Construction Challenges galore!

Construction Challenges-We have been discussing this issue on several forums and it appears as though we shall continue to do so forever with a new approach every time. Every construction site is unique in its own way and there are numerous challenges being faced by the construction faculty during the entire process of construction. While some of the challenges are new to the industry, some are centuries old. While some of these challenges are a direct result of construction operations, others as a result of indirect, tangential activities. A deeper analysis also shows that there are quite a few challenges that are not construction issues but must be addressed and managed by the construction faculty to ensure project success.

Some of the construction issues include workforce considerations, construction techniques, safety, time constraints, and the changing nature of the work. Non-construction challenges are legal issues, government regulations, environmental concerns, socio-political pressures and so on. It is critical that the construction faculty at site understand these physical realities during the initial stages of construction process and account for them in planning the execution.

Construction projects represent an array of complex set of interdependent activities that must take place to produce a unique product. In that sense, the entire activity can be reduced to a 'Process and Means' attribute. 'Process' includes all activities from conceptual stage till successful completion and the completed project the 'Means' The success and the quality of the end product are dependent on the quality of the process and hence an automatic result of a process. Further, this process has two subsets namely human involvement-the varying factor and materials-non living beings that go into the process. While it is comparatively easy to manage the material component with proper selection mechanisms in place, managing the human element becomes the prime factor that needs to be addressed and focussed for a successful completion of a project.

The human component referred here is a collective component dispersed at various levels that needs to be trained, managed and addressed to produce the desired result, to achieve goals and objectives through the planned expenditure of resources that meet the project’s quality, cost, time, scope, and safety requirements. It also needs to be motivated in the boundaries of ethics and values defining new paradigms of leadership to create a safe built environment. To us in India, the enforcement of ‘code of ethics’ along with educating engineers and public on ethics issues is the  biggest challenge.

Though I do not intend to list and elaborate the challenges faced by construction sites in this small little editorial space, it is inevitable for us to understand the fact that to stay competitive, we need innovation, mechanization, collaboration and a skilled, diverse workforce. It is also true in the present context, concerns for safety, security, environmental regulation add to the pressure while with high-value projects and long lead times; saving time and money- a difficult balance. Hence, the construction industry in India is characterized by low quality of construction projects, resistance to progress and change, political and economic instability and a substantial inertia in use of modern materials and techniques. These problems have not been addressed by the governments because of poor executive capacity, lack of resources, lack of commitment to resolve the issues.

In the midst of all these challenges, as usual, Built Expressions, in its own humble manner continues its efforts to make the construction industry robust, bring awareness about emerging technologies and provide an extra edge to its readers.

With best regards,

Ajit Sabnis

Editor-in-Chief