Where there is a construction site, there are construction surveyors. Before any construction project can start, the site area must be surveyed. The drawings created by the engineering team must be oriented to the actual lie of the land. Measurements of the building site are taken using surveying equipment, which are then compared to the set of master blueprints. These initial measurements will serve as the basis for all events that take place throughout the construction process.

Prior to the electronic age, surveyors used something called a transit to help mark locations and perform other surveying-type tasks, such as defining angles. The total station is the modern update of that vital tool, and it is the prime piece of equipment in any construction surveyor’s bag of tricks. Sitting on a tripod, the total station uses trigonometry, triangulation, and coordinates (x-y-z in a three-dimensional plane) to measure angles and distances in the field. Points are marked and noted in the total station’s software, and all data can be downloaded to any number of computing-type devices in order to create a map, modify an existing map, or simply confirm that map data are correct. These days, GPS data are also incorporated into the total station’s computing ability. In outdoor locations where sky visibility is adequate-urban canyons or heavy tree canopy conditions can be problematic-it is not unusual for a construction surveyor to achieve sub-centimeter accuracy.

Highway Construction Surveying
The placement and construction of highways is one area where the involvement of a construction surveyor is especially valuable. First, the existing terrain is surveyed. Areas are noted where dirt must be excavated, especially to what level and grade. Once the material is moved, the surveyor will double-check that everything matches the plans. One goal is to reduce the distance excavated material travels, so engineers take the surveyor’s computations and create something called a “mass diagram” to figure out optimal relocation sites. In other words, they will take dirt from Spot A that requires reduction and move it to Spot B that requires build-up. In the old days, wooden stakes were driven into the ground to mark road edges in the highway alignment stage, but the accuracy and widespread usage of GPS has eliminated this laborious process.

Building Construction Surveying
A construction surveyor controls the location of everything from foundation lines to footings to ancillary items such as sidewalks and driveways. Using a total station and observed GPS data in a manner similar to highway construction, every spot and corner is noted in the field and then compared to the master plan. One specialized job for the construction engineer is to ascertain the proper placement of anchor bolts on structural steel and pre-cast concrete. Because of the nature of the item-these bolts, after all, are responsible for holding the building components together-the exact placement of each bolt is critical to structural integrity. Since there is such a wide variety of design in buildings, anchor bolts can be placed anywhere within or without the building’s footprint. They may not fall in a straight line, so a construction surveyor must be ever vigilant to follow exactly the architectural and engineering plans when marking anchor bolt locations on individual structural components

Keep reading original post at Construction Surveying Job

Construction insurance is an important policy to have if you own, run or manage a construction site.

Construction insurance provides safeguards for you as an employer against your construction workers being injured on site. Construction insurance does not exempt you from maintain a safe workplace. Usually, construction insurance policies only pay out if a strict set of health and safety guidelines are followed.

Construction insurance also covers materials and machinery on the construction site in the event of an accident, fire or theft. Due to the high cost of building materials in the current economic climate, the theft of building materials is getting more commonplace and gives a good reason why you should opt for construction insurance.

Who needs construction insurance?

Construction insurance is an essential purchase for any builder, contractor, and construction company or construction manager. Considering the fickle nature of the construction industry, insurance can be comprehensive and cover a multitude of possible problems. The cost of solving these problems is normally many times the cost of the insurance premium. This is why construction insurance is an essential part of a construction budget.

What typically does a construction insurance policy cover?

Even on a very basic level, construction insurance covers all construction equipment and property in the case of accidental damage, theft and weather. For the workers on the construction site, full liability covering medical and legal costs and subsequent workers compensation is also covered. Regardless of the size of your project and the number of people on your team, you can have piece of mind by have a complete construction insurance package.

What typically does a construction insurance policy not cover?

The transportation of building materials from warehouse to building site is not normally covered but some of the better insurers are now covering this as standard. Construction insurance does not cover any extra costs incurred due to delayed completion of the project regardless of the reason for delay.

Additional insurance products

Construction insurance insures the property until it is built but does not cover subsequent problems the building may experience due to errors in workmanship. If you want total security surrounding any construction you are liable for, then you should take out professional indemnity insurance in the event you need to fix the property or the problems with the property have caused any injuries.

Additional coverage for a construction insurance policy

In construction, there are numerous contractors that will enter your construction site. How do you know how many are on your site at any time and are they the same contractors working from day to day? A standard policy may only cover your immediate workforce and specific contractors. Ensure your policy covers all the people who potential enter your construction site.

How much construction insurance typically cost?

Construction insurance is usually a percentage of your total construction budget. The size of the percentage is wholly dependant to the scope of the project at hand. You may find that a small house may be around 1% of your total cover whereas a high rise block may be over 5%. The exact percentages are then determined by the level of coverage required and the insurer you choose to go with.

Construction Projects are defined by their scope, budget, and schedule.

