Masters First One’s in every sector!!

Masters First One’s in every sector!!

Masters expanded its horizons over the years and like the first born child, the first projects in the different fields hold a special place as they are the foundation blocks which made Masters what it is now. Below we can see the first footprints of MASTERS in the individual stream.

RESIDENTIAL: Imperial Towers, Mumbai

Oh!! MASTERS entered into the Residential Construction Industry and How. We jump started with a king size project i.e. the Imperial Towers which is touted as the highest existing Residential towers in India. The Project is a flagship residential complex - 253 meter high, 60 storey towers with the finest of amenities, at the heart of the city of Mumbai. The towers are built with state-of-the-art technology & finishes and using international standards of construction. The towers include a podium of 10 storey height which houses car parking, a luxury spa, clubhouse & recreational facilities and a triple-height entrance lobby. In addition to the luxury high rises, also developed are 18 slum rehabilitation buildings of G+14 to G+21 storey height to house 2664 families.

HOSPITALITY: Novotel, Mumbai

In April 2007 Eastern International HOTELS Ltd. announced with pleasure that they would be re-opening their flagship hotel in Juhu Beach Mumbai, India, as the new Novotel Hotel. Entering into the Hospitality Industry, with this Project MASTERS grabbed the opportunity to work on the renovation of complete Hotel with the BUA of 150,000 sq. ft. and Project cost of 77 Cr. Since the Hotel is based on the seafront within Coastal Regulation Zone, the structure could not be demolished, but almost the entire infill walls etc were torn down to re- house building services and customize the guest rooms, public areas and BOH areas as per the new operator's requirements. With the crucial contribution by MASTERS as the PMC the existing building was transformed it into a place ideal for business guests, as well as those on holidays. By the end of Jul 2009 on completion of Project The Novotel offered its Clients with 203 contemporary designed rooms having magnificent views of the Arabian Sea, meeting rooms seating up to 1000 participants, 4 specialty restaurants, a chic sea lounge, an outdoor pool, spa and fitness centre, it epitomizes a new approach to hospitality.

COMMERCIAL: DELL International, Hyderabad

MASTERS tested the waters in the Commercial construction Industry and bagged the Project for Construction of the Dell International office Building located in Hyderabad. The Project was conceptualized in Jun 2005 with a Built Up Area of 6.00 Lack Sq. ft. Dell IT Campus is a 3,000-seat call centre for 24 x 7 operations. The building has a four storey entrance block, with other blocks of larger floor plate and multiple levels of parking.

SEZ PROJECTS: L&T Phoenix, Hyderabad

Masters has worked as a PMC for the L&T Phoenix Infoparks for their SEZ in Hyderabad. The project also involved building an incubation space for its tenants. The site was 25 acres of land with 9 state of art IT/ITES buildings each with an average BUA of 250,000 Sq. ft. with a Total Project Value of 406 Cr.

RETAIL AND OFFICES: Infogain (Noida) & Wells Fargo (Hyderabad)

Masters has executed several interior fit-outs of which the interiors for Infogain at Noida, was one of the first. Infogain with a BUA of 90,000 Sq.ft is located in Noida NCR, India and Masters provided PMC and design services (Interior fit outs) for the Project. With this Masters also entered the field of Office interior fit outs with WELLS FARGO in Hyderabad. 

                             

Infogain, Noida                          Wells Fargo, Hyderabad

INDUSTRIAL: Metallsa, Jamshedpur

With Commercial, Residential and hospitality projects in our hand, Industrial buildings were just another stepping stone. We commenced with working for the successful setting up of an industrial facility with BUA of 200,000 sq. ft.for a Mexican company's in their maiden venture in India for production of chasis for heavy vehicles for TATA - The complex housed a pre-engineered production building, administrative block, office, canteen etc. work.

CORPORATE OFFICE: Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad

After successfully handling the interior fit outs of multiple offices Masters shouldered the responsibility of completing the base building and Interiors of Dr.Reddy's corporate office at Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. The building had a BUA: 179,000 sq. ft. and the total Project cost of 50 Cr.

RETAIL MALL: Trillium Mall, Amritsar

Masters can boast about entering into the Retail Malls constructions with a fantastic project which was Trillium Mall built by Tata Group.
The 204 CR Trillium Mall located in the Civil Lines is spread over 10.5 Lac Sq.ft. of land feet devoted to shopping area. With its multiplex and banqueting facilities the Mall has been an attraction for the residents of the city residents Masters played a crucial role as the PMC in Tata Realty’s vision to serve the city and its surrounding areas, and provide the experience of grand shopping, entertainment and socializing.

