Construction Glossary

Assignar’s Construction Glossary provides organized definitions of key construction terms such as benchmarking, connected jobsite, construction management, reporting, operations, crew roles, and daily logs, emphasizing technology-driven productivity, real-time communication, and effective project oversight to improve safety, quality, and profitability on construction sites.

Welcome to Assignar’s Construction Glossary!

Terms are organized by their subject area.
Definitions are provided for each term.

General Construction Terms

Benchmarking: Best practice for improving productivity and profitability. Hold employees accountable by setting performance benchmarks. Set benchmarks for the overall business, including safety and quality, based on industry standards and the performances of similar companies.
Connected Jobsite: Powered by technology, the connected jobsite connects those in the back office with those in the field, allowing for real-time information and visibility for informed decision-making.
Construction Management: Ability to oversee projects and capture relevant data, which improves operations and productivity. Teams are adopting construction management technology to access the needed tools to do this effectively and gain better control over what is happening on site.
Construction Reporting: Occurring daily, this helps teams understand progress made on specific projects and if there may be a potential for delays. Reporting enables teams to record day-to-day information. Should any issues or concerns arise, teams now have a detailed overview of what’s occurred during the duration of the project.
Construction Operations: This entails the effective scheduling of crews and equipment across projects, while improving productivity, profitability, and safety. Assignar’s construction operations platform ensures teams are at the right job site, at the right time, with the correct resources and documentation.
Crew: A group of laborers who will execute work on a specific project. Always includes a foreman or supervisor who oversees the construction site and ensures progress is being made according to deadlines, assures quality, etc.
Daily Log: A daily record that compiles all information from the jobsite for the day, including progress, incidents, delays and more.
Equipment: Heavy-duty machinery and tools that are utilized to complete specific roles on the jobsite. Role examples include demolition, excavation, trench digging, etc.
Field: The on-site location for a construction project; refer to those completing these activities as ‘in the field.’
Foreman: The individuals responsible for managing and leading the crew in the field. They ensure deadlines are met, progress is being made and that the crew remains safe.
Industry Associations: Organizations that represent the interests of companies and professionals in the construction industry.
Maintenance: The process of keeping equipment, machinery, and facilities in good working condition.
Office: The administrative center for a construction project or company.
Project Management: The discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives.
Quantities: The amount of materials, labor, or other resources required for a construction project.
Remote Workforce: Employees who work off-site, often using technology to stay connected with the main office and jobsite.
Risk Management: The process of identifying, assessing, and controlling threats to a construction project’s capital and earnings.
Site Diary: A record of daily activities, events, and observations on a construction site.
Shutdown: A planned or unplanned stoppage of work on a construction site.
Role: The specific function or job assigned to a person or group on a construction project.
Time & Materials: A contract arrangement where payment is based on the actual time spent by the contractor’s employees and the materials used.
Work Order: An authorization for the performance of work, usually issued by a supervisor or manager.
Work Planning: The process of organizing and scheduling tasks and resources for a construction project.
Work Health Safety (WHS): Policies and procedures in place to ensure the health and safety of workers on a construction site.

Industry Segments

Asphalt Contractors: Work on civil or heavy highways.
Asphalt Laborer: Assist in the pouring, smoothing, and setting of asphalt on roads, pathways, and parking lots. Their main role is to look after the mat, which includes raking, sweeping, and lining out the road, as well as working alongside the tractor, mill, paver, and the screed.
Commercial Construction: The construction, design, and renovation of buildings, facilities and structures for commercial purposes. This can include restaurants, office spaces, schools and universities, healthcare facilities and more.
Concrete Contractors: Work on civil or heavy highways.
Concrete Laborer: Specialize in building structures from concrete materials. Their duties include designing and building forms, pouring concrete, then spreading and smoothing it using various tools and equipment.
Concrete Forms: A solid mold or barrier that holds concrete in place once it has been poured in. It ensures that the concrete stays in the desired shape while it hardens.
Crane Management: The coordination, planning, scheduling, controlling and maintenance of cranes and associated equipment. This is an important aspect of working on a jobsite as this machinery is costly to have repaired if damaged.
Earthwork: Refers to construction or engineering of the topography on a jobsite. It can include excavating and backfilling.
Electrical Contractors: Maintain an extensive range of electrical systems, from micro-currents to high voltage components. Typical jobs include installing electrical systems and components for the manufacturing industry’s process equipment.
Equipment Operators: Operates a piece of machinery on the jobsite.
Estimator: In charge of preparing a cost estimate for the overall construction project.
Excavation Contractors: Also known as dirt contractors, they move things like earth, rock or other materials with tools, equipment, or explosives. Their roles include earthwork, trenching, wall shafts, tunneling and underground.
Fitter: The laborer who assembles the metal parts of a project; they assemble, install, and repair pipework in large buildings and this often involves welding.
Fleet Maintenance: The process of maintaining, repairing and fueling the vehicles used on the jobsite to ensure all machinery is prepared to be sent into the field.
Fleet Logistics and Management: Includes the efficient assignment of vehicles to construction sites. It includes the planning and controlling of the fleet based on the type of project and its specific needs.
General Contractor: The person responsible for all aspects of a construction project, including the supervision of daily roles and management of subcontractors.
Heavy Civil Contractors: Build sewers, roads, highways, bridges, tunnels and other large government and city projects.
Heavy Highway Construction Professionals: Build infrastructure and work on roads, bridges and ports, or non-building construction. These workers have knowledge of heavy equipment and operations, safety, earthmoving, hand tools and traffic regulations.
Horizontal Infrastructure: This is the construction of structures that are wider than they are tall and typically includes roads, bridges, railways, landfills, etc. It requires more land space and involves massive projects.

