1a

Deep strip foundations are used when the upper layer of soil is
weak or unstable, and the load needs to be transferred to a deeper,
more stable layer. These foundations require more extensive
excavation and more material, which can increase construction
costs.
 1b

Raft foundations are a type of foundation with high integrity in which

four foundation piers are connected together using a large
foundation slab to form a massive structure and the foundation
piers are connected through beams.
The principal aim of a raft foundation is to spread the load of the building across the entire
available surface area under the building. This reduces the stress on the ground below,
providing a solid foundation that can accommodate ground movement whilst still maintaining
structural integrity.
Raft foundation is preferred when the clayey soil is compact and hard. Even strap foundation
can also be used. Soft clayey sand is prone to expansion and shrinkage. They have a low
bearing capacity and are unsuitable for footing and strap foundation.

The different types of raft foundation?

 Solid slab raft, sometimes referred to as a plain raft, and including; flat rafts, mats,
wide toe rafts, slip plane rafts, blanket rafts, and so on.
 Slab beam raft.
 Cellular raft.
 Piled raft.

A raft foundation, also called a mat foundation, is essentially a continuous slab

resting on the soil that extends over the entire footprint of the building, thereby
supporting the building and transferring its weight to the ground.

A raft foundation is often used when the soil is weak, as it distributes the weight of
the building over the entire area of the building, and not over smaller zones (like
individual footings) or at individual points (like pile foundations). This reduces
the stress on the soil.

The concept of stress is very basic to civil engineering. Stress is simply weight
divided by area. For example, if a building measuring 5 x 5 weighs 50 tons, and has
a raft foundation, then the stress on the soil is weight / area = 50/25 = 2 tons per
square meter.

If the same building were supported by say 4 individual footings, each of 1 x 1m,
then the total area of the foundation would be 4 m2, and the stress on the soil would
be 50/16, which is about 12.5 tons per square meter. So increasing the total area of
the foundation can dramatically lower the stress on the soil, which is nothing but
weight per square meter.

A raft foundation is also very good for basements. Foundations are created by
excavating soil in order to find strong, compact, undisturbed natural soil that is at
least a few feet below ground level. This soil is much stronger than the loose soil at
the surface. If we construct a raft foundation at say 10 feet below ground, and build
concrete walls around the periphery, this makes an excellent basement. Therefore,
an engineer designing a building with a basement will tend to choose a raft
foundation over other types of foundations.

1c

A pile is basically a long cylinder of a strong material such as concrete that is pushed
into the ground to act as a steady support for structures built on top of it.

Pile foundations are used in the following situations:

1. When there is a layer of weak soil at the surface. This layer cannot support
the weight of the building, so the loads of the building have to bypass this
layer and be transferred to the layer of stronger soil or rock that is below the
weak layer.
2. When a building has very heavy, concentrated loads, such as in a high rise
structure, bridge, or water tank.

Pile foundations are capable of taking higher loads than spread footings.

There are two fundamental types of pile foundations (based on structural

behaviour), each of which works in its own way.

End Bearing Piles

In end bearing piles, the bottom end of the pile rests on a layer of especially
strong soil or rock. The load of the building is transferred through the pile onto the
strong layer. In a sense, this pile acts like a column. The key principle is that the
bottom end rests on the surface which is the intersection of a weak and strong layer.
The load therefore bypasses the weak layer and is safely transferred to the strong
layer.

Friction Piles

Friction piles work on a different principle. The pile transfers the load of the
building to the soil across the full height of the pile, by friction. In other
words, the entire surface of the pile, which is cylindrical in shape, works to
transfer the forces to the soil.

To visualise how this works, imagine you are pushing a solid metal rod
of say 4mm diameter into a tub of frozen ice cream. Once you have pushed it in, it is
strong enough to support some load. The greater the embedment depth in the ice
cream, the more load it can support. This is very similar to how a friction pile works.
In a friction pile, the amount of load a pile can support is directly proportionate to its
length.
1d
Pad foundations are a form of spread foundation formed by rectangular, square, or
sometimes circular concrete 'pads' that support localised single-point loads such as
structural columns, groups of columns or framed structures. This load is then spread by the
pad to the bearing layer of soil or rock below.
Reinforced concrete pads should be designed so that the depth is sufficient to resist a shear
force known as 'punching shear'. This can develop around the perimeter of the column, wall
or other vertical component that the pad is supporting. Bending can also occur as the pad
footing spreads the load onto the stratum.