HOSPITAL PROJECTS: Breach Candy Hospital & Research Center

Masters expanded its wings towards the medical facilities sector with the interior fit outs project of Breach Candy Hospital wherein our scope include structural strengthening works, complete refurbishment of two wards and the VVIP ward for one of Mumbai’s premier Hospitals having a built up area of 1 Lac Sq.ft and project Value of 4.5 Cr.

Dharmesh Gala 
(Project Manager)
Masters Mumbai

10 industry-changes the coming decade must experience

10 industry-changes the coming decade must experience

The last decade has seen significant changes in the construction industry in India. Whilst there has been technological advancement in the construction works, some aspects of the industry still remain incompetent and ultimately impact the project outcomes in terms of the cost, time and quality. We, as Project Managers, are the first to experience the effects of such project in-competencies.
 

Every project is distinct in its own respect. However, we may note that there are a few common issues with all of them. These issues if tackled in an efficient and organized manner may reduce a lot of our grief. The construction industries across the developed nations have a robust system which safeguards its participants in all respects. And whilst the Indian construction industry has not advanced to that stage, we remain hopeful that we can catch-up with the developed nations in a decade’s time.

Here are some of the key changes we would like to see in the industry:

1. Standard Contracts

Use of standardized contact forms for engagement of consultants, contractors and sub-contractors. The benefit of standardized contracts is that they are not biased towards the Client / the contractor and give fair terms of engagement to the parties involved. Indian Standards for construction contracts should be established similar to the FIDIC, Australian Standards, etc. Government agencies should make it mandatory to utilize such standard contract for all government funded projects.

2. Payment Regulations

Non-payment or late payment is a very common complaint in the construction projects, which sometimes results in delays and disputes between the parties involved. The government should formulate Regulations/Acts that can formalize the payment cycles and provide respite and formal channels of claiming the outstanding dues. Such cases should be handled by independent, government accredited bodies to expedite such claims and not follow the regular judiciary process which takes years to get a hearing on the case.

One such example is the ‘Security of Payments Act’ followed in Australia.

3. Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S)

Whilst the industry has seen a tremendous improvement on this front over the last decade, there is a lot more to be achieved. OH&S not just relates to wearing hard hats and safety vest but involves every aspect in which an occupational hazard can be avoided. OH&S is both generic and specific to the industry. The government should make it mandatory for all construction industry personnel to undertake a general induction on OH&S and issue certificates or license for the same. In addition to this, site OH&S induction should be made mandatory for every person entering the site.

4. Hazardous Waste Management

An issue that is highly talked about, yet, the most ignored when it comes to construction industry is Waste Management. In addition to air and water pollution, there are other more toxic pollutants that affect the environment and people exposed to it. One example is asbestos-health effects of prolonged exposure to asbestos are known to cause cancer. While asbestos is banned for use in European Union, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and New Zealand, its use is still prevalent in India. The government should make efforts to eliminate the use of asbestos in construction and also regulate the disposal of asbestos in a safe manner. 

5. Formal training for construction trades

Tradesmen in Indian construction industry often inherit the skills or learn by experience working on sites, which is not always a bad way to learn. However, the trade skills need to be recognized as vocational subjects in universities and formal training on best practices should be provided to the aspiring candidates. This will not only set standards to the trade but also recognize the trades as respectable and skilled professions. Skilled personnel on projects will reduce the amount of defects considerably.

6. Construction quality benchmarks

Quality often seems to be a variable factor with different contractors. It would be beneficial to set some standard benchmarks for the class of finishes. For example, concrete finish when used as a super-structure and when used as exposed concrete will be different. However, a standard guide which outlines the parameters of the different classes of concrete will greatly assist the designers and contractors to specify finishes.

7. Work Methods

India has a huge reserve of inexpensive manual labour, which is largely used in the construction industry. The use of machinery in construction, to some extent has been directly influenced by the availability of cheap labour in the country. While the last decade has seen some changes in this perspective, there are more aspects that can be adopted in the work methods. For example, use of plastering machines, use of stairform for staircase construction, permanent form systems for cores, etc.

8. Municipal approvals process

One of the most tentative/ uncertain events in the project schedule is the municipal approvals, which obviously impacts the overall project duration and ultimately cost. It would be ideal if the local municipalities regulate the approval process with definite timelines and provide transparency on the application status. Special approval authorities should be established for major projects, thus minimizing the work load on the regular approvals in municipalities.