Construction Operations

Administrative Roles: Duties that take place in the back office. For construction, this typically includes creating and managing documents and contracts, creating schedules, meeting with key stakeholders to discuss progress and evaluating data from the field.
Compliance Management: The process of ensuring that operations and processes are compliant with the rules and regulations of the industry, specifically as it relates to health and safety.
Jobsite Management: The process of overseeing all activities and resources on a construction site to ensure the project is completed safely, on time, and within budget.
Primary Schedule: The main schedule that outlines the sequence and timing of all activities in a construction project.
OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; a regulatory agency that sets and enforces standards to ensure safe and healthy working conditions.
Quality Assurance: The process of ensuring that the quality of work meets the required standards and specifications.
Quality Management: The coordination of activities to direct and control quality in a construction project.
Resource Loaded Schedule: A project schedule that includes the allocation of resources (labor, equipment, materials) to each activity.
Resource Optimization: The process of making the best use of available resources to achieve project objectives.
Resource Scheduling: Assigning resources to project tasks based on availability and project needs.
Resource Utilization: Measuring how effectively resources are being used on a project.
Schedule of Rates: A list of prices for specific tasks or items of work, used for estimating and billing purposes.
Scheduling Calendar: A calendar used to plan and track project activities and deadlines.
Supply Chain Management: The management of the flow of materials, equipment, and services required for a construction project.
Survey: The process of measuring and mapping land or structures for construction purposes.
Workforce Management: The process of organizing and managing workers to ensure the right people are in the right place at the right time.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): A hierarchical decomposition of a project into smaller, more manageable components.

Data & Insights

Construction Data: Valuable information and insights that help teams and companies optimize their operations and processes and inform decision-making. It is critical to drive improvements in terms of productivity, profitability and efficiency.
Data Analytics: The process of analyzing construction data to improve decision-making and anticipate problems before they happen. It includes looking at data from past performance and analyzing for patterns.
Data Tracking: The process of collecting data in near real-time and looking at it to track progress.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): A construction ERP is a specialized system that is designed for companies to review and improve their processes and the lifecycle of their projects.
Field Data & Reporting: The collection of data from the field through daily logs to paint a larger picture of progress for the project. It informs planning and scheduling.
Forms: The means in which contractors collect data from the field. Historically, these have been completed via pen and paper, but construction technology is making it easier to gather insights in real-time.
Performance Benchmarks: Standards or points of reference against which things may be compared or assessed in construction projects.
Percent Complete: A measure of progress on a project, expressed as a percentage of the total work completed.
Predictive Analytics: The use of data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning techniques to identify the likelihood of future outcomes based on historical data.
Project Forecasting: The process of predicting future project performance based on current and historical data.
Work In Progress (WIP): The value of work that has been started but not yet completed on a construction project.

Bidding & Budgeting

Accounts Payable: Refers to the money owed to vendors and subcontractors for costs accrued during a construction project; typically, these payments are made once the contractor has been paid by their customer.
Accounts Receivable: This is the money that is still owed to you for a specific project and its associated roles, including the cost of goods and products.
Bid/Bidding: The process of developing and submitting a proposal for a construction project to the owner or general contractor. It typically includes the specific items that will be completed and their associated costs, as well as a timeline for completion.
Budget Tracking: A best practice for ensuring that project expenses remain in line with original goals, this process includes managing and monitoring a job and its costs to flag any concerns to stakeholders and make changes, as needed.
Construction Cost: The cost of all the work and components of a given project to the owner.
Contract: An agreement between relevant parties – often the owner and contractor – that details terms and conditions of a given project, including the work that will be done and agreed upon budget.
Cost Codes: A standardized list of codes that are associated with specific types of work for a construction project. They are used to inform project and budget management and tracking.
Cost to Complete: The sum of all costs for a construction project; this is utilized throughout a project’s lifecycle to evaluate the cost of work that has already been completed with the expected costs of the work that will still be done to inform budget tracking.
Cost Tracking: The process of monitoring the actual costs of jobs on a project as they are completed. This is important for tracking progress toward the budget.
Day Rate: The cost of hiring a contractor for one day of work.
Estimating: The process of forecasting the costs of a given construction project. The construction estimate is used by general contractors when bidding for a project.
Forecasting: A process of determining how profitable a project will be for a contractor, this includes forecasting the associated profitability for a project based on cost to complete estimates. This can be conducted throughout the lifecycle to see if improvements can be made and where.
General Ledger: The record of all costs and relevant documents associated with a project.
Lump Sum: A single payment for the entire scope of work, rather than payments based on time or materials.
Markup: The amount added to the cost of a project or item to determine its selling price.
Package of Work: A defined portion of a project that can be managed and completed as a separate unit.
Possession: The act of taking control of a site or property for the purpose of beginning construction work.
Project Scheduling: The process of planning and controlling the timeline of a construction project.
Quoting: Providing a price estimate for a specific scope of work.
RFI: Request for Information; a formal process for requesting clarification or additional information about a project.
RFP: Request for Proposal; a document that solicits proposals from contractors or suppliers for a project.
RFT: Request for Tender; a formal invitation to submit a bid for a project.
Tender/Tendering: The process of submitting a bid to undertake a construction project.