Pad foundations are a form of spread foundation formed by rectangular, square, or sometimes
circular concrete ‘pads’ that support localised single-point loads such as structural columns, groups
of columns or framed structures. This load is then spread by the pad to
the bearing layer of soil or rock below. Pad foundations can also be used to support ground beams.

A pad foundation should be designed to effectively spread a concentrated force into

a bearing stratum. They are a popular design solution as they are generally cost-effective and are
relatively easy to design and construct, and are suitable for most sub
soils except loose sands, loose gravels and filled areas.
In order for pad foundations to spread the load into the soil, the pad must be either sufficiently deep
(allowing the force of the load to spread out at a pre-defined angle), or be constructed with
adequate reinforcement. The soil’s bearing capacity, as well as the concrete’s strength, are
the factors that define the angle of the load’s spread.

The type of skeletal frame will determine the pad foundation design. For example, a
cast insitu concrete column will require a kicker and continuity bars to be cast into the pad. Steel
frame, timber frame or precast concrete framed structures will require holding-down bolts to be cast
into the top of the pad or sockets to be formed.
2

Every construction project, from the small bathroom renovation to the towering skyscraper,
has a similar process. Each project requires planning and design. You also need to consider
inventory, resources, and manage supplies, the actual construction of the project needs to
be managed, and there will be post-construction details to tie-up.
Every construction project, regardless of size, benefits from a solid plan and a great project
manager who is familiar with construction project management. To build the right plan for
your construction project it is helpful to understand the construction process.

The construction process is the detailed steps required to complete your construction
project. This process can be broken down into five phases – planning/design, pre-
construction, procurement, construction, and post-construction. Depending on the size and
scope of the project, each phase has its own set of challenges.

While construction projects may vary in size, the number of stakeholders, budget, and
delivery date, one thing remains certain: Construction projects are always a long and
demanding process with lots of moving parts. That’s why having the right project
management tool at hand is important.

A standard construction project, in general, has following five major life cycle phases:

1. Initiation
2. Planning
3. Execution
4. Performance and monitoring
5. Closure

:
1. Initiation Phase of Construction Project

We have to create and evaluate the project in order to determine if it is feasible and if it should be
undertaken, at the beginning of the project. Here the project objective or need is identified; this
can be a business problem or opportunity. A suitable response to the need is documented in a
business case with recommended solution options. A feasibility study is conducted to examine
whether each option clearly identifies the project objective and a final recommended solution is
determined. Many questions related to the issues of feasibility i.e. “can we do the project?” and
justification like “should we do the project?” are mentioned and faced. When a solution is
approved, a project is initiated to implement the approved solution. For this, a project manager is
appointed. At this stage, the major deliverables and the participating work groups are identified.
This is the time when the project team begins to take shape. Approval is then required by the
project manager to move onto the detailed planning phase.
2. Planning Phase of Construction Project

The planning phase involves further development of the project in detail to meet the project’s
objective. The team identifies all of the work to be done. The project’s tasks and resource
requirements are identified, along with the strategy for producing them. In a broader sense
identification of each activity as well as their resource allocation is also carried out. A project
plan outlining the activities, tasks, dependencies, and timeframes is created. The project manager
is the one who coordinates the preparation of a project budget by providing cost estimates for the
labor, equipment, and materials costs. This is mainly carried out by project scheduling software
like MS project or PRIMAVERA. This scheduling charts would help us to track the stages of our
project as time passes. This is also referred to as “scope management.” The budget of the project
already estimated is used to monitor and control cost expenditures during project implementation.
Finally, we require a document to show the quality plan, providing quality targets, assurance, and
control measures, along with an acceptance plan, listing the criteria to be met to gain customer
acceptance. At this point, the project would have been planned in detail and is ready to be
executed.