Technorati Profile

For example, an Agency is to undertake a project to design and build a new maintenance facility for its fleet of buses (scope), at an estimate of $30 million (preliminary budget) over a three-year period of construction (schedule). The schedule specifies a defined beginning and end. Projects go through a life cycle of phases between their beginnings and ends that forconstruction projects are typically: initiation, planning, design, construction, commissioning, and closeout.

Scope: Each project is unique and must have a written requirements document that takes into consideration operational needs, level of service, regulatory requirements such as Americans with Disabilities Act, and quality of deliverables. The scope evolves as new information becomes available through the project life cycle. For example, in the early planning phases of the maintenance facility project, the scope is to have five service bays. Later, as the design progresses, the exact location and the type of service in each bay can be determined. Scope refinement should not be confused with scope creep. Scope creep occurs when the Agency determines part way through the project that operational projections now call for six rather than five service bays. Changing to six bays after the project is underway is a serious change in scope that could impact the budget (larger facility, more land, redesign) and delay the schedule (replan, redesign, longer construction). Scope refinement is a necessary process in the project life cycle while scope creep results from lack of clarity on the Agency’s requirements in the original scope for the needs, level of service, and level of quality for the deliverables.

Schedule: All projects must have a definite beginning and end. The Agency’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) usually provides approximate dates for the beginning of a project and the end date when it is due to go into operation. Once there is a well-defined scope, the Agency needs to determine the time it will take to complete the project by developing the project schedule. Developing the schedule involves breaking down the work into manageable activities needed to accomplish the scope of each deliverable, estimating the duration of each activity, and placing them in a logical sequence. The result is a project schedule that tells you the expected duration of the project and the logical relationships between the activities, including activities on the “critical path,” that controls the end date.

Budget: All projects are constrained by limited monetary funding resources. Consequently, every project needs a budget to initially define its funding requirement. The project manager develops the budget based on the cost estimates at the beginning of each project phase and refines it once there is better information defining the scope. Refining the budget occurs through studies and analysis in the design development process through the preliminary engineering phase. When Agencies try to fix the budget too early in the project life cycle, they are surprised by the significant increases in the budget over what was set forth in the CIP. The budget should not be fixed as baseline until after completion of the preliminary engineering phase.

Please refer some other post for more specific about Scope, Budget and Schedule in Construction Project Management.

Definition of a construction contract

The term Contract used in the Construction management can be defined as: “An agreement entered into by two parties under the terms of which one party agrees to perform a specific job for which the other party agrees to pay. Contract documents attached to and/or stated in the agreement form integral parts of the contract”.

Essentials of Contract validity

* The parties to the contract must be competent, and legally capable of playing their intended part. The law can not enforce the agreement on someone who has not the legal capacity to enter into an agreement. This could be due to infancy, lunacy, drunkenness, or being restricted from entering into such agreement by a prior in date agreement or scope of authority.
* The subject matter of the contract must be lawful and definite in respect of requirements and duties of each party. For example a contract violating municipal regulation is not binding and is void in courts. Also uncertainty in respect of the what is wanted may result in the contract being not enforceable by law.
* Proposal and acceptance: There must be a proper proposal by one party and its absolute and unqualified acceptance by the other party. The proposal is not binding without a clear acceptance and is not binding beyond its date of validity.
* Free consent of parties to the contract: Consent is said to be free when it is not caused by force, or undue influence or fraud or misrepresentation.

Breach of Contract

Breach of Contract is the failure to perform it. However, not every failure to perform an obligation amounts to a true breach, as there are a number of excuses for non performance. When a contract has been broken without sufficient excuse or justification, the party who suffers by such breach is entitled to receive from the party in default, a compensation for any loss or damage caused by such breach.

Data Required for Preparing an Estimate:

A Contract may be terminated or brought to an end in either of the following ways:

* Full and satisfactory performance by both parties to their obligations under the contract.
* Breach of contract, when the default of one party releases the other party from the contractual obligations.
* Mutual agreement of the parties to terminate the contract.
* Unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of either party render it impossible to perform his duties or obligations stated in the contract.
* Operation of law to terminate a void contract.

Types of contracts commonly used in construction

* Lump sum contract
* Item rate or unit price contract
* Percentage rate contract
* Cost plus percentage rate contract
* Cost plus fixed fee contract
* Cost plus fluctuating fee contract
* Target cost contrac.

More details on construction contract will be explained in next posts.

The four project scheduling techniques widely used in construction projects are:
. Bar Charts and Linked Bar Charts
. Network Analysis and Critical Path Method
. Line of Balance
. Q Scheduling

These are briefed below, in which Q Scheduling is now a new technique increasingly applied in construction project management.

1- Bar Charts and Linked Bar Charts;

Bar Charts are the easiest and most widely used form of scheduling in construction management. Even with other scheduling techniques the eventual schedule is presented the form of a bar chart. A typical Bar chart is a list of activities with the start, duration and finish of each activity shown as a bar plotted to a time scale. The level of detail of the activities depends on the intended use of the schedule.

The linked bar chart shows the links between an activity and its preceding activities which have to be complete before this activity can start.

