Infrastructure project is a construction project that builds the systems a community relies on to function. It covers a wide range of facilities and structures, from roads to airports to power plants. Infrastructure projects are complex and often large in scale, requiring significant funding to be successful. They also experience high levels of wear and tear because they are used constantly by the public. Because of their size and complexity, they are often broken down into smaller subprojects. Infrastructure projects are typically undertaken by governments, but they can also be built by private entities.
The type of infrastructure a country has can be divided into hard and soft infrastructures. Hard infrastructure is the physical networks that are necessary for a modern industrial economy, including roads, bridges, railways, and water and energy systems. Soft infrastructure includes all the institutions that maintain a nation’s economic, health, social, and environmental standards. These include educational programs, official statistics, parks and recreational facilities, and law enforcement agencies.
An important difference between infrastructure project management and other forms of PM is that it focuses solely on building and maintaining these essential facilities. While an infrastructure project manager can work on technology, business or economic projects as well, they will be less likely to succeed in those roles if they have little to no experience with these specific types of projects.
When constructing these essential facilities, it is important for contractors to have a clear understanding of their environment and the challenges they will face when starting a new project. For example, an infrastructure contractor might be working in a remote location and need to make sure they have enough data about the ground conditions of the job site before beginning work. They might also need to ensure that their work doesn’t interfere with air or road traffic in the area.