Advanced Project Management - School Of Systems & Enterprises: Fill & Download for Free

Field construction and project management are two paths to senior management positions in the construction industry. At the entry level, they are effectively parallel tracks, with one path starting typically on the job site as an Assistant Construction Superintendent, and the other starting in the office as an Assistant Project Manager. Since the latter position generally requires the kind of baseline skills that one gets in an academic construction program (reading plans, basic engineering, understanding project management, ability to write a specification, etc.), it would be a bit unusual (but not impossible) for someone with only a high school or technical background to be ready to step right into that role.However, many of those skills can be learned 'on the job', so one frequently sees people without an academic background start in the field as an Assistant Super for a few years, and then move to project management. Depending on the size and type of the job, the PM and Field Super are roughly equivalent in rank. However, after that position, future growth within a construction management organization is typically office-based in management (the PM function) rather than supervision (the Super's role).Build Your Future is an industry wide program designed to encourage young people to choose careers in construction, whether or not they first pursue an academic background. They have a neat interactive, online career map for the industry (Follow the Path to the Career of Your Dreams) which is summarized in the following flow chart:They define the two roles as follows:Site SuperintendentAs a superintendent you run the job site. You are on site and in charge of all subcontractors and work that is performed in the construction of that project. You are a craft professional that has been in charge of crews and completed supervisory training, or you are coming from a university project management track and have experience in the field. You will likely travel to different jobs around the United States and possibly the world depending on the size company you work for. Your next step in advancement might be to become a project manager or to move into senior management. A lot of this depends on the structure of the company.Project ManagerAfter completing a construction management program, there are a variety of positions that you can go into within a construction company: assistant project manager, estimator, safety manager, scheduler, quality assurance manager or human resource manager. Most firms will start you as an assistant in one of these positions, because it is important for you to get the experience necessary before managing a project on your own. At this point you will manage single projects at a time, but as you progress, you will become responsible for multiple projects. The size of the firm will determine the amount of traveling you will be doing.In my case, I started as an Assistant Project Manager, and then moved to the field as an Assistant Super (the reverse of the typical route). I then returned to the office as a junior manager. While I eventually moved on from the construction field, I found both experiences to be incredibly useful, and I would absolutely recommend both PM and field supervision work to anyone seriously considering a carer in the industry.So, for someone entering the business with a strong academic background in construction management, even though the typical (logical/conservative) approach would be to go right into Project Management, my personal suggestion would be to start in the field. Not only will it give you 'street cred' for the rest of your career, but it will give you the kind of insights into real world conditions and job dynamics that you simply can't get in the office.After having done that for one or two jobs (anywhere from six months to two or three years, depending on the location, type of construction and specific firm), your next career step should almost certainly be project management. Depending on the experience you garnered in the field, you might go in as either an APM or (if you did a great job for a significant period as an Assistant Super) a full-fledge Project Manager on a small- or mid-sized job.Having done that for a couple of years, you'll probably find yourself with the option of either continuing in project management within the organization, or returning to the field, either as the #2 person to a senior super, or as the top field person on a smaller job.At this point, you'll need to look into your heart and decide which role you most enjoy. Both pay well, both can be incredibly fulfilling...but they are very different. Some people take to field conditions like a duck to water, and enjoy the crazy, busy, dangerous, profane, physical, tangible world of the job site. Others can't wait to move into the office, and prefer the planning, reading, meetings and business issues that are the bread and butter of project management. Neither is right or wrong, just different.To me, these classic roles are perfectly illustrated by two gentlemen I knew and worked for, Peter Lehrer and Gene McGovern:The two met in the early 1970s while working for Morse-Diesel Construction on one of New York's iconic skyscrapers: the former Pan Am Building (now the Met Life Building) on top of Grand Central Terminal. Peter was the PM, Gene was the Construction Super. After finishing the job, the two struck out on their own as equal partners, founding Lehrer McGovern, which grew to be one of the country's largest construction firms (they restored the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, built EuroDisney and Canary Wharf, etc.) Throughout this, Peter was always the PM/business/sales guy, and Gene the field/operations/construction guy. Their skill sets were complementary, and completely different. Anyone interested in the subject should definitely watch the documentary about them, Dream Builders.But to return to the original question of career paths, a straightforward description comes from the career placement web site of Western Carolina University, which offers a degree in Construction Management:Construction Management Career PathsGraduates of CM programs may move up through the profession either through the project superintendent career path or through the construction management career path to the position of project manager. The next level is either manager of projects, vice president, president or chief executive officer of a firm or owner of a company.With a degree in construction management, students have the option of several different career paths. Typical starting positions include the following:InspectorContract administratorSchedulerEstimatorCost controlProject controlsProcurementFacilities managerAssistant construction managerConstruction managerAssistant project managerProject managerAnd to tie up everything with a nice bow and reiterate that there are multiple career paths for advancement, we turn to the conclusion of the Build Your Future career map:Regardless of where you start, industry apprenticeship, community college or a university, success in a construction company is dependent more upon your skill and dedication than the path you took to get here. There are thousands of great stories within the construction industry of how a kid that loved to build things or tinker ended up as CEO or owner of a company. If there is one industry that allows multiple paths to success, it is the construction industry. Most careers have a single path to success that very specifically spells out what you do and what order you do it in. Construction allows you to create your own path to success. Is it college first, work first, or both? The most important aspect is that you get credentials whether it is through the college system or the industry, credentials do matter. Your level of success is in your hands.

The 18 Best Project Management UniversitiesAre you asking yourself if you should go for the ever-increasing career, project management? So you should learn about the best project management universities! Read more the find out what are the best project management universities in the US and what are the advantages of choosing project management as a career path.Should I go for a project management career?Before listing the best project management universities, let’s find out if you are fit for a project management career and why you should opt for it. Organizations are shifting to a projectized focus and want better success rates for projects. With businesses spanning the entire globe, the importance of linking strategy to projects is growing resulting in a spurt for professional project management practices.What is the salary for project management roles?A Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) can earn up to $127,000 (highest) if in the USA, $ 100,000 if working in IT industry in Canada, and Rs. 9 lacs if in Indian IT industry. As you move higher in the project management career, the pay and perks are more and in spite of the recession and market downtrends, project management career has sustained and was not adversely affected.What are the career paths in project management?You can start with a project coordinator role or a junior project manager. Then, you can move up to a lead role. While the designations or titles vary, you could be called a project assistant, project administrator, project lead, PMO lead/manager, project manager, senior project manager, etc. You can move up to Management Consultant, Program Manager, Portfolio Manager, Head of projects or Director of projects.Where can I get project management courses?There are many ways to learn project management. Here is a list of courses you can opt for from Best Project Management Universities.The 18 Best Project Management UniversitiesHere is a list of universities that offer project management at both undergraduate and graduate level. They are amongst the Best Project Management Universities in the US. You have the option to take project management as a certificate course or as an elective in the main course.MIT Sloan school of Management: Project Management is offered at Undergraduate level. Offers project management under Management Science discipline.UC Berkeley: Certificate Program in Project Management with no prerequisites while a bachelor degree gets preference. There are other courses under Business Administration which cover project management, agile methodologies, and program management too in addition to other topics of project management, software project management, and advanced project management.Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ: Graduate Certificate in Project Management which is accredited by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the Global Accreditation Center for Project Management (GAC).University of California, Los Angeles: 24-unit Project Management Certificate is offered by UCLA Extension. Has a Fundamentals of Project Management course which is accredited by many bodies.Boston University: Offers project management at Masters level, a regular one and another with IT focus. Both are accredited by PMI.Southern New Hampshire University: Project management is offered along with operations management at undergraduate level on campus. It is offered under Business Studies in Operations & Project Management, and under operations management as online courseBaylor University: Undergraduate Major in Management Information System though not offered to pre-business studentsUniversity of Pennsylvania: Penn State world campus offers the certificate in project management. It is a 12 credit course which also counts for a Master degree in project management. This also counts for the Business Administration course.George Washington University: Offers MS in Project Management, and a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Project ManagementPurdue College of Technology: Offers a Masters program with a blend of Project Management and the IT sectorREAD THE FULL LIST: The 18 Best Project Management Universities - 2018 Updated List

When my company asked this exact question to Fernanda Barbero, Product Manager at Lumina Decision Systems, she said her key advice for project managers looking to make the jump into product management was “Be Curious and Use Metrics as Your Best Source of Validation.”Here are some more tips:Learn What Motivates All StakeholdersFundamentally, the key difference between the two positions role that project manager is primarily accountable to schedules, and the product manager is primarily accountable to stakeholders. Therefore, the best strategy to advance is to first learn how effectively communicate with different groups and understand their various goals and requirements.Communicate Effectively with Multiple TeamsRelationships and communication skills should now become a priority. You need to know enough about the different teams that you will be managing - design, engineering, marketing, etc - to effectively communicate with them on an advanced level, but you do not need to be an expert at everything.Stay Focused on the VisionProduct Managers lead their teams by constantly communicating the vision of the product to the various teams and stakeholders involved. Develop your ability to understand and influence if you want to make the change from project to product.Get Specific TrainingI am the CEO of Product School - we offer an 8 week part-time product management course designed to help you land that first product management job.