The bar charts are also useful for calculating the resources required for the project. To add the resources to each activity and total them vertically is called a resource aggregation. Bar charts and resource aggregation charts are useful for estimating the work content in terms of man-hours and machine hours.

2- Network Analysis and Critical Path Method

Practically network analysis offers little more than a linked bar chart, though its protagonists claim, with some justification, that the self contained steps of a network are more applicable to complex operations than the bar chart, and that the greater rigor imposed by the logic diagram produces more realistic models of the proposed work. The steps in producing a network are:
- Listing of activities
- Producing a network showing the logical relationship between activities.
- Assessing the duration of each activity, producing a schedule, and determining the start and finish times of each activity and the available float
- Assessing the required resources.

There are now two popular forms of network analysis in construction management practice, activity on the arrow and activity on the node, the latter now usually called a precedence diagram. Each of these approaches offers virtually the same facilities and it seems largely a matter of preference which is used.

3- Line of Balance

The line of Balance is a planning technique for repetitive work. The principles employed are taken from the planning and control of manufacturing processes greatly modified by E. G. Trimple. The basis of the technique is to find the required resources for each stage or operation so that the following stages are not interfered with and the target output can be achieved. The line of balance technique has been applied in construction work mainly to house building and to a lesser extent to jetty work and in conjunction with networks to road works.

4- Q Scheduling

The Q Scheduling is a new technique, though getting rapid popularity among contracting firms. It is the only scheduling technique that reveals a relation between the sequence of doing a job and the cost to be incurred. The Q schedule is similar to the Line of Balance with some modifications made by A. R. A. Z. A in 2004, to allow for a varying volume of repetitive activities at different segments or locations of the construction project, thus the model produced is closer to reality.

If you search internet with “Steps to Successful Schedules“, you will find millions of results. There are tons of resources that claim the perfect ways of scheduling.

Here is some steps for schedule creation that project managers can follow for their successful management.

1: Define the Schedule Activities

Take your Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) work packages and decompose them further into schedule activities.

Take each WBS work package, and decide what activities are required to create that package. For example, if your work package is “configure new computer hardware,” your schedule activities might include “set up network configuration,” “install the video card,” “install applications,” and then “set up mail client.”

2: Sequence the Activities

Remember back in grade school where you were given a bunch of pictures and you had to figure out their order. You had to decide which picture represented the 1st activity, the 2nd activity and so on? Well, that is exactly what the second step is all about. In the second step we sequence the schedule activities by simply placing them in the order in which they need to happen. For example, perhaps we need to install the video card first, then set up the network configuration, install applications and then finally set up the mail client. In some cases two or more activities can be done simultaneously. Perhaps we can set up the mail client while other applications are being installed. This step is where we look at the different types of schedule dependencies such as finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and start-to-finish to figure out how each of these activities relate to each other.

3: Estimate the Resources Needed for the Activity

The third step involves estimating what resources will be required to accomplish each activity. This includes estimating needed team resources, financial resources, and equipment. These resource needs should be selected for each activity prior to estimating the duration of each activity which is the next step.

4: Estimating the Duration of Each of the Activities

This step requires you and your team to analyse how long it will take to accomplish each of the activities. These estimates can be quantified through the following tools:

• Expert Judgement: by conferring with someone who is familiar or experienced in what it takes to accomplish a particular activity.
• Analogous Estimating: a top-down estimation approach is taken by looking at similar projects within your organisation for estimates on how long a particular activity should take.
• Parametric Estimating: basically this is scaling an estimate. For example, perhaps you know it takes on average 10 minutes to install a software application. If the “install applications” activity includes the installation of 6 applications, you can use parametric estimation to estimate that it will take approximately 6 times 10 minutes, or 60 minutes to install all the applications.
• Three point estimation: sometimes referred to as PERT analysis, is a great tool for estimating activity durations. You basically take a weighted average of a pessimistic, expected, and optimistic estimate for the activity duration. This estimate is in the form of (Pessimistic + 4x(Expected) + Optimistic) / 6

5: Schedule Development

This step is the process where the sequence of activities, resources needed for the activities, and the duration of each activity is used to optimise the overall project schedule. Tools used in this process include critical path method, schedule compression, what-if scenario analysis, resource leveling, and critical chain methods. Each of these topics could have one or more articles dedicated to it, so we will not go into the detail of each.

Once the schedule is developed, it should be baselined to provide a snapshot of the original schedule plan of the plan.

6: Monitoring and Controlling the Schedule

The final step is monitoring and controlling the schedule. This step is performed throughout the life of the project and ensures that the work results lines up with the schedule plan. Schedule control requires the use of progress reporting, schedule change control systems, such as the use of project change requests, performance management, and variance analysis to determine if additional action is required to get the schedule back in line with the plan.

So, those are the 6 steps you need to know to create a successful project schedule.

