preparation and briefing
• Concept design
• Spatial coordination
• Technical design

The IDEF diagrams can be appropriately used to map these processes. Figure 8 below represents the project idea of Islamabad International Airport. This diagram is the IDEF0 through which processes will take place.

The level 0 diagram is the parent diagram and it has child diagrams. All of the stages in the diagrams are very important to the planning of the next process. Hence if one process fails, so will the next and the succeeding ones. The purpose of the level 1 diagram is to provide a briefing about the overall processes of pre-construction (Brian, 2013). It analyses the initiation stage carried out by PCAA in order to identify the limitations and risks that might be faced during the construction. Delays occur in most of the projects because the client briefing is not understood correctly. Hence while constructing the Islamabad International Airport, a wealthy amount of time was spent in its pre-construction stage and planning. After which is the tendering stage in which bidders and partners are selected for investment purposes. The primary purpose of this stage is to handle the finance and technicalities of the project (Jennings, 2020). As constructing a new airport from scratch is a very vast and crucial project, selecting the right contractor was paramount during this stage. Once the tendering stage has been completed, the contractor starts with the planning stage, which includes designs and timelines of the project. Once done, the project report is submitted as a proposal which upon approval is the final plan and implantation of the project.

It can be said that this is one of the most critical stages of pre-construction, as it requires to extract information from the client and to enquire with him about the things that are possible and that are not. Hence before the tendering process, the initial stage is prepared well to avoid any confusion left between the client and the contractor (Mapei, 2019). In this case of a new airport, the client itself was the government, hence the contractors had to be extremely careful. Building regulations, project limitations and site constraints are considered in the design brief as well.

Next is the IDEF0 stage 2 diagram which comes after the first three processes are prepared as a report, this report considers the requirements, risks, agreements and site studies for the construction of the Islamabad International Airport. A revised brief is also included carrying every process to enhance understanding between the client and the contractor.

It can be said that this was the most critical process while constructing the new International Airport for Islamabad. It is a tender process of four-stage and has 4 sub-processes as well. It undertakes all the possible risk assessment in order to make sure that nothing goes wrong during the construction stage. The very first process of this phase focuses on the PCAA's proposed critical requirements so that bidding could be reduced. Minimum standards and yearly financial expectations are included to give the bidders an idea about what they are going to conduct (Jennings 2020). Hence, once the bidders are reduced through this process, the shortlisting begins which is the second round of bidding. It not only ensures valid bidder selection, but it also ensures that the bidders are well informed about how much they would need to do and nothing goes wrong during the construction phase. Taking this process through so many phases made sure that no issues or hazards would occur once Islamabad International Airport is in its construction phase (Jamal, 2018).

However, technical capabilities are equally important as the finances when it comes to building an airport. Therefore, the time spent on enquiring the technical qualifications of the bidders was equal as spent on the financial planning phase. Thus, making sure that the bidders selected are highly qualified for this project.

Once all the processes were completed, the tender was finally given to Zulfikar Bukhari who was the main contractor of this airport; the subcontractors were hired by his choice on his responsibility (Asghar, 2018). Going through all these stages helped PCAA eliminate all those companies that were not capable of carrying this project out, either financially or technically. Once the tender was awarded and signed by ZB, the processes shown in the IDEF0 diagram below were conducted following the PCAA.

Flow of various activities

For the purpose of illustration, three main pre-construction processes will be chose: i) concept design, ii) spatial coordination, and iii) technical design.

Concept design

Concept design is carried out after the feasibility studies are done and the project brief has been prepared. The concept design can be loosely translated to the initial design idea. It is a representation of the response of the design team to the project briefing (RIBA, 2020).

Spatial Coordination

This stage is meant to ensure all architectural and engineering information about the project is spatially coordinated, meaning all spaces desired by client have been included in the design and do blend well with each other (RIBA, 2020).

Technical design

The technical design is done after the detailed design. It involves the input of both the clients design team and the specialist subcontractors. The end product is used for the signing of the contracts and commencement of construction (RIBA, 2020).

Conclusion

The reason why IIA was chosen as an iconic project was its need when it was constructed and launched. Pakistan's aviation industry was on a decline, and the project was a necessity to save it. Moreover, investing so much money in such a massive project while the economy of the country is struggling was highly risky, if this project had failed or did not give the expected results, then this would be a massive loss for the country. As mentioned earlier, the aviation industry condition within Islamabad and the whole country itself changed ever since this airport has been built. The IDEF0 diagrams in this report indicate how difficult of a project this was to carry out. The pre-construction phase itself was a huge complication.

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