Construction Project Management: From Experience to Impact
This presentation explores the evolving role of the construction project manager through the lens of a 40-year professional career spanning finance, auditing, procurement, contracting, facilities management, and commercial construction.
Drawing on 12 years of construction project management experience, the presentation demonstrates how foundational project management principles can be successfully applied across construction environments and transferred from other industries. A key focus is professional certification and the growing importance of specialized knowledge in construction. The presentation examines the role of the PMP® and construction-specific credentials such as the PMI Construction Professional (PMI-CP)™ and Certified Sustainable Project Professional (CSPP).
The presentation follows the construction project lifecycle from initiation and feasibility through planning and design, procurement, construction, monitoring and controlling, commissioning, and closeout. Throughout these phases, it highlights practical project management best practices involving scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, procurement, communication, stakeholder management, and lessons learned. Two increasingly important areas of construction project management—sustainability and safety—receive particular attention. Sustainable construction is examined through energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, sustainable materials, waste reduction, resilience, life-cycle performance, and green-building certifications such as LEED.
Construction safety is presented not simply as a compliance obligation, but as a core project-management responsibility that must be integrated into every phase of the project. Real-world examples from the presenter’s construction career illustrate these principles in practice. These experiences demonstrate the importance of integrating people, processes, contracts, finance, safety, quality, communication, and operational continuity.
Ultimately, the presentation argues that successful construction project management is about far more than managing the physical act of building. It is about understanding the business, people, risks, contracts, environment, and stakeholders that determine whether a project succeeds. Construction offers project professionals an opportunity to apply transferable project management skills in a highly collaborative, hands-on environment—and to see an idea evolve from a concept on paper into a completed project that delivers tangible value to its users and community.
Speakers
