AECS believes that a well-organized and effectively managed team is essential to ensuring that project objectives and requirements are met. Our project management approach provides the framework for organizing, directing, coordinating, controlling, and executing all project activities and includes the following elements:
- Effective planning, communications, and partnering among team members.
- Accurate cost estimating and scheduling.
- Implementation of project cost and schedule controls.
- Adherence to approved plans and specifications, QA/QC, and Health and Safety.
- Continuous project documentation and timely project closure management.
Proper planning involving all members of the project team is critical to the success of the project. The project team typically consists of AECS, the customer, subcontractors, others designated by the customer, and occasionally regulatory personnel. AECS is a strong advocate of the Partnering Process and seeks to partner all projects. Involvement of all partners and team members in the planning process ensures a clear understanding by all concerned of the goals, overall project plan, responsibilities, lines and methods of communication, methods of dispute or problem resolution, and engenders a spirit of cooperation. The planning process generally involves the following:
- Project scope and schedule
- Resource allocation
- Schedule and cost controls
- Procurement procedures
- Regulatory compliance requirements
- Health and safety policies and procedures
- Reporting requirements
- Sequence of events and responsibilities for execution
AECS places special emphasis on accurate cost estimating and uses the best practices in the industry, using statement of work (SOW) elements that are compatible with the US Army Corps of Engineers and can be made consistent with any customer desires or requirements. Each task is reviewed for work scope, resource needs, regulatory compliance requirements, and schedule requirements. The estimating system provides for total, component, and unit costs; project/task schedules, including CPM; material and resource lists; submittal lists; schedules; and reports for review, comment, and approval. The AECS system is flexible and can meet specific customer needs for reports or other information.
Cost and schedule control are critical to project success and are achieved through input of baseline information into our project control software. As work progresses, actual costs are accumulated and input against specific tasks or subtasks and compared to the baseline. Real-time project tracking allows for managers to take immediate corrective measures as necessary. Reports are generated periodically to allow for daily, weekly, and monthly reviews of project progress, costs, and schedules.
Goods and services are procured in accordance with the AECS established procurement policies, including competitive bidding, that provide for best value to the customer.
Upon project completion, every effort is made to close out the project in a timely manner and provide the customer with a project completion report. These reports are tailored to the needs and desires of the customer to provide him the assurance that all project objectives have been met.