9. Independent Certification

Once the initial project approvals are received for the project, ongoing approvals like the Commencement Certificates, Occupation Certificate, etc. are dependent on the visit from the municipal officer to the site and then the officer processing the necessary paperwork. This is a time consuming process and most of the municipalities are understaffed to undertake these visits.

In most developed nations, the same function is undertaken by an Independent Certifier, who is authorized by the municipal authorities and appointed by the Client. The introduction of independent certifier in the process reduces the already understaffed and overworked municipalities and also makes the process of certification quicker for the project team. This concept would greatly benefit in the Indian context.

10. Understanding professional indemnity

It’s a usual practice for service providers in the construction industry, who provide professional advice, to cover themselves by the professional indemnity insurance. Professional indemnity insurance covers the service provider from bearing the full cost for defending negligence claims made by the client.

Whilst we all understand the intent and extent of our professional indemnity, we as Project Managers, often find ourselves crossing boundaries. Example – It is often found that Project Managers end up providing sketches of architectural details at site. With all good intentions, it is provided in order to avoid delays; however are we covered for it? Does our professional indemnity insurance cover design services if we are project managers? The answer is no, unless you are a multi-disciplinary company. In case of a mishap resulting from the professional advice of individual Project Manager, the company would be liable for the negligence claims.

Industry professionals and companies need to appreciate their professional limits and instill  these limits as corporate guidelines.

10 Reasons to work with MASTERS

10 Reasons to work with MASTERS 

As every individual aspires to reach great heights in their professional life, it is very imperative to choose right place to work where one can get the essential platform, exposure and support to enhance one’s aptitude and capabilities. MASTERS being one of the most respected project management companies with PAN India presence run by highly professional individuals, understands this and thus plays a key role in carving the professional path for its employees with constantly evolving career goals by encouraging new talent and nurturing them into becoming better individuals, both professionally and personally!

Masters has delivered landmark projects—the contemporary marvels of the construction industry like the Imperial Towers at Mumbai which still stand as the tallest towers in India. There are many reasons which can be laid down for young professionals like me to work with Masters who are looking for an aspiring career and to give some insights, I have listed below the top 10 which are highly commendable and sets Masters apart all other in the industry:
 

Principles/ Values: The foundation of any organization is the principles & values it poses and Masters have taken this literally.

Honesty, integrity and transparency, the core values of MASTERS are embedded in every individual’s working attitude, which not only strengthens one’s conduct but also builds a strong bond with the associates. Everyone representing Masters strives to conform to the highest standards of ethical behavior, integrity and honesty. A system of values, wherein central importance is ascribed to work, commitment to professionalism, diligence and persistence, is instilled throughout the organization and it is strongly believed that Transparency breeds Trust which is the foundation of rewarding teamwork.

Team Work: At MASTERS everyone counts, everyone!

Masters values contributions from one and all, irrespective of age, gender, experience and qualification. A young graduate has as much say as a senior leader when it comes to knowledge and ideas. Everyone’s thoughts are respected as it is well reckoned, within the organization, that successful endeavors are the result of good teamwork. The teams at MASTERS works unanimously along with all associates to deliver a successful product through result oriented approach and everyone in the team is expected to contribute to the projects. MASTERS is not just a company but a second home where team members are more like family members and where novel ideas are not only embraced but encouraged!!

Ownership: MASTERS gives every team member a sense of ownership for their contribution, which makes the team more connected to project and boosts their moral. Here at MASTERS the aim is to hone employees to develop into ENTREPRENEURIAL PROJECT MANAGERS with a sense of ownership of the Project ability to look beyond the mundane and rise beyond the ordinary. Every individual is encouraged to take-charge & self-direct in order to deliver a product or service to Clients that is of value. It is not just a JOB for the employees at Masters and hence it is ensured that extra initiatives are taken towards the success of a Project. This attitude drives the team’s efforts towards setting higher standards for performance and achievement and this is what sets us apart from others!!

Leadership: At MASTERS leaders create leaders!!

The leaders here carry a culture wherein they motivate others to become future leaders by directing and supporting them to accomplish the delegated task and sail through the complex situations. There are endless opportunities for all, who are willing to take up. Everyone is allowed to take a chance and not be always afraid of the result. Masters promotes risk-takers! The leaders at MASTERS invest their efforts and time, for all risk-takers, to increase the returns from their teams, contributing even to the bottom line to create a stronger, more robust, engaged and valuable work environment. Our organization is well led, not only from the top but at every level.

