Article #739 Setting the Project Control System (PCS) Communication Management: Site Communications

The delivery of construction projects requires the parties involved in delivering the project to have options to communicate information while they are on the construction site. Two of the most widely used site communications are the Site Work Instruction (SWI) and the Confirmation of Verbal Instructions (CVI).

Regardless of whether the project control system (PCS) was managed by the Project Owner or Contractor, there will be a requirement to monitor, evaluate and report on all construction site communications including SWI, CVI, and others. Using a platform that is 100% web-enabled and has zero-foot-print, the construction site members can access those communication templates anytime, anywhere, and using any smart mobile device as long as it has internet connectivity.

The PMWeb custom form builder will be used to create the SWI template to capture the different fields needed to manage the SWI process. These include the SWI description, required date, confirmation by the Contractor that the SWI will be completed without additional cost or time, when to commence the SWI work and its duration, if it has any impact on other activities or work elements, and the description of this impact, if any.

The SWI form attachment tab will upload and attach any documents or pictures relevant to the SWI. These documents and photos will be stored in the PMWeb document management repository. The SWI workflow will detail the steps for issuing and responding to the SWI and details of those who must be copied on the SWI. These would include the Project Owner or Project Management Consultant.

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The SWI register will report on the details of all issued SWIs and their status. The report will include a table of SWIs issued on the project and the details. It will also include visuals to summarize SWI by bid package, and status if it impacts cost, time, or other activities or works on the project. The report data can be specific for a single project or all projects using the project filter.  It can also specify bid packages within a project or all bid packages by using the bid packages filter.

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In addition, the PMWeb custom form builder will create the Confirmation of Verbal Instruction (CVI) document template to include all needed fields. These would usually include details of the verbal instruction, such as the subject, who gave the instruction, the date, project location, and the Contractor’s representative who received the instruction. The form could also have an option to detail the Contractor’s action until the confirmation of the verbal instruction is received. For example, it can include the following two action options: ‘We are making the necessary arrangements to carry out this work and request that your formal written instructions be issued within five days, or ‘We will not proceed with this work until a formal written instruction is received.’

The attachments tab will upload and attach all documents and project records related to the verbal instruction given to the Contractor. These could include, for example, drawings, pictures, videos, and other types of documents or records associated with the verbal instruction. The workflow assigned for the Confirmation of Verbal Instruction (CVI) will consider all the review, approval, and final approval steps needed to confirm the verbal instruction. There could be a need to involve the Project Owner’s representative and project management consultant in the review cycle on selected projects.

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The Verbal Confirmation Instruction (CVI) Status Report will aggregate the CVI data across the organization’s complete projects portfolio. The dashboard will group the CVIs by reason and location for the selected project or project portfolio. The dashboard will also show the number of CVIs grouped by their duration to confirm the instruction. For durations of more than seven calendar days, they will be colored in ‘Red.’ The dashboard will also include a tabular summary log of CVIs.

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