Planning and Control of Firms and Projects

Firms and organisations in construction are project-orientated. Unlike firms in manufacturing, construction firms rarely do the same thing in the same place from one year to the next. Firms undertake projects and allocate staff to carry out the work. Within each firm, several projects must be co-ordinated in order to make the best use of staff and resources, and to provide continuity of work and revenues. The selection of projects according to size and type of work must also be consistent with the general aims and targets of the firm. Otherwise, the firm can only respond in a haphazard way to opportunities as they become available, rather than going out to seek work of a particular type and quality.