Civil Engineer School Offers New Troop Construction Project Management Course

Photo By Gianna Greben | Capt Evan Dicks prepares to record a lesson in the studio at The Civil Engineer School (USAF photo by Maj AJ Anderson).  

UNITED STATES

06.29.2020

Courtesy Story

Headquarters Air Force, Office of the Director of Civil Engineers

CE Weekly Submission by Capt Evan Dicks //

Construction project management is an area of expertise closely tied to the Civil Engineer (CE) Enterprise. Because the term “project manager” is quite broad, it can be interpreted in many different ways. Even when narrowed to the field of construction, a single project can include several different project managers with different responsibilities. For example, a project may include a project manager from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a project manager from the construction contractor, a project manager from the customer, and another project manager from the base CE Squadron, all with different responsibilities.

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) currently offers project management courses focused on the representative from the CE squadron tasked with overseeing the development of the scope, design, and construction execution to satisfy requirements on the installation. These courses focus on contracted construction because the most common way for construction and repair work to be accomplished on the installation is through a contractor. While many of the principles overlap, the skillset of managing a contracted construction project varies from the skillset required to manage a construction project executed by Airmen. The first focuses heavily on the language and specifics written into the contract, while the latter is more about organizing the resources required to execute each task.

However, at the November 2019 Education and Training Review Committee, the CE Career Field Managers asked The Civil Engineer School to develop a new project management course that educates CE Airmen on managing construction projects executed by other Airmen. With that in mind, the CE School created a new course with the collective input from both Prime BEEF and RED HORSE non-commissioned officers (NCO) and CE Officers to ensure the course equips our Airmen with the tools to successfully manage a project executed with Airman labor. The CE School will start offering this course this summer, with the first class running 27 - 31 July 2020. It is structured as a “blended learning” course utilizing both pre-recorded lessons and live, interactive broadcasts to solidify the course content, assignments, and further learning objectives. The lessons will provide a detailed guide to develop the scope, budget, schedule, and bill of materials, as well as discuss risk management, safety, quality, and tracking progress throughout the execution of a project.

The intended student audience for the course is any NCO or CE Officer involved in the management of a troop construction project. This includes CONUS, OCONUS, and RED HORSE Troop Training Projects (TTPs) as well as those Airmen tasked to a deployed construction units. “Some of our Airmen are doing outstanding work managing projects, but many others are handed a project and may not be sure exactly where to begin, or how to ensure a successful outcome,” said Capt Evan Dicks, the CE School instructor tasked with developing the course. “We really just want to provide everyone with the foundation to feel confident managing any type of construction project.”

Like many other AFIT courses, it will be offered multiple times per year to accommodate schedule conflicts and new project requirements that come up throughout the year. Those interested in enrolling can sign up using the course page link below:
https://www.afit.edu/CE/Course_Desc.cfm?p=WMGT%20437

• Date Taken: 06.29.2020
• Date Posted: 06.29.2020 10:23
• Story ID: 373003
• Location: US