Project Management Essentials for Construction

Abstract

This 3-day course is designed to give project managers and project team members working in a construction environment the essential tools they need to deliver successful projects. This course utilizes a simple construction project that is developed through the complete project lifecycle, from initial project proposal and definition, through project implementation, and finally to the often neglected project completion phase.

This course is Gold Seal accredited by the Canadian Construction Association and is accredited by the Project Management Association of Canada (PMAC) as meeting their standards for quality. After completing this course, participants are eligible to write the Certified Project Coordinator (CPC) exam from PMAC.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Participants will gain practical skills to:

  • Identify and avoid common causes of project failure.
  • Identify options for structuring a project team.
  • Develop clear project purpose, deliverable and objectives statements.
  • Identify key areas of project risk, assess their impact and identify strategies for managing risks.
  • Communicate with contractors.
  • Develop project scope by separating into discrete, manageable, measurable deliverables
  • Model the flow and timing of a project.
  • Identify “critical path” high priority tasks.
  • Measure project status and performance with respect to cost and time.
  • Create a productive team environment.
  • Implement steps to properly close-out a project.

 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The Project Management Essentials for Construction course is appropriate for individuals who are:

  • Responsible for managing construction projects.
  • Active Participants on a project team, especially those who have not yet been exposed to the tools, techniques and terminology of formal project management.
  • While of interest to contractors, the course is more targeted at “owners” and those who represent them.

 

PREREQUISITE

There is no prerequisite for this course. It functions as a stand-alone course.

MATERIALS

You will receive a course binder containing copies of presentation slides, case studies, templates, exercises and suggested solutions. All templates are available electronically, by request.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

Introductions and Project Management Context

  • Definition of modern project management
  • Portfolios, programs, projects
  • Project success, project life cycles
  • Governance of projects
  • Workshops: Project priorities, project success

 

Initiating a Project
  • Introduce project workshop scenario
  • Stakeholders and requirements
  • Team structure
  • Project delivery strategies
  • Contract types
  • The project life cycle
  • Workshops: Project stakeholders, organizing the team, scope statement, project charter

 

Planning – Developing the Project Plan
  • The Work Breakdown Structure
  • Change management plan
  • Planning communications
  • Risk management
  • Cost estimating
  • Safety planning
  • Workshop: Develop project WBS, Developing project management plans, identifying risks

 

Planning – Developing the Project Schedule
  • Types of dependency relationships
  • Developing a network diagram
  • Determining the “critical path” and “float time” for a project
  • Developing the schedule bar chart (Gantt)
  • Workshops: Calculating a precedence diagram, yellow sticky schedule, bar chart, defining the milestone schedule

 

Project Execution

  • Contract administration?
  • Conflict resolution
  • Project performance reporting
  • Earned value
  • Workshops: Project change management, conflict management, team management, earned value, status reporting

 

Project Closing
  • Contract administration
  • Conflict resolution
  • Project performance reporting
  • Earned value
  • Workshops: Project change management, conflict management, team management, earned value

 

Project Completion
  • Substantial/Total Completion
  • Project sign-off and handover
  • The punch list
  • Lessons learned
  • Workshop: Lessons learned

 

Wrap-up
  • Introducing modern PM into an organization
  • Evaluations
  • Quiz (Optional)

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