]]> http://civilengineers.wordpress.com/2008/10/03/steps-successful-schedules-project-management/feed/ 0 Construction English Scheduling in Project management http://civilengineers.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/101-civil-engineering-ebook-collection/ http://civilengineers.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/101-civil-engineering-ebook-collection/#comments Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:53:10 +0000 Construction English http://civilengineerblog.com/?p=109 ]]>

101 Civil Engineering Ebooks collection | All PDF Format

Aysen – Problem Solving in Soil Mechanics
Autocad 2006 Manual Users Guide
AutoCAD2007Bible
Bridge Design Manual-Texas Department of transportation
Bridge.Hydraulic.Design.(2000)
BSP_VL4
Building Design and Construction Handbook
Building Design and Construction Handbook(2)
Chen & Liew Civil Engineering Handbook
Civil Engineering Handbook(Second Edition)
Civil engineering hydraulics- Essential theory with worked ecmaug2005

COMPOSITE MATERIALS HANDBOOKvol4
Composite Structures Of Steel And Concrete- Volume 1 (2Nd Ed
Concrete Forwork
Construction of buildings Volume 1
Construction Of Buildings Volume 2
Design Loads During Construction
DESIGN OF HYDRAULIC GATES
Engineering Structural Welding
Engineer’s Mini-Notebook
FIDIC
Finite Element Method – Boundary Element Method
Finite-element-procedure-Bathe
Fundamentals Handbook – Engineering Symbology, Prints, and Drawings 1
Fundamentals of Finite Element Analysis
Fundamentals of wood design and engineering
Handbook
Handbook of Structural Engineering
Handbook_of_Structural_Engineering
Harrison___Nettleton_-_Advanced_Engineering_Dynamics__Arnold_1997__4AH
Hydraulics Manual
J.F.Doyle – Modern experimental stress analysis
Lean Manufacturing And The Enviroment (Epa)
LIQUID STORAGE TANK
Manual for the design of reinforced concrete building struct
MARINE STRUCTURAL DESIGN
Mathematics-The Civil Engineering Handbook
matlab_quickref
MatlabNotes
McGraw Hill – Dictionary of Engineering
Mcgraw Hill – Project Management
McGraw-Hill – Piping Handbook
McGraw-Hill_-_Civil_Engineering_Formulas__2002__Tlf
Mechanical Engineering Handbook (CRC Press)
miscellaneous_recipes_001
Modern Manufacturing
Multiresolution Green?s Function Methods for Interactive Simulation of Large-Scale Elastostatic Objects
Non-linear Finite Element Analysis of Solids and Structures Vol.2
Numerical approximations of time domain boundary integral equation for wave propagation
Olver P.J., Shakiban C. Applied mathematics (draft, 2004)(11
Patankar_Numerical_Heat_Transfer_and_Fluid_Flow
PLANNING AND DESIGN OF HYDROLECTRIC POWER PLANT STRUCTURES
PORTLAND CEMENT
Post-Tensioning
Reinforced concrete analysis and design
Residential_Structural_Design_Guide
Sadd – Elasticity theory applications and numerics [butterworth heinemann 2004] 4AH
SMITH, E. H. (1994). Mechanical Engineer’s Reference Book (12t.)
Soil engineering – testing, design, and remediation
Soil_Mechanics___Foundations
SPED_VL3
standard_handbook_of_engineering_calculations
Steel designers manual 5th edition
Stiffener Design for Beam-to-Column Connections
strength of materials
stress analysis of why branch
Structural Mechanics of Buried Pipes
Structural Steel Designer’s Handbook (Brockenbrough & Merritt)
TAYLOR, D. A. (1996). Introduction to Marine Engineering (2nd .)
Teexas – Hydraulic Design Manual
Time-dependent problems with the boundary integral equation
TONG, L. (2002). 3D Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites
Transportation Eng
Transportation Systems Planning Methods and Applications
Vibration and Shock Handbook
Vibration Simulation using MATLAB and ANSYS
Vibrations Fundamentals and Practice
WATSON, D. G. M. (1998). Practical Ship Design
Welded Design – Theory and Practice
Welding Metallurgy (Second Edition)
Wind Loading of Structures
WU, Y.-S. (2001). Practical Design of Ships and Other Floating S
YUN, L. (2000). Theory and Design of Air Cushion Craft
ZIENKIEWICZ, O. C. (2000). The Finite Element Method (5th ed.).)
Zienkiewicz’s Finite Element Book

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Why project scheduling is the art? If it were a science then every project would be delivered on time! In truth, the art of scheduling is based on experience and the more experience you have, the more accurate your schedule will be. However, you can still produce an accurate schedule by following some simple rules.

Principles of Project Scheduling “Art”:

Rule 1: Never give off-the-cuff or unconsidered responses, i.e. don’t commit to something you can’t deliver

Scheduling is one part prediction and one part expectation management. If you are pressured into picking a date “on-the-fly” at a random meeting you can bet that the date will not only be wrong, it will come back to haunt you. A considered response when you have had time to evaluate all the factors is much better. A date picked out of the air is good to no-one, least of all yourself.

