PCCA Journal 3rd Quarter 2013 - page 9

PCCA Journal|3
rd
Quarter 2013
9
L
ooking to help its members build strong project
leaders, PCCA is launching a new educational
program in January 2014—the PCCA Project
Manager Academy. The PCCA Academy is four
days of tough, no-nonsense, total immersion
into the business of construction that will fast-forward your
people’s knowledge, decision-making skills, and leadership
abilities. But mostly, they will learn to think and act as if they
have a personal stake in every project.
The first PCCA Project Manager Academy is January 13-16
in Atlanta, Ga.
The PCCA Academy is based on FMI’s highly success-
ful PMA, and FMI worked with a group of PCCA contractor
and associate members to tailor the program specifically to
our industry. The course materials include PCCA-specific
case studies and samples of checklists, best practices, plans,
specs, contracts, change orders, etc. Your people won’t be
discussing homebuilding, general construction, or road build-
ing; they’ll be discussing plowing, drilling, fiber to the home,
transmission & distribution lines, and substations.
FMI has many years of experience teaching this program
and admits that the techniques of managing projects are well-
known. Training in scheduling, budgeting, and cost tracking
is available from many sources. But to graduate to the next
level, your project staff must learn to think and act like busi-
ness owners. When projects break down, they have to feel
like they are bleeding their own money. When customers are
dissatisfied, your managers and staff must take it personally.
When jobs are running smoothly, they must remain vigilant.
The PCCA Project Manager Academy is built around four
core themes:
• Profitable customer relationship development
• Powerful, integrated project teams
• Financial control of projects
• Planning projects for profits and customer satisfaction
During this high-level, immersion experience, your project
delivery people will examine themselves, their organizations,
and their processes. Our goal is to transform talented builders
into true construction entrepreneurs.
An entrepreneur is a self-directed person who corrals and
coordinates diverse talents and resources to service custom-
ers and return profits. While this description may fit many
“managers,” there is a key difference between an entrepre-
neur and a manager. While most managers are capable and
dedicated to their jobs, entrepreneurs will always act as if
they have a personal stake in the success or failure of the
project.
The Journey Begins Now
The goal of this program is fundamental behavioral change.
Stop your PMs from seeing themselves as just another em-
ployee or a witness to project outcomes. Turn them into vir-
tual owners who have a personal stake in project outcomes
and the tools necessary to succeed.
The PCCA Project Manager Academy begins weeks before
attendees arrive with an in-depth 360° feedback survey and a
personality and behavioral diagnostic. At the program, a vari-
ety of hands-on experiences, one-on-one coaching, and small
team sessions continue the development process through:
• A highly personalized feedback process,
• Analyzing and interpreting behavior preferences and com-
munication styles, and
• Developing a personal action plan to capitalize on assets
and compensate for weaknesses.
Who Should Attend
• Project Executives
• Project Managers
• Estimators
There is benefit in having several team members experi-
ence the PCCA Project Manager Academy. The principles
will multiply throughout your organization. Companies send
their team members in groups to foster greater cohesion and
PCCA Launches
Continued on page 10
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