3. Execution Phase of Construction Project

This is the implementation phase, where the project plan is put into motion and the work of the
project is performed practically on site. It is essential to maintain control and communicate as
needed during each implementation stages. Progress should be continuously monitored and
appropriate adjustments are made and recorded as variances from the original plan. A project
manager is the one who spends most of the time in this step. Throughout the project
implementation, people carry out the tasks, and progress information is being reported through
regular project team meetings. The project manager uses this information to preserve control over
the direction of the project by comparing the progress reports with the project plan to measure the
performance of the project activities. If any deviation is found from the already defined plan
corrective measures are made. The first option of action should always be to bring the project
back to the original plan. If that cannot happen, the team should record variations from the
original plan and record and publish modifications to the plan. all through this step, project
sponsors, and other key stakeholders are kept informed about the project’s status as per the
agreed rate and format of communication. The plan should be updated and available on a regular
basis. Status reports should always highlight the probable end point in terms of cost, schedule,
and quality of deliverables. Each project deliverable produced should be reviewed for quality and
measured against the acceptance criteria. When deliverables have been produced and the
customer has agreed on the final solution, the project is said to be ready for closure.

4. Performance and Monitoring Phase of Construction

Project

This stage is all related to the measurement of progress and performance to make sure that items
are tracking with the project management scheduling. This phase regularly happens at the same
time as the execution phase.
 5. Closure Phase of Construction Project

During the final closure, the importance is on providing the final deliverables to the customer,
that is:

 Handing over project documentation to the business

 Termination of supplier contracts
 Releasing project resources
 Communicate the closure of the project to all stakeholders.
 Last and final is to conduct lessons-learned studies to examine what went well and what
didn’t.
This type of analysis would make the knowledge of experience to be transferred back to the
project organization, which will help future project

Effective construction resource management will improve budget forecasting for your
current and future projects by providing information crucial for more accurate
estimates of the rConstruction projects employ a broad range
of resources like labor, equipment, and materials.
Naturally, construction companies want to use those
and other construction resources as efficiently as
possible.
That’s where construction resource management steps
in.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the five
benefits of construction resource management you
should know about.
In this article...
 Improved Budget Forecasting
 Enabled Tracking of All Construction Resources
 Minimized Construction Project Costs
 Improved Jobsite Productivity
 Reduced Material Waste
 Conclusion
Improved Budget Forecasting
Effective construction resource management will
improve budget forecasting for your current and future
projects by providing information crucial for more
accurate estimates of the required resources and their
costs that need to be included in the budget.
But before we dive in, let’s set the stage and define
what we’re talking about.
In short, construction resources refer to everything a
construction firm would need to complete a
construction project.
Although such resources can range from, for example,
credit line funds for financing a project to on-site
storage facilities, the most common resources involved
in construction projects are people, equipment, and
materials.
Those and other resources can be broken down by
function and type in various ways, depending on each
project’s specific construction resource management
requirements.
For example, here’s a breakdown of resources needed
for constructing a bridge:

Source: edrawmind
Each of these resource types can be broken down
further or structured differently.
Still, all of them have the same purpose—to classify,
organize and display construction resources, which can
then be used for successful construction budgeting.
It follows that construction resource management refers
to how a construction manager or general contractor
tracks and utilizes (i.e., manages) all of the resources
required to complete a construction project, preferably
on time and within budget.
This brings us back to how construction resource
management improves budget forecasting.
Simply put, when you’re able to track the productivity of
labor and the utilization of materials and equipment
throughout the construction project lifecycle, the
insights gained from the collected data will make your
budget forecasts for current and future projects much
more precise.
Of course, the market offers a vast selection of
construction management software that can streamline
all or specific aspects of resource management, as this
one does.
Source: saviom

This and other similar software will allow you to track

project financials and productive utilization of your
workforce, equipment, materials, etc., thus improving
your budget forecasting when, for example, you need to
integrate change orders into the budget of your ongoing
construction project.
It will also allow you to compare cost estimates with
actual project costs after project completion, so you
can use the lessons learned to produce better budget
forecasts for future construction projects.
To sum up, effective construction resource management
gives you the tools to analyze and understand how
construction resources are used, and that knowledge
leads to more accurate budget forecasts.