Healthy Work Environment: Apart from the responsibilities that come with a job perhaps the single most important thing that influences employee motivation, happiness, and how efficient they are, is their working environment. The working environment is one of the key factors in inculcating the right culture towards work and society. MASTERS being diversified in all regions brings the sense of nation with in. There is always an option to get inspired by the cultural diversity this organization offers. 

Professionalism: MASTERS being an ISO 9001:2008 certified company has its processes and practices at par with the International Standards. Upkeep with the new management trends and practices, adaptation to the best practices in the industry helps in the overall growth. Masters focuses on the culmination of competence, knowledge, resourcefulness, quality, attitude, and cooperation not only to ensure the successful completion of deliverables, but also with an exceptional experience over the entire course of a project.

Versatile Exposure: MASTERS has marked their presence in all real estate projects, be it a SEZ project or High rise buildings or hospitality projects. Thiprovides an opportunity to an individual to get versatile exposure in all type of construction projects. Every member in a team gets an opportunity to get hands on to various departments and get upgraded with the latest trends.

Continual Growth: Over the decade year by year MASTERS has spread its wings and has come a long way from acting just as Project Managers to now taking the complete ownership of the projects to ensure that all project needs are met, right from the development phase to the execution/hand-over phase. Masters also renders specialized services like Cost Consultancy & Quantity Surveying, Design Services (with an integrated in-house design team), Development Solutions (from assessing feasibility, viability of projects to complete hand-over) and Real Estate Allied Services etc. Masters with its already established PAN India presence is now looking forward to establishing a strong foothold in the international market as well.

Brand Image: Masters have created a niche in the industry with successful deliveries of numerous projects of different portfolios. Masters under the flagship of Project Management and specialized services have bagged over 130 projects in a decade with several as repeat businesses from same Clients!

Fun Time: Nothing is complete without fun, partying and celebration, reason could be any Top Up party, achievement of major milestone, festive, birthday bash or an annual get together. Masters have never remained at the back seat when it comes to celebrations.

 

Dharmesh Gala
(Project Manager)
Masters Mumbai

PMC, as seen a decade ago

Project Management Consultancy, as seen a decade ago 

At Masters we believe in teamwork, at work and also in celebrations! As we complete 10 years this month, over the next few days we will be sharing our story of existence with you. Starting from what led to our inception, our virtues (that still hold strong today), our key contributions to the industry, what to look forward to in the next 10 years and much more insights. Stay tuned!

Read at - http://www.masterspmc.com/celebrating-10-years-of-masters/74-pmc-as-seen-a-decade-ago

As technical the term Project Management may sound to many, to my inner conscious I smile and say it to be the most simplest phrase. In very simple language, I would say Project Management, as we understand at Masters, is the process and activity of planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals in scientific or daily problems. What integrates technically here is the industry; i.e. construction.  

As we have maintained here at Masters over the last 10 years, correct application & integration of various project management processes & tools results in planning, managing and controlling various project parameters including the cost, the time, the scope and the quality, thereby delivering the product.

During this journey of 10 years of Masters, we have come across an array of experiences from various clients as regards their understanding and expectations from a Project Management Consultant and an amalgamation of these put together interests me to pen down the development in the notion of having a PMC on-board for a project.

As we closely look back, say 10 years back, at the approach/modality of Project Management, substantial changes/up-gradation are observed in today’s time. If I only talk about the very basics, in those days of a decade back, I correctly recall the existence of a PMC on ground was extremely narrow. Most Clients as well as the Contractors were not in particular aware of the role & responsibilities; keep aside the value additions, which a PMC would bring on board. Variation was felt in the understanding of the Contractors and the Client’s w.r.t the authority that a PMC team would carry, the systems that a PMC would follow and the results that would be seen. 

These differences, as we talk about briefly, have certainly brought more challenges to the PMC teams in implementing an overall Project Management system and methodologies amongst all stakeholders involved in the project. 

In the then construction industry, the PMC was by and large understood to be working as an overseer appointed by the client to examine and scrutinize contractor’s quality of work at site and certification of bill for work executed by contractor. And this, belief, was popularly termed as “Supervision Consultancy”. 

However, taking the challenge as the opportunity, the industry today understands the importance of PMC’s which is due to increasing awareness on the role & significance of PMC.

