BCA launches Supervisor Scheme to raise quality in construction sector

The outlook for the construction sector is bright, says Minister of State for National Development Grace Fu.This year’s construction demand forecast has been revised upwards to between S$14 billion and S$16 billion from the previous estimate of S$12 billion to S$13.5 billion.

The sector’s third quarter contribution to the GDP also grew by one per cent.

And more will be done to raise the quality of building projects.

The Building and Construction Authority has launched a Supervisor Scheme to recognise site personnel who have specialised knowledge of its quality assessment system.

This includes the Quality Mark and CONQUAS score.

Come January, a similar certification scheme will be introduced for managerial staff in the construction industry.

To qualify, personnel must meet a set of training requirements and have a track record of supervising projects with good quality assessment score.

The certification will be valid for three years and can be renewed based on their performance in construction projects.

Source: Channel NewsAsia, 28 October 2006

Home Renovation Time Savers

You’d like to remodel your bathroom, redo your kitchen, or add an extra room you can use as a home office. Whatever it is, you’ve got some serious ambitions for your home. But home renovation and construction projects take more time than basic decorating and design projects you can conquer with a DIY weekend. Here are a few tips for finding that time, busy life and all.

If you’re undertaking a home renovation or construction project, you need all the time savers you can get! Let these three tips help you out. 

Plan, Plan, Plan

If you’re one of those types who just can’t wait to get started, you’re going to need to channel that go-get-’em attitude. Eagerly ripping out your cabinets is not the way to start a home renovation project. Sitting down with a notebook is. Plan your budget, prioritize your goals, figure out just what you want your home to look like when you’re done. 

Done right, the time you spend planning your home construction or renovation project should equal or exceed the time it actually takes to execute. Even with your best planning, you’ll still run into snags, but not nearly as many of them. Problems avoided equal time saved! 

Hire a Home Renovation Pro

There’s some satisfaction to be had in doing the work on your home yourself. But having a home renovation project done in six weeks rather than six months is pretty darn satisfying, too. You can hire individual contractors yourself, but the biggest time saver of all is hiring a designer to help you plan the project and to manage the entire construction project. 

Make Home Renovation a Family Affair

The time you spend working on your home renovation can double as great family time. The average parent spends only about 15 minutes a day playing with or working on hobbies with their children. While there are plenty of aspects of home renovation or construction that aren’t kid friendly, plenty are, especially for older children and teenagers. If you can turn some of your home renovation time into quality time with your kids, making time in your schedule gets that much easier. 

Finding time for a serious home construction project can be tough, but with a little finagling, you can make it happen. 

By Dawn West

Intro to Project Management

Project management in its modern form began to develop only a few decades ago. Businesses and organizations began to realize the benefits of organizing work into projects and the importance of communication and integration of work across the different departments and professions. 

The project management cycle involves five phases: initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing. The Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) definition of project management can be summarized as the overall planning, control and coordination of a project from its inception to completion, in order to meet client’s requirements. The planning, organizing and controlling functions are interdependent and need to be integrated to ensure success of a project. In order to successfully manage a project, the US based Project Management Institute describes project management as the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to such project functions in order to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations from a project.  

Every project forms a considerable proportion of a firm’s overall turnover. The failure of a single project can therefore trigger the failure of the whole company. Project management action is a key for project success. Shortfalls in the perceived success of the project will not occur if the project is well managed conception through to completion. This is especially so when a project becomes more complex and demanding, with tighter schedules and stringent quality standards.