The Management Resource

Abstract

The essential technologies of construction are embodied in the people employed and, unlike manufacturing, not in plant and machinery. Most construction plant is not project specific, it is interchangeable; it can be bought, sold, leased and hired. Exceptions may be found in work such as tunnelling where the equipment is specific to the activity. For most construction projects, however, it is not the equipment which is important but the way in which it is employed. Superior efficiency is not necessarily gained through using superior equipment but through using appropriate equipment in a superior manner, as a result of good selection, planning and management. Whether in the design office or on the construction site, it is the way in which the hard technology is managed which influences project success.