Rule 2: Eliminate uncertainty wherever you can

The more specific you can be in your project planning, the more accurate your schedule will be. If you leave functionality or other items unspecified in your plan, then you will, at best, only be able to approximate them in the schedule. Don’t go overboard, though, there is a balance. If you are spending time adding detail to tasks which will have no impact on the project delivery date, then you are probably wasting your time.

Rule 3: Build in plenty of contingency to cope with variation

No matter how well specified your project and how accurate your schedule, there will be the inevitable random influences that will wreck your carefully crafted schedule. People get sick, equipment fails and external factors join together in a conspiracy to see that you miss your target date. In order to buy yourself some insurance you should build in an adequate amount of contingency, so that you can cope with unexpected delays.

You should also spread contingency throughout your project timeline and not just place it at the end. If you only have one pool of contingency allocated to the end of your project you are leaving yourself with a large slice of uncertainty. By breaking it up and spreading it throughout your project you allow yourself more options and are able to control the project more closely. You can also “buy back” time when you return unused contingency to the project.

Rule 4: Pick the right level of granularity

When drawing up your schedule it is important to pick the right level of detail. If you are going to require daily updates from your team then it makes sense to break into day-by-day chunks. That way everybody has the same understanding of what must be achieved by when.

On the other hand if your project has large portions of time devoted to similar activities, testing for example, then it may be better to simply block-schedule one or two months of testing. Maybe you can leave the details up to your teauate amount of contingency, so that you can cope with unexpected delays.

You should also spread contingency throughout your project timeline and not just place it at the end. If you only have one pool of contingency allocated to the end of your project you are leaving yourself with a large slice of uncertainty. By breaking it up and spreading it throughout your project you allow yourself more options and are able to control the project more closely. You can also “buy back” time when you return unused contingency to the project.

Rule 4: Pick the right level of granularity

When drawing up your schedule it is important to pick the right level of detail. If you are going to require daily updates from your team then it makes sense to break into day-by-day chunks. That way everybody has the same understanding of what must be achieved by when.

On the other hand if your project has large portions of time devoted to similar activities, testing for example, then it may be better to simply block-schedule one or two months of testing. Maybe you can leave the details up to your team; it alt of contingency, so that you can cope with unexpected delays.

You should also spread contingency throughout your project timeline and not just place it at the end. If you only have one pool of contingency allocated to the end of your project you are leaving yourself with a large slice of uncertainty. By breaking it up and spreading it throughout your project you allow yourself more options and are able to control the project more closely. You can also “buy back” time when you return unused contingency to the project.

Rule 4: Pick the right level of granularity

When drawing up your schedule it is important to pick the right level of detail. If you are going to require daily updates from your team then it makes sense to break into day-by-day chunks. That way everybody has the same understanding of what must be achieved by when.

On the other hand if your project has large portions of time devoted to similar activities, testing for example, then it may be better to simply block-schedule one or two months of testing. Maybe you can leave the details up to your team; it all depends on the level of control you want.

In most projects I’ve dealt with my optimum level of granularity is a week. This means that tasks are scheduled on the basis of the number of weeks they take. Week-by-week is much more comfortable for most people since finishing a task by the end of the week seems more natural than finishing it on a Monday or Tuesday.

Day by day scheduling can provoke more overhead than you really need. If a task is scheduled to be completed on Wednesday but due to difficulties it cannot be completed, it is unlikely that it will be finished on the Thursday, even if a team member predicts it to be so. It is more likely it will overrun by a couple of days and finish sometime on Friday, meaning that subsequent tasks can’t take place until the next week. If I schedule day-by-day then I spend all of my time updating the schedule and not managing the project. On the other hand if I schedule week-by-week it is much easier to cope with such small variations. If something scheduled for “the week beginning Monday the 21st” is delayed by one, two or even three days, then subsequent tasks can either be moved comfortably or may not even be affected at all (depending on my level of contingency).

The only exception to this is where I need to force the pace of a project. I do this by imposing tighter deadlines, to the day or even down to the hour, for completion of tasks. A higher level of control however implies a higher level of attention and if I do this, I know it has implications for my own work-load as well. On a finer grade of schedule I will need to pay closer attention to individual tasks to ensure their completion.

Rule 5: Schedule for the unexpected

Project management is the art of handling the unknown. Often events and circumstances you could not have foreseen will interrupt the flow of your project. It’s your job to take them all in your stride. Schedule for the most likely delays and cope with them should they arise. If experience or instinct tells you that a certain type of task will overrun, then anticipate it, pad it with some contingency and make sure you have adequate resources on hand when it comes up.

A good way to cope with this is to implement a bit of impromptu risk management. By anticipating likely risks and prioritising them you will be better able to d

Civil engineer job are one of the world’s most important jobs: they build our quality of life. With creativity and technical skill, civil engineers plan, design, construct and operate the facilities essential to modern life, ranging from bridges and highway systems to water treatment plants and energy­efficient buildings. Civil engineers are problem solvers, meeting the challenges of pollution, traffic congestion, drinking water and energy needs, urban redevelopment and community planning.

