Construction teams often face challenges during two phases of a construction project — start-up and completion — according to a survey from FMI Corp., a Raleigh, N.C.-based management consulting firm, and the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), a McLean, Va.-based construction industry association. FMI and CMAA surveyed more than 100 owners in both the public and private sectors, and the majority identified incomplete drawings and poor planning as the primary culprits for cost overruns. About 80% of the respondents reported that the quality of design documents has declined to the point that subcontractors are completing the design through shop drawings.
More than half of the respondents expect the construction manager to lead a project from the beginning to the end by managing the design, funding, scheduling, and construction. Oftentimes, however, construction managers don't get involved early enough in the construction project, and as a result, the project owners have insufficient time and funding to devote to the pre-design stage.