ABSTRACT
The planning and control of all resources necessary to the realisation of building production is of vital importance and at some point before commencing work on the site, thought must be given to the way in which the building operation will be organised. Most builders plan their work in some form or another but, in the past, only a few have done so in much detail and have committed their plan to paper. Buildings, and consequently their construction, have become increasingly complex and the proper management of a contract and the control of cost, on the part of the architect at design stage and the contractor during erection, are more than ever essential if building is to be carried out efficiently both in terms of time and money. Only by proper planning can aids to productivity, such as mechanical plant, incentives, and efficient use of labour, become fully effective. With the greater mechanisation of building operations and the increased use of expensive plant, the contractor must obtain maximum use of the plant and speed the construction of the job in order to keep costs to a minimum. The design erection continuum must be seen as a production process from inception to completion and there must be a programme on which the job may be organised, against which performance may be assessed and within which control may be exercised.