There are seven major branches of civil engineering:

Structural Engineering

Structural engineers face the challenge of designing structures that support their own weight and the loads they carry, and that resist extreme forces from wind, earthquakes, bombings, temperature and others. Bridges, buildings, amusement park rides and many other kinds of projects are included within this speciality. Structural engineers develop appropriate combinations of steel, concrete, timber, plastic and new exotic materials. They also plan and design, and visit project sites to make sure work is done properly.

Environmental Engineering

The skills of environmental engineers have become increasingly important as we protect our fragile resources. Environmental engineers translate physical, chemical and biological processes into systems to destroy toxic substances, remove pollutants from water, reduce non­hazardous solid waste volumes, eliminate contaminants from the air and develop groundwater supplies. Environmental engineers are called upon to resolve the problems of providing safe drinking water, cleaning up contaminated sites with hazardous materials, disposing of wastewater and managing solid wastes.

Geotechnical Engineering

Geotechnical engineering is required in all aspects of civil engineering because most projects are supported by the ground. A geotechnical engineer may develop projects below the ground, such as tunnels, foundations and offshore platforms. They analyse the properties of soil and rock that support and affect the behaviour of these structures. They evaluate potential settlements of buildings, the stability of slopes and fills, the seepage of ground water and the effects of earthquakes. They investigate rocks and soils at a project site and determine the best way to support a structure in the ground. They also take part in the design and construction of dams, embankments and retaining walls.

Water Resources Engineering

Water is essential to our lives, and water resources engineers deal with the physical control of water. They work with others to prevent floods, supply water for cities, industry and agriculture, to protect beaches or to manage and redirect rivers. They design, construct and maintain hydroelectric power facilities, canals, dams, pipelines, pumping stations, locks, seaport facilities or even waterslides.

Transportation Engineering

The quality of a community is directly related to the quality of its transportation system. Transportation engineers work to move people, goods and materials safely and efficiently. They find ways to meet our ever-increasing travel needs on land, air and sea. They design, construct and maintain all types of transportation facilities, including airports, highways, railroads, mass transit systems and ports. An important part of transportation engineering is upgrading our transportation capability by improving traffic control and mass transit systems, and by introducing high­speed trains, people movers and other intermodal transportation methods.

Construction Engineering

The construction phase of a project represents the first tangible result of a design. Using technical and management skills, construction engineers turn designs into reality ­ on time and within budget. They apply their knowledge of construction methods and equipment, along with the principles of financing, planning and managing, to turn the designs of other engineers into successful facilities.

Urban and Community Planning

Urban and Community Planners are concerned with the full development of a community. They analyse a variety of information to co-ordinate projects, such as projecting street patterns, identifying park and recreation areas, and determining areas for industrial and residential growth. They employ their technical and people skills to co-ordinate with other authorities to integrate freeways, airports and other related facilities.

Whatever area a civil engineer choose, be it design, construction, research, planning, teaching or management, civil engineering offers him a wide range jobs for his career choices.

Civil engineers plan, design, construct, operate and maintain roads, bridges, dams, water supply schemes, sewerage systems, transportation, harbours, canals, dockyards, airports, railways, factories and large buildings.

Civil engineers may perform the following tasks:

• investigate sites to work out the most suitable foundation for a proposed construction
• research and advise on the best engineering solution to meet with a client’s needs and budget
• produce detailed designs and documentation for the construction and implementation of civil engineering projects
• organise the delivery of materials, plant and equipment needed for the construction project and supervise labour
• develop detailed programs for the coordination of site activities
• talk to other engineers, architects, landscape architects and environmental scientists
• assist government bodies in preparing yearly works programs within set budgets (e.g. for works on car parks, drainage, roads, aerodromes or sewerage)
• prepare engineering calculations required for the design of projects and supervise the drafting
• operate computers to assist with the design of civil engineering projects
• coordinate and direct research development and testing of materials, processes or systems related to civil engineering works
• research, advise on and plan the control and minimisation of air, water and solid waste pollution, and the management of water
• supervise the testing and commissioning of completed works
• analyse and interpret reports on loading, labour, productivity, quality, materials and performance
• analyse risks associated with natural disasters including wind, earthquake, fire and floods, and design structures and services to meet appropriate standards
• arrange for geological and geophysical investigations and carry out feasibility studies.

Specialisations:

Civil engineers usually work in one of the following areas: structural, water resources, soil and foundation, transport, town planning or construction. A civil engineer may specialise:

Airport Engineer

An airport engineer

• specialises in preparing designs for airports, hangars and control towers
• supervises the construction, maintenance and repair of runways, taking into consideration factors such as weight, size and speed of aircraft
• advises contractors on technical problems during construction.

Geotechnical/Soil Engineer

A geotechnical/soil engineer

• inspects proposed construction sites to work out soil and foundation conditions by conducting drilling and sampling programs
• oversees and participates in field and laboratory testing of soils, and makes sure that test equipment and machinery is properly set up
• prepares reports of test results and makes recommendations for the solution of engineering problems identified in test reports
• prepares specifications of soil mixtures for use in roads, embankments and other construction, and calculates and advises on the required slope at cuttings and the thickness of soil dams and retaining walls.

