UMD, USMx: The Industry and Profession in Construction Management

The industry and profession in construction management is big business. The construction industry will continue to play a key role in society.

Opportunities in construction management are endless. The course covers some of the following topics:

• Characteristics that define the construction industry.
• Four major sectors of construction management projects.
• Current trends within the construction industry and role in society.
• Skills to lead construction, specifically the Owner, Designer, and Construction Manager, and key stakeholders.

This course concentrates on the people who fill the roles of owner, designer, and construction manager, and must understand the following:

• Responsibility and authority of the key construction management participants.
• How is the construction industry changing?
• Construction companies need leaders.
• Continuous quality improvement.
• The three forms of business organizations.
• Characteristics of an effective construction management leader.
• The art and science of organizing and leading a construction management project.
• How the life of a facility goes through phases starting out as an idea combined with money and a project is born.
• Understand planning, design, and construction tasks and how people are involved in the lifecycle of a building.
• Analyze the need for the facility and whether it is economically feasible. This is life-cycle cost analysis.
• Differentiate construction workers , their construction trade , and work experience.
• What is the employment growth in the construction industry?
• Differences in building construction projects and infrastructure projects.
• How to use project management techniques in construction management.
• Best practices in communication skills and field operations.
• Construction methods and materials.
• The role of civil engineering and other engineering disciplines.
• Improving your construction experience and benefiting from real world lessons learned.

Architects design the project. Construction management professionals build the project at the construction site. All parties need to work in harmony to fulfill the functions that must be performed.