Rested, relaxed and ready to go, our cohort returned to The Construction Training Centre for Day 4 of their program, day 1 of their build. Following the successful tender by team Merle, it was time to turn the winning bids into reality and start construction of the McIlwain Story Bridge.
In our first session Harry Hartman, Paul Robson, Gary Parker and Alex Ibarra provided the team with feedback on their tender submissions
Lean Construction Advisory’s Jon Davies joined the cohort for a masterclass on lean principles, working with the cohort to analyse their approach and to use the last planner system to create a complete schedule of works, enhance collaboration and link critical activities to milestones with firm commitments and actions that the entire team agree on. In a highly engaging session, the cohort was exposed to the theory behind lean principles, their practical application and created their project’s end-to-end approach, something that may well be challenged over the coming days.
And why will it be challenged? One simple reason, the weather. With a grim forecast for the week ahead, rain and wind scheduled on major construction delays and an immovable deadline, even the best projects can be severely tested by circumstances beyond their control. The trick for our cohort would be to adapt their methodology, ensure they can work safely, and avoid disruption were possible.
We caught up with the day’s project manager, Romana to hear her thoughts on their approach “We are concerned about the weather. Thursday and Friday are looking particularly challenging, so we are assessing our approach and looking to revise our schedule to avoid the worst of the wind and rain. It will be about speeding up the build, but doing so safely and without a loss of quality.”
“But, we are still 100% confident that we will hit our deadline and budget and are hoping to get ahead of the game tomorrow.”
For our Monday Lunch and Learn, new material technology was on the agenda as Darren Wilson of Wagners joined the cohort to talk about Composite Fibre Technologies. Wagners have used a new type of material to develop a methodology for producing lightweight structures from fibreglass that are lightweight and can replace wood, steel and aluminium in infrastructure and engineering projects.
The first part of the afternoon was spent with Paul Robson, Alex Ibarra, Jason Edge, Craig Irvine and Kevin Pascoe, who worked with the cohort to finalise the key components of their build, including the team’s Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS), Methodology, Inspection and Test Plan (ITP), Quality Plan, Program, Environmental Control Plan, Traffic Management Plan and Commercial Preparations. Once again, thank you to the friends of Constructionarium Australia for spending time with the cohort and sharing their experiences of project delivery.
Bentley Systems joined the cohort to deliver project controls training and to support the team as they analysed their first day’s performance metrics, site diary and impacts of changes to their methodology.
It was then time for training on the tools under the expert tutelage of Jason Edge and Craig Irvine. With four workstations set up, our cohort was able to learn how to safely use the power tools that will be a key component of their build. For many, this is their first experience of using power tools, and with safety critical, this session is one of the most important that we run at Constructionarium Australia.
The last activity of the day is the team shuffle. Our philosophy at Constructionarium Australia is to enable every team member to experience every role within the project. From project manager to traffic controller, from project controls to site supervisor, each role is changed each day with a handover between each team member. We also like to push people out of their comfort zone. So, if you are an expert at project controls, you are more than likely to have minimal time in this area. Constructionarium Australia is about learning what you don’t know and appreciating the expertise and skill of others in the industry, and experiencing roles that may well challenge your skillset.
Last but not least, we caught up with cohort member Emma, who is currently approaching the end of her second year of a Civil Engineering degree at QUT.
“Constructionarium has been very good so far; a great experience. It is very different to university studies, but very useful. I have enjoyed the teamwork aspect, especially the discussion and conversation as we worked together on the tender.”
“Today, I have been working as the surveyor and traffic controller. This is not something I have done before, but it is a great way to learn on the job and to know more about the range of jobs that are part of a project.”
What will day 2 of build week bring? That may well depend on whether the weather is kind.