Harbour Engineer

A harbour engineer

• designs and supervises the construction of harbour facilities such as breakwaters, navigation aids, navigation channels, jetties, wharves, heavy-duty pavement surfaces, cargo sheds and bulk handling plants for grain, ore and other cargo
• ensures that the designs satisfy safety and serviceability requirements
• makes efficient use of funds and materials to achieve the safety and serviceability requirements.

Highway Engineer

A highway engineer

• specialises in analysing population and growth statistics and traffic patterns and volume to project future requirements
• talks to government officials and other specialists to help design efficient and safe traffic systems
• studies roadway and embankment design, the geometry of highway interchanges and the maintenance of facilities such as culverts and overpasses.

Hydraulic/Water Resources Engineer

A hydraulic/water resources engineer

• designs and supervises construction, and advises on the operation, maintenance and repair of, water resource facilities such as dams, aqueducts, hydro-electric plants, and water supply, drainage and sewerage systems
• works on beach protection, harbour design and river control projects
• manages waterways with a focus on erosion and flood protection
• is concerned with environmental management including the prediction of the mixing and transport of pollutants in surface water.

Irrigation/Drainage Engineer

An irrigation/drainage engineer

• using tests and measurements, works out the characteristics of soil, such as salinity, water table level, areas of subnormal plant growth, soil type and surface profile
• calculates or estimates rates of water flow
• supervises the preparation of plans showing channels, conduits, mains and ditches, and the construction of laboratory models to study construction and flow problems.

Local Government Engineer

A local government engineer

• administers and supervises the design, construction and maintenance of projects such as roads, drainage systems, pedestrian and cycle facilities, bridges, buildings, recreation grounds, parks, waste disposal and water treatment schemes within a local government area
• talks to the community and with government departments
• supervises other engineers such as those employed in design and construction, and other employees of the council or corporation such as supervisors and building surveyors.

Materials and Testing Engineer

A materials and testing engineer

• conducts research, development tests and evaluation of the quality or suitability of materials and products related to projects
• coordinates and directs the research, development and testing of materials such as asphalt, concrete, steel, cement, timber and plastics, taking into account factors such as stresses and strains, estimated load, water pressures, wind resistance and temperature fluctuations
• advises contractors and others on materials most suited to meet individual construction requirements.

Pipeline Engineer

A pipeline engineer

• specialises in preparing design proposals for pipelines and pipeline equipment, facilities and structures in consultation with petroleum and mechanical engineers
• works out a suitable layout of lines based on accurate mapping and surveying, and analyses operations and maintenance costs to determine efficiency and devise improvements or innovations in the system
• provides technical advice on the operation of machinery and equipment used to transport petroleum products through pipeline systems.

Railway Engineer

A railway engineer

• studies design proposals and advises on the construction, maintenance and repair of railway systems including tracks, terminals and yards
• studies the natural features of proposed routes and plans the types of rail beds, rail size and curves to meet train speed and load requirements
• conducts traffic surveys to establish suitable routes for rapid transit or urban railway systems.

Structural Engineer

A structural engineer

• designs the framework of buildings, towers, bridges, water treatment structures, tunnels and other structures to make sure of strength and rigidity
• studies new materials and methods and their impact on design and construction.

Civil engineers may work in offices or spend much of their time on site. They may be required to work long hours and meet strict deadlines while working under minimal supervision. Civil engineers deal with various professional, skilled and semi-skilled people. Consulting and contracting engineers often travel interstate and some travel overseas. It may be necessary for some civil engineers to change residence every few years as their work takes them from one major engineering site to another.

Personal Requirements:

• able to identify, analyse and solve problems
• good oral and written communication skills
• aptitude for computing and design
• practical and creative
• able to work without supervision
• able to work as part of a team
• able to accept responsibility
• willing to contribute and adhere to the safety requirements of the operation.Civil engineers plan, design, construct, operate and maintain roads, bridges, dams, water supply schemes, sewerage systems, transportation, harbours, canals, dockyards, airports, railways, factories and large buildings.Civil engineers may perform the following tasks:
• investigate sites to work out the most suitable foundation for a proposed construction
• research and advise on the best engineering solution to meet with a client’s needs and budget
• produce detailed designs and documentation for the construction and implementation of civil engineering projects
• organise the delivery of materials, plant and equipment needed for the construction project and supervise labour
• develop detailed programs for the coordination of site activities
• talk to other engineers, architects, landscape architects and environmental scientists
• assist government bodies in preparing yearly works programs within set budgets (e.g. for works on car parks, drainage, roads, aerodromes or sewerage)
• prepare engineering calculations required for the design of projects and supervise the drafting
• operate computers to assist with the design of civil engineering projects
• coordinate and direct research development and testing of materials, processes or systems related to civil engineering works
• research, advise on and plan the control and minimisation of air, water and solid waste pollution, and the management of water
• supervise the testing and commissioning of completed works
• analyse and interpret reports on loading, labour, productivity, quality, materials and performance
• analyse risks associated with natural disasters including wind, earthquake, fire and floods, and design structures and services to meet appropriate standards
• arrange for geological and geophysical investigations and carry out feasibility studies.

Specialisations:

Civil engineers usually work in one of the following areas: structural, water resources, soil and foundation, transport, town planning or construction. A civil engineer may specialise.

Airport Engineer

An airport engineer

• specialises in preparing designs for airports, hangars and control towers
• supervises the construction, maintenance and repair of runways, taking into consideration factors such as weight, size and speed of aircraft
• advises contractors on technical problems during construction.

Geotechnical/Soil Engineer

A geotechnical/soil engineer

• inspects proposed construction sites to work out soil and foundation conditions by conducting drilling and sampling programs
• oversees and participates in field and laboratory testing of soils, and makes sure that test equipment and machinery is properly set up
• prepares reports of test results and makes recommendations for the solution of engineering problems identified in test reports
• prepares specifications of soil mixtures for use in roads, embankments and other construction, and calculates and advises on the required slope at cuttings and the thickness of soil dams and retaining walls.

Harbour Engineer

A harbour engineer

• designs and supervises the construction of harbour facilities such as breakwaters, navigation aids, navigation channels, jetties, wharves, heavy-duty pavement surfaces, cargo sheds and bulk handling plants for grain, ore and other cargo
• ensures that the designs satisfy safety and serviceability requirements
• makes efficient use of funds and materials to achieve the safety and serviceability requirements.

Highway Engineer

A highway engineer

• specialises in analysing population and growth statistics and traffic patterns and volume to project future requirements
• talks to government officials and other specialists to help design efficient and safe traffic systems
• studies roadway and embankment design, the geometry of highway interchanges and the maintenance of facilities such as culverts and overpasses.

Hydraulic/Water Resources Engineer

A hydraulic/water resources engineer

• designs and supervises construction, and advises on the operation, maintenance and repair of, water resource facilities such as dams, aqueducts, hydro-electric plants, and water supply, drainage and sewerage systems
• works on beach protection, harbour design and river control projects
• manages waterways with a focus on erosion and flood protection
• is concerned with environmental management including the prediction of the mixing and transport of pollutants in surface water.

Irrigation/Drainage Engineer

An irrigation/drainage engineer

• using tests and measurements, works out the characteristics of soil, such as salinity, water table level, areas of subnormal plant growth, soil type and surface profile
• calculates or estimates rates of water flow
• supervises the preparation of plans showing channels, conduits, mains and ditches, and the construction of laboratory models to study construction and flow problems.

Local Government Engineer

A local government engineer

• administers and supervises the design, construction and maintenance of projects such as roads, drainage systems, pedestrian and cycle facilities, bridges, buildings, recreation grounds, parks, waste disposal and water treatment schemes within a local government area
• talks to the community and with government departments
• supervises other engineers such as those employed in design and construction, and other employees of the council or corporation such as supervisors and building surveyors.

Materials and Testing Engineer

A materials and testing engineer

• conducts research, development tests and evaluation of the quality or suitability of materials and products related to projects
• coordinates and directs the research, development and testing of materials such as asphalt, concrete, steel, cement, timber and plastics, taking into account factors such as stresses and strains, estimated load, water pressures, wind resistance and temperature fluctuations
• advises contractors and others on materials most suited to meet individual construction requirements.

Pipeline Engineer

A pipeline engineer

• specialises in preparing design proposals for pipelines and pipeline equipment, facilities and structures in consultation with petroleum and mechanical engineers
• works out a suitable layout of lines based on accurate mapping and surveying, and analyses operations and maintenance costs to determine efficiency and devise improvements or innovations in the system
• provides technical advice on the operation of machinery and equipment used to transport petroleum products through pipeline systems.

Railway Engineer

A railway engineer

• studies design proposals and advises on the construction, maintenance and repair of railway systems including tracks, terminals and yards
• studies the natural features of proposed routes and plans the types of rail beds, rail size and curves to meet train speed and load requirements
• conducts traffic surveys to establish suitable routes for rapid transit or urban railway systems.

Structural Engineer

A structural engineer

• designs the framework of buildings, towers, bridges, water treatment structures, tunnels and other structures to make sure of strength and rigidity
• studies new materials and methods and their impact on design and construction.

Civil engineers may work in offices or spend much of their time on site. They may be required to work long hours and meet strict deadlines while working under minimal supervision. Civil engineers deal with various professional, skilled and semi-skilled people. Consulting and contracting engineers often travel interstate and some travel overseas. It may be necessary for some civil engineers to change residence every few years as their work takes them from one major engineering site to another.

Personal Requirements:

• able to identify, analyse and solve problems
• good oral and written communication skills
• aptitude for computing and design
• practical and creative
• able to work without supervision
• able to work as part of a team
• able to accept responsibility
• willing to contribute and adhere to the safety requirements of the operation.

Hope Civil Engineers find useful from this job guide  during preparing or executing civil engineering jobs.