Construction Management - What is Construction Management?

Examine how one-of-a-kind construction projects differ by site and conditions, and how managers balance time, cost, quality, and safety to deliver high-quality facilities on schedule and within budget.

The lecture explains how construction management optimizes cost, time, quantity, quality, safety, scope, and function by monitoring budgets, schedules, specifications, and user needs with owner and design team collaboration.

Identify the owner’s need and articulate it through the architectural program to establish the project scope, space types, adjacencies, site constraints, and mechanical and electrical requirements.

Define the scope of work from the architectural program to guide design, plans, specs, and materials for quality, durability, and clear construction deliverables.

discover how project delivery organizes design and construction into an executable agreement to reduce cost overruns and schedule delays by selecting procurement method, contract type, and clear communication among participants.

Explore the four primary project delivery methods—design-bid-build, design-build, integrated project delivery, and construction management—focusing on how ownership, design, and contractor roles differ, overlap, and affect project risk and outcomes.

Learn the design-bid-build method, where the owner holds two separate contracts for designer and contractor, three design phases—schematic design, design development, and contract documents—and low-bid selection, plus constructability reviews.

Explore how construction management acts as a project delivery method with agency cm and at-risk cm. Learn how early design input, value engineering, and constructability reviews reduce cost and delays.

Explore design-build as a single-source project delivery that integrates design and construction, enabling fast tracking and early contractor involvement, with contractor-led, designer-led, full-service, and joint venture models.

Integrated project delivery brings the contractor on board early in design, enabling collaboration among owner, architect, and contractor to optimize constructability, costs, and scheduling.

Explore trends in project delivery, highlighting collaborative methods like construction management and design-build, and explain how early contractor involvement saves money, reduces conflicts, and improves quality.

Explore how owners select the best project delivery method by weighing cost, schedule, quality, risk, and expertise, and note design-build's speed and owner involvement in design-bid-build.

Explore core construction management functions, from leading project teams and pre-construction services to estimating, contract administration, site operations, planning, scheduling, quality, safety, and risk allocation.

Develop essential decision making and problem solving skills for construction management by applying critical and creative thinking, resourcefulness, and real-world scenario reasoning to complex, high-stakes, unpredictable projects.

Discover the essential attributes of construction managers—flexibility, decisiveness, leadership, and problem-solving under pressure—and the role of building knowledge, engineering and architectural drawings, written communication, and computer proficiency.

Explore a typical entry-to-executive construction management career track—from field engineer and estimator to project manager and chief estimator—covering scheduling, procurement, and advancement.