PCCA Journal 1st Quarter 2014 - page 15

PCCA Journal|1
st
Quarter 2014
15
PCCA Project Manager Academy
Gets High Marks in Atlanta
Continued on page 16
P
CCA held its first Project Manager Academy
(PMA) January 13-16 in Atlanta, Ga., and
by all accounts, it was wildly successful as
participants, instructors, and the association
came away enlightened, enriched, and ener-
gized. The first PCCA PMA class included 19 construction
professionals from seven different companies all around the
country, and they all were fully engaged in the program and
worked hard to better themselves and their companies.
The PCCA Academy is based on FMI’s highly successful
PMA, and FMI worked with a group of PCCA contractor and
associate members to tailor the program specifically to our
industry. The PMA has four basic elements: coursework in
the techniques of managing projects, hands-on projects as
part of a team, personal feedback with personality survey
tools, and personal action plans for applying the knowledge
and skills gained to actual work situations.
Basic Coursework Taken to the Next Level
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, project staff must learn to think and act like business
owners. When projects break down, they have to feel like
they are bleeding their own money. When customers are dis-
satisfied, managers and staff must take it personally. When
jobs are running smoothly, they must remain vigilant.
Topics covered in Atlanta included Management and Lead-
ership; Project Start-up; Project Planning; Customer-Focused
Construction; Time Management; Billings, Cash Flow, and
Closeout; Field Productivity, Profitability, and Financial Man-
agement; Change Order Management; Standards and Best
Practices; and Ethics and Integrity in Project Management.
On his program evaluation following the PMA, one partici-
pant wrote, “I will highly recommend this academy to our
organization on sending more managers. It was four days
of high-level information but explained in simple terms. It
allows you to better understand how the business is looked
at by owners and the importance of the things they discuss
about job closeouts, receivables, production, and planning.”
The three main FMI facilitators at the Atlanta PMA—Andy
Patron, Ethan Cowles, and Rick Reese—are very enthusias-
tic and engaging instructors. On the program evaluations,
participants raved about the instructors’ knowledge and their
ability to hold the group’s attention. “This is the first training
where I never looked at the clock and was ready to leave,”
said one participant. “Great job, gentlemen!”
Mysterious Team Projects
At the start of the PMA, participants were divided into four
teams, and those teams tackled four hands-on projects in
which they collaborated with their teammates, the other
teams, and the facilitators who posed as hard-to-please
project owners and engineers. The projects were fun, a bit
maddening, and part of what makes the PