AEC Project Management Academy

This course introduces the foundational principles, terminology, and phases of project management within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industry. Participants will gain a practical understanding of contract types, compensation methods, and how project management transforms client agreements into successful, profitable projects.

You’ll cover

• Understanding the key phases of the project (incl. planning, execution, monitoring, closure)
• Reviewing the glossary of terms (incl. utilization, profit, billing rates, accrual, revenue)
• Understanding what project management is
• Learning the core principles and value of project management in AEC industry
• Identifying contract terms and conditions (incl. lump sum, T&M NTE, T&M NL)

This course explores the evolving role of the Project Manager in AEC firms, highlighting essential skills, team dynamics, and the strategic impact of effective leadership. Participants will learn how Project Managers drive value, manage stakeholder relationships, and align with organizational goals to ensure project success.

You’ll cover

• Understanding the Project Manager role in the AEC industry
• Introducing the roles of Principal, Client, Owner, Stakeholders, Resources (staff/subs)
• Comparing the Project Manager’s roles and duties with those of the project team
• Identifying the traits of successful Project Managers
• Developing the PM/PIC partnership
• Exploring the relationship between Project Managers and organizational strategy

This course equips AEC Project Managers with essential financial management knowledge to improve project performance and firm profitability. Participants will explore cash flow, billing, financial reporting, and aligning planned versus actual performance with overall business objectives.

You’ll cover

• Identifying the financial terms every Project Manager should know
• Understanding the Project Manager’s financial responsibilities
• Ensuring Project Managers can collect their fees
• Adjusting fees and controlling change
• Managing project write-offs

This course teaches how to build and use a structured Project Management Plan to guide execution and improve efficiency in design industry projects. Participants will learn that practical templates and activity sequencing are the foundation of effective planning.

You’ll cover

• Preparing the formal Project Management Plan
• Knowing when to start the Project Management Plan
• Understanding the major elements of the Project Management Plan

This course focuses on identifying and prioritizing the critical success factors of both the client and the firm to inform project planning and execution. Participants will learn to transform success factors into measurable objectives and align project scope with stakeholder priorities.

You’ll cover

• Understanding the importance of critical success factors
• Identifying critical success factors for various stakeholders
• Turning critical success factors into SMART objectives
• Balancing the firm’s priorities with the client’s priorities
• Identifying and delivering on the client’s priorities
• Understanding the cost, schedule, and performance matrix

This course teaches how to define and manage a project scope that reflects stakeholder priorities and critical success factors. Participants will use work, organizational, and accounting breakdown structures to clarify responsibilities and control project costs effectively.

You’ll cover

• Preparing for success with the Work Breakdown Structure (e.g., task outline)
• Managing the scope of services
• Learning how to "fence in" the scope
• Understanding why the Project Management Plan is critical for project success
• Managing multiple projects with the same client

This course addresses challenges in team collaboration and introduces techniques for predicting resource needs across multiple projects. Participants will learn how to build and manage high-performing project teams, allocate resources, and align team roles with project constraints and objectives.

You’ll cover

• Selecting the project team
• Setting up the Organizational Breakdown Structure
• Understanding the roles and responsibilities of key team leadership
• Determining project labor requirements
• Selecting and managing design consultants
• Managing project timelines, budgets, and workforce allocation to achieve efficient project delivery
• Predicting resource needs across multiple projects and balancing workloads to prevent overallocation or resource shortages

This course introduces Project Managers to the fundamentals of creating a detailed and effective financial plan that aligns with both scope and firm profitability. Participants will learn about cost estimation, budgeting methods, fee balancing, and understanding financial terminology critical to project success.

You’ll cover

• Creating foolproof project budgets
• Understanding the risks of each of the 4 budgeting types
• Balancing the project’s scope and fee
• Improving cash flow as the Project Manager
• Preparing the Accounting Breakdown Structure

This course emphasizes efficient task sequencing and avoiding common pitfalls that can derail project delivery. Participants will explore scheduling techniques such as milestone charts, bar charts, and Critical Path Method to develop effective project timelines.

You’ll cover

• Understanding why scheduling the project is critical
• Learning the 10 characteristics of good schedules
• Comparing industry-standard scheduling techniques (incl. milestone charts, bar charts, the Critical Path Method, full-wall)
• Using the schedule to stay out of trouble
• Avoiding the 5 pitfalls of preparing project schedules

This course provides a foundation in quality management and risk mitigation in AEC projects, emphasizing that quality must be planned from the start and cannot be added later. Participants will explore how to meet client expectations, create quality plans, and manage legal and contractual risks using proactive strategies.

You’ll cover

• Avoiding the quality problems AEC clients commonly cite
• Aligning the client’s quality expectations and matching cost to need
• Creating the Project Quality Plan
• Prioritizing project risks with the risk matrix
• Recognizing the warning signs of incoming liability claims and preparing
• Understanding the unique risks of horizontal and vertical construction projects

The free sample does not include a certificate of completion. Enroll to earn one.

This course underscores the long-term impact of proper initiation and the consequences of starting projects without strategic alignment. Participants will learn how to successfully launch AEC projects by developing communication and procurement plans, engaging stakeholders, and tailoring project management plans by project size.

You’ll cover

• Developing the communication plan
• Understanding the procurement plan
• Planning for change
• Creating Project Management Plans for both small and large projects
• Administering the final Project Management Plan
• Identifying who sees which elements of Project Management Plan
• Engaging stakeholders

This course provides a step-by-step guide for conducting effective project kick-off meetings, both internally and externally, to ensure alignment from the outset. Participants will learn key practices such as implementing communication plans, conducting zero percent reviews, and establishing documentation control.

You’ll cover

• Planning the initial Project Manager briefing
• Leading the zero percent review
• Running both the internal and external project kickoff meetings
• Implementing the communication plan
• Understanding documentation control

This course introduces essential techniques for Project Managers to effectively lead teams and control project performance using tools like Earned Value Management. Participants will gain skills in tracking budgets, evaluating schedule progress, and analyzing performance metrics to maintain project control.

You’ll cover

• Monitoring the project accurately
• Simplifying the approach to Earned Value Management
• Collecting from accounting the metrics necessary to track the project
• Tracking budgets for small jobs
• Analyzing project variance
• Charting both the schedule and budget status of each task
• Understanding both schedule and budget trends

This course strengthens the communication skills of Project Managers by addressing verbal, written, and non-verbal methods to improve team coordination and client relationships. Participants will explore modern communication tools, techniques for delivering difficult messages, and methods for sustaining client trust and loyalty.

You’ll cover

• Developing strong client relationships
• Understanding the factors that influence client loyalty
• Improving client relationships during the project
• Delivering bad news to the client skillfully
• Navigating public agencies, public forums, and politicians

This course prepares Project Managers to proactively identify, plan for, and manage changes—particularly those affecting scope and schedule—throughout the project lifecycle. Participants will explore effective change management strategies, including establishing change orders and viewing scope creep as an opportunity for growth.

You’ll cover

• Understanding both project change and rework and recognizing their cost
• Planning for change (incl. client-driven changes)
• Establishing change orders when scope creep occurs
• Managing change throughout the project
• Navigating change management as the sub
• Viewing scope creep as an opportunity

This course equips Project Managers with practical steps to identify when a project is off-track and implement recovery strategies related to schedule delays, budget overruns, or leadership gaps. Participants will also explore crisis management techniques and how to stabilize troubled projects with minimal disruption.

You’ll cover

• Recognizing if the project is in trouble
• Recovering if the project is behind schedule or over budget
• Getting the project back on track
• Managing crisis
• Cleaning up after another Project Manager

This course outlines best practices for closing out AEC projects effectively, with a focus on minimizing delays, capturing lessons learned, and preserving profitability. Participants will learn how to navigate the "Red Zone" of project completion and conduct after-action reviews to inform future project success.

You’ll cover

• Comparing the last 10% and the first 10%
• Understanding the obstacles to project wrap up (incl. the "Red Zone" process)
• Guiding project close-out
• Leading the After-Action Review

This course teaches AEC Project Managers how to delegate effectively to improve team efficiency and personal workload management. Participants will explore identifying appropriate tasks to delegate, providing clear direction, and delivering constructive feedback to support accountability.

You’ll cover

• Recognizing the importance of delegation
• Delegating tasks easily
• Providing constructive feedback

This course addresses the complexities of overseeing multiple projects simultaneously, including prioritization, scheduling, and resource management. Participants will learn techniques for mitigating risk, balancing demands, and ensuring successful delivery across concurrent engagements.

You’ll cover

• Preparing for the complexities of managing multiple concurrent projects (incl. competing deadlines, resource constraints, cross-project dependencies)
• Using prioritization frameworks and scheduling tools to manage tasks across multiple projects efficiently
• Exploring strategies for resource allocation (incl. techniques to mitigate conflicts and ensure optimal utilization of shared personnel, equipment, and materials)
• Mitigating risks that arise from interdependencies between projects (incl. contingency planning to minimize disruptions)

This course focuses on enhancing time management and personal productivity for Project Managers working in fast-paced AEC environments. Participants will gain tools to manage urgent tasks, manage digital communication, and lead more effective meetings to optimize their daily performance.

You’ll cover

• Regaining control of the day through time allocation
• Understanding what makes someone a top performer
• Navigating both urgent and important tasks
• Minimizing disruptions
• Streamlining email communications
• Running effective meetings
• Communicating with hybrid/remote team members

This course provides strategies for developing and maintaining strong client relationships that foster trust, loyalty, and repeat business in the design industry. Participants will learn how to exceed clients’ expectations and position themselves as trusted advisors.

You’ll cover

• Developing long-term client relationships
• Creating great client experiences by over-delivering
• Becoming the client’s advisor

This course introduces Project Managers to their critical role in business development, including identifying opportunities, engaging clients, and supporting proposal efforts. Participants will adopt key strategies to shift their mindset, navigate sales conversations, and contribute to firm growth.

You’ll cover

• Shifting the mindset of Project Managers and technical staff toward embracing business development
• Understanding the Project Manager’s role within the marketing, sales, and client management triangle
• Revealing hidden opportunities within everyday client conversations
• Identifying cross-selling opportunities with current clients to win more work
• Making the go/no-go decision on proposals
• Using the Issues, Features, Benefits, Proof strategy to create successful proposals

This course introduces Project Managers to their critical role in understanding and negotiating AEC project contracts, including recognizing common contractual risks, strengthening payment terms, and limiting liability exposure. Participants will apply practical strategies to review key contract language, navigate client negotiations, and enforce agreements that protect both project success and firm performance.

You’ll cover

• Mitigating the 8 common contractual problems
• Implementing contract terms that expedite cash flow
• Understanding how contract terms impact liability risks
• Negotiating contract terms

This course teaches negotiation techniques tailored for AEC professionals, focusing on collaborative strategies that address both client needs and firm priorities. Participants will explore personal negotiation styles, planning tactics, and practical tools to navigate high-stakes contract and scope discussions.

You’ll cover

• Creating win-win contracts
• Negotiating concerns, not positions
• Identifying personal negotiating styles
• Developing the 12 traits of great negotiators
• Understanding both scope negotiations and bottom-line negotiations
• Preparing for negotiations in 5 steps
• Applying the 18 essential negotiating rules