Enabled Tracking of All Construction

Resources
Proper construction resource management aims to
achieve optimal utilization of all construction resources.
To do that, efficient resource management will
necessarily involve tracking different construction
resources throughout the project lifecycle, which then
produces a host of other benefits.
First, it’s clear that the times when, for instance, the
quantities of construction materials used on-site every
day were manually tracked on paper are long gone.
Nowadays, all construction resource management
processes can and should be automated and
streamlined with the help of technology.
Naturally, construction companies recognized this and
started integrating different technological solutions into
their operations.
Construction management software was among the first
solutions to be widely adopted, with 54% of
construction managers already using them in 2018.
Furthermore, recent global developments provided
plenty more reasons to improve construction resource
management, and that’s why the global construction
management software market is predicted to grow
by 8.04% in 2022, with even higher growth rates in
subsequent years.
Source: prnewswire

One of the primary benefits of such software is that they

enable the tracking of all construction resources.
For example, you can track the availability of
construction materials, plan their procurement, and
adjust to potential constraints like supply chain
breakdowns or rising material prices.
As expected, the market offers solutions that enable
tracking of all or specific types of construction
resources.
For instance, 4castplus lets you track and manage
labor, equipment, and materials and provides
centralized control of those and other construction
resources.
Source: 4castplus

Such solutions can, for example, allow you to efficiently

reallocate workers, machinery, and materials when an
inevitable change order appears.
However, with construction projects having so many
moving parts, it is often necessary to deploy specialized
tools for tracking different resources, such as
equipment.
As construction tools and equipment often change
hands and locations, neglecting to physically track them
can jeopardize efficient equipment management.
In other words, a piece of equipment can be misplaced,
lost, or stolen, or it can break down due to poor
maintenance.
This calls for specialized tracking software
like GoCodes. This affordable and simple solution
combines the power of cloud software, smartphones,
and patented QR code tags.
Source: GoCodes

All in all, effective construction resource management

can’t be imagined without the ability to track how
different resources are utilized.
And when tracking is automatized with the help of
software, this can vastly improve resource
management, increase productivity, and maximize
profitability.
Minimized Construction Project Costs
Another all-encompassing benefit of proficient
construction resource management is that it minimizes
costs from start to finish of the project.
Costs can be cut in the resource planning process or
during project delivery, where efficient resource
management allows construction managers to avoid
many pitfalls of construction projects.
With so many factors at play that can negatively affect
the project outcome, it’s no surprise that construction
projects are vulnerable to time and cost overruns.
In fact, 86% of construction projects exceed their
budget.
For example, bad weather can stop the works, short-
circuit some equipment, and ruin certain materials.
When this happens, it results in higher labor, equipment,
and material costs, thus blowing up your project budget.

Source: h3constructionand

design
Naturally, establishing a robust resource management
system that can adjust to such events without causing
extensive delays or excessive costs requires good
planning and preparation, which start with prudent
resource allocation.
This is a crucial step in the resource planning process
as it helps minimize the costs ensuing from mistakes
like delays due to late delivery of materials or not
having the right equipment and people available.
Naturally, that process can be streamlined by software
like this.
Source: traxxeo

For instance, efficient workforce allocation could

involve you deciding to pair a seasoned worker with a
less experienced one to perform a specific construction
task, thus preventing the extra cost of potential rework
resulting from inexperience.
At the same time, you’re minimizing risks associated
with ever-present skilled labor shortages, which is an
issue that 89% of construction companies have to deal
with.
This is a good example of how competent allocation of
human resources in the project initiation phase can
minimize construction project costs.
One way to keep construction project costs under
control is through constant monitoring of resource-
related financial elements of the project.
In other words, when a project milestone is reached,
actual and planned costs can be compared, and any
overruns can be timely managed, thus minimizing their
effect of increasing construction project costs.
Overall, effective construction resource management
will ensure both budget and schedule contingencies that
will help minimize delays and costs associated with
many risks and constraints inherent to construction
projects.
Improved Jobsite Productivity
Perhaps the biggest advantage of construction
resource management is seen in the improved
productivity on your construction site and across your
construction operations.
Like in the case of project costs, efficient planning,
allocation, and management of construction resources
can enhance the overall jobsite productivity.
Productivity is another long-standing problem in the
construction industry.
According to McKinsey, despite being the biggest
industry in the world (13% of global GDP), its
productivity has been “growing” at a steady rate of just
1% over the last twenty years.
When the efficiency of individual jobsites is
concerned, it rests upon optimal management of
construction resources required for successful project
completion.
To achieve this, they first need to be planned and
allocated, possibly with the help of software like this.
Source: eresourcescheduler