Equipment Management

Accreditation: Independent, third-party evaluation of ability, authority, or credibility in a particular field of activity. Gaining accreditation may require successfully completing a course, inspection, or test.
Asset Tracking: The monitoring and maintenance of the location, condition, and status of physical assets, such as trucks, heavy equipment, tools, machines, building infrastructure and more. Most often involves using a unique identifier, like a barcode or GPS locator to track the equipment.
Assigned Crew: A group of construction workers assigned to a certain project.
Certifications: A document or designation that proves competency or mastery in a specific role.
Chain of Responsibility (CoR): Helps to increase accountability, effective communication, and safety — both across the job site itself and in other parts of the construction lifecycle.
Change Management: The process of integrating a procedure for recognizing, planning, and evaluating changes to a project’s scope in an effective manner. Poor change management can hinder project success and increase timeline delays and cost overruns.
Crew Scheduling: Determining the availability and assigning crews to a specific jobsite based on the required timeline, certifications and jobs.
Critical Path: To complete construction projects on time, many contractors will use the critical path method for project scheduling that breaks down required activities using a diagram to calculate the duration required to complete each activity.
Cross Hire: Also known as plant hire, refers to the process of renting tools, machinery, and other equipment to another company to complete a construction project.
Dial Before You Dig Plan: Dial Before You Dig acts as a single point of contact between underground asset owners and excavators. Excavators will lodge an inquiry with asset owners regarding a new project, and they will receive a response in the form of plans. People excavating should get these plans before doing any digging work to ensure they do not damage this underground infrastructure.
Dry Hire: The hiring of equipment, machinery, or vehicles on its own without an operator. In the case of machinery hire, whoever hires the equipment is also responsible for its operation or finding someone qualified to operate it.
Rental Hire: The process of renting equipment for a specific period or project.
Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA): A form of collective bargaining, in which wages and working conditions are negotiated at an enterprise level between employers and employees and their union.
Equipment Certification: Confirms education of proper equipment and techniques to promote construction zone safety. Courses are offered for construction workers to provide technical and practical knowledge of heavy equipment prior to use.
Equipment Management: A company’s ability to evaluate their construction equipment fleet and the fleet’s costs on a consistent basis to reduce equipment breakdowns and failures, projects running over budget, stalls of productivity and decreased profitability. Involves taking a company’s evaluation of their fleet and comparing it against their current projects.
Equipment Scheduling: Determining the availability of equipment needed for construction projects and scheduling assets based on deadlines and current progress.
Equipment Utilization: Sometimes referred to as asset utilization, this is a measurement of the use and performance of site machinery. Based on the calculated utilization rate, businesses can better understand how to best use their equipment and make more informed decisions on project timelines, inventory, or equipment rentals.
Hourly Hire: The process of hiring equipment or labor on an hourly basis.
Idle Assets: Equipment or resources that are not currently being used on a project.
Materials Shortage: A lack of necessary materials required to complete a construction project.
Induction: The process of introducing new workers to a construction site, including safety procedures and site rules.
Laborers: Workers who perform manual labor on a construction site.
Laborers Qualification: The skills, certifications, and experience required for laborers to perform their roles.
Labor Shortage: A situation where there are not enough qualified workers available for a project.
Onboarding: The process of integrating new employees or contractors into a company or project.
Overskilling: Assigning workers with higher qualifications than necessary for a particular task.
Prevailing Wage: The standard wage paid to workers in a specific region or industry.
Timesheets/Time Cards: Records of the hours worked by employees on a project.
Time Tracking: Monitoring and recording the amount of time spent on tasks or projects.
Worker Utilization: Measuring how effectively workers are being used on a project.

This glossary provides definitions for key terms used in the construction industry, organized by subject area for easy reference.