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HKIE Professional Assessment - Mechanical Discipline study materials
HKIE Professional Assessment - Mechanical Discipline study resources

HKIE Professional Assessment - Mechanical Discipline: Project and engineering management (planning, cost, contracts, quality assurance, stakeholder communication)

HKIE Professional Assessment - Mechanical Discipline · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Project and engineering management (planning, cost, contracts, quality assurance, stakeholder communication)

Project and engineering management questions test whether you can plan delivery, control cost and time, administer a contract and communicate with stakeholders. The examiner expects practical tools and clear allocation of responsibility, not general leadership language.

Core rules and concepts

  • Planning: work breakdown structure, activity sequencing, durations, dependencies and critical path. Float belongs to the project unless the contract says otherwise.
  • Cost: estimate, budget, contingency and cash flow. Earned value uses PV, EV and AC; CPI = EV/AC and SPI = EV/PV.
  • Contracts: know the standard form, scope, payment terms, variations, extension of time, liquidated damages, testing and defects liability. A variation needs an instruction; an EOT needs a delay event and causation.
  • Quality: inspection and test plans, hold points, witness points, non-conformance reports, document control and handover records.
  • Stakeholders: a communication plan, RACI matrix, meeting minutes, decision log and regular progress reporting. Interface management is critical between civil, structural, MEP and controls.

Worked example

A project has PV = HK$100 million, EV = HK$80 million and AC = HK$90 million. Assess performance. CPI = 80/90 = 0.89; SPI = 80/100 = 0.80. Reasoning: CPI below 1 means cost overrun for work done; SPI below 1 means schedule slippage. The project is both behind and over budget. The next step is to analyse the critical path and cost drivers, not simply to add contingency. If a pump delivery delay caused the slippage and the activity has zero float, an EOT may be justified; if it has float, the delay may be absorbed.

Traps that cost marks

  • Confusing an EOT with a claim for additional cost.
  • Approving a variation without a written instruction.
  • Using float that belongs to another party.
  • Reporting percent complete without earned value or verification.
  • Leaving interfaces between packages unassigned.