Using such software to, let’s say, plan the time and cost
of operator training and allocate the necessary
resources will improve the productivity of your machine
operators by empowering them to do their job and
preventing breakdowns and injuries due to improper
operation.
It will also facilitate the management of operator
working hours and equipment utilization during
construction.
The risks, constraints, dependencies, and
interrelationships related to different construction
project resources can be best captured by one of many
available construction management software solutions
that allow for scheduling all those factors.
For instance, the ones shown below are among the best-
reviewed management software for small-to-medium-
sized construction businesses.

Source: fool

Any of these and other similar software solutions will

allow you to plan and allocate different construction
resources and manage their interdependencies across
one or more construction sites, thus boosting the
efficiency of your construction operations.
An example of a more specific resource management
strategy that optimizes the utilization of materials on
construction sites is known as “kitting.”
This process refers to collecting, packaging, and
delivering otherwise unrelated construction materials
together in one “kit” prepared according to the place of
their installation.
This improves the overall jobsite productivity (e.g., by
saving the time needed to find and get the right
materials) and minimizes material waste, as you’ll see
below.
Thus, efficient resource management will mirror how
you, probably by using software, initially planned and
allocated construction resources and how you’re
optimizing their utilization during the project lifecycle,
all of which improves jobsite productivity.

Reduced Material Waste

The benefit of reduced material waste has long been
overlooked, but it’s quickly becoming an essential
element of any efficient construction resource
management strategy due to environmental and
economic concerns.
Whether it’s demolition waste, packaging materials,
leftover wood, metal, glass or plastic waste, expired
paints, varnishes, or adhesives, etc., construction sites
usually generate sizable quantities of material waste.
In fact, around a third of all construction materials on-
site can end up disposed of as waste, with immense
negative environmental and financial effects.
Thus, any miscalculations in estimating and scheduling
construction materials needed during a project can
result in more material waste.
Here’s what a typical composition of waste materials
generated on a construction site looks like.
 Source: researchga

te
For example, extra waste can arise when the quantity of
construction materials is misestimated, thus resulting in
overordering.
If the excess material can’t be reallocated and used
somewhere else, it will most likely be discarded as
waste after project completion.
The same applies if the wrong type of material was
ordered or the right material was delivered to the wrong
construction site.
Mind you, cost-effective reallocation of such materials
to avoid them becoming waste can be demanding as it
requires additional resources like people and equipment
needed for their transport or facilities required for their
temporary storage.
Conversely, proper waste disposal also comes with a
price tag, which many try to avoid, as this image shows.
Source: ©Tatabrada via Canva.com

Many of those wasted resources can be prevented by

efficient construction material management, which is
an integral part of construction resource management.
A successful material management strategy will
ensure more accurate estimating, planning, and
scheduling of materials, thus reducing the likelihood of
the above-described events generating excess waste.
Naturally, appropriate quality control of materials and
their suitable storage will also reduce the generation of
waste.
To sum up, effective construction resource management
uses all its different components to optimize waste-
generating processes, thus reducing material waste,
lowering costs, and alleviating the environmental
burden of waste.
Conclusion
In closure, it’s safe to say that construction resource
management, especially when supported by relevant
software solutions, brings immense benefits throughout
the project lifecycle.
In this article, we covered only five you should know
about and, naturally, there are many more.

About GoCodes
GoCodes is the industry leader in tool tracking. We
provide customers with the ultimate single vendor
solution that includes cloud-based software, top-rated
smartphone scanner apps and rugged QR code tags.
We pride ourselves on delivering a personalized service,
cutting-edge technology and software that is easily used
by your entire team.
GoCodes ensures our customers achieve success in
their tool management projects every time.
equired resources and their costs that need to be included in the budget.