The then PMC role, as on today have evolved and emerged broadly into two categories:

1. Technical
2. Commercial

Project key Stakeholders have started to understand the importance both of the technical as well as the commercial roles and the value additions which a PMC brings in within the two.

 The Clients have felt the importance and have established the requirement of the technical roles addressed by PMC team with extensive involvement primarily in the process of Project Design Management, Procurement & Contracts Management, Planning Management, & Construction Process Management in one hand and Q.S. and Cost Management as part of Commercial Management on the other hand. 

However, in the last 10 years, Project Management did not stop here and have moved a step ahead. A PMC team today understands that besides their primary role to complete the project within the desired time, cost and quality they are also responsible for continuous development with particular emphasis on Project Integration Management, Project Communication Management, Risk Management, Stakeholder Management etc. 

With this continuous evolution of PMC service in Construction industry, we at Masters have always put our best endeavor to ride through a learning curve and maintained our services at par with the best industry standards and practices. Development and up gradation of Project Specific Procedure (PSP) of Masters in the recent past has been a step towards such an effort in maintaining the pace for development of PMC services. 

Masters is proud to have been a part of this most important decade for the industry which has seen the establishment of requirements and significance of PMC. 

Saikat Majumdar              (AGM)                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Masters Kolkata                                                                                                                   

Role of PMC (Project Management Consultants) in Construction Industry

The construction industry generally deals with the various types of construction sectors viz Real Estate & Infrastructure. Real Estate Sector is segmented in Residential, Industrial, Corporate, and Commercial. Whereas Infrastructure sector in Roads, Railways, Urban Infrastructures, Ports, Airports and Power. 

To manage such kind of unique projects requires an expertise with organizations and a thorough body of knowledge. Project Management Consultancy plays multifaceted part in such projects and provides the services from inception to completion of projects. At every stage of project life cycle, the principles of pro-activeness and creating the win-win situation is necessary keeping in mind the customer / client’s requirements. Use of Project Management Consultancy (PMC) offers one of the effective management solution to increase and improve the efficiency and outcome of a project in construction. 

Project Management Consultants manage the Project by application of their Knowledge, Skills, and Experience at various stages. However, at the same time PMC also has to face various challenges like Design Issues, Constructability Issues, Long lead material Issues, Inter Contractor Coordination Issues, Engineering Issues, Safety Issues, etc which can be tackled only by a well organized approach of the PMC. 

A well organised PMC approach also includes adopting various types of tools for the higher management like Reporting dashboard, Round table progress Review and conduction of brainstorming sessions, training on various field, design – construction interface, regular quality audits, quality diligence & delivery sessions in team.

In addition to above Project Management Consultancy is most effective and efficient when it is involved in Total Project Life Cycle from Conception to Closeout. Awareness of various Processes involved in Project Management and detail study of multiple constraints of project like Time-Cost-Risk-Scope-Quality-Resource are an integral part of any project management consultancy. 

We at MASTERS are committed to Conforming to highest standards in construction!

Under our Project Management Consultancy service, we undertake a planned series of activities and design them in synchronization with our customer’s requirements, whenever we go on board with new projects. This includes overall planning, coordination, monitoring and controlling of a project from inception to completion in order to produce a functionally and financially viable project that will be completed on time, within authorized cost and to the required quality standards.

Some of our Project Management Projects are as under:
- The Imperial, Mumbai
- Novotel, Mumbai
- Trilium Mall, Amritsar
- Movie Towers, Hyderabad

About Masters PMC

Masters is a leading Project Management company providing end-to-end solutions to the Construction Industry using the best of global standards and practices with primary focus on Real Estate sector.

Since its inception in 2004, the Company has evolved as a one-stop-shop service provider, offering a range of services to its Clients taking the project from start to finish – ranging from assisting them during pre-development stages to feasibility analysis, pre-construction and construction & installation management services to all the way to a successful close out. In addition, Masters also specializes in Cost Consultancy and Design Development (Architectural as well as MEP) through their in-house team. Besides, Masters also offers Programme & Process Review Services and Quality, Cost & Safety Audit/ Monitoring Services and is well equipped to offer range of Development solutions (like turnkey, design & build, construction management at risk) to its Clients.

To know more about Project Management Consultancy, Contact us at :

Masters Management Consultants (India) Private Limited

New Udyog Mandir, 

Kamanwala Chambers No.2,

Unit No. 7, Ground Floor,

Mugal Road, Mahim (West),

Mumbai - 400 016

Email : connect@masterspmc.com