There hasn’t been a period in the construction industry’s history where management of one’s particular discipline wasn’t essential for every successful architect, engineer, planner, project manager, consultant, contractor, or project owner. The contribution of the construction industry to our economy and its role in promoting growth are undisputed. The same stands true for the need to raise standards and improve the construction industry’s operating efficiency. All projects must meet expectations and be delivered on time, within budget, and at a high-quality standard to benefit the environment and society at large. Resource and budgetary constraints and innovation in software and technology demonstrate even more the need for collaborative and effective management of projects, led by a project advocate who can effectively manage risk and implement needed change as a Project Advocate. The need for a comprehensive approach to project management across all phases through a timely integrated project management approach is now more critical than ever.

In this in-person program, participants gain an understanding of the basic and more advanced issues, tools, and concepts of an integrated project management approach. Examples are drawn from public and private sector projects of differing scales and types, from master planning, individual core and shell building, mixed-use community development, and tenant improvements (and everything in between). Both US and international projects are addressed, identifying each case’s unique challenges and opportunities.

Key topics include: 

• The project life cycle and its key stages; 
• Project delivery methods and how to decide which one suits your needs; 
• How to define and effectively manage the roles and responsibilities of all entities involved in a project; 
• Effective delivery of all project stages, including:
  • Feasibility, project implementation plan and strategy, selection of consultants and contractors; 
  • The RFP process, responsibilities for pre- and post-schematic phases of design, competitive bidding, the importance of shop drawings, total project scheduling, and budget-controlled design; 
  • Subcontractor’s involvement in the design process, design-assist, value engineering, the importance of general contractor constructability reviews in preconstruction, and construction administration;
  • BIM implications and responsibilities, environmental issues, and the management of risk and uncertainty.

The program will give greater detail on IPMA, which includes competitive bidding early in the design process to involve the General Contractor (GC) in the Preconstruction Process. This method is scalable, adaptable, and collaborative while aligning stakeholders’ objectives, motivation, roles, and responsibilities through editing existing AIA Contracts, while being effective for all types and scales of projects.

• Master key project management principles and understand how to assess project delivery methods, especially Design/Bid/Build, Design-Build, Construction manager @ Risk, IPD / LEAN, and IPMA.
• Achieve total project scheduling and budgeting, and recognize risks and uncertainties, while mitigating them through a proactive management process.
• Identify the key attributes of high-performing sub-contractor teams through pre-qualification, RFP, and comparison selection matrices.
• Realize how to align roles and responsibilities for all stakeholders with their objectives and motivations for the project.
• Learn best practices for how to lead and influence team performance and sub-teams, management, and leadership, without formal authority. Grasp how to motivate teams on concept, strategies, tools, and project implementation.
• Discover and discuss the ongoing impact of supply chain disruptions in the A/E/C industry.

Architects, planners, engineers, contractors, facility managers, project managers, and building owners and developers, together with students from any of these industry disciplines.

Preview the content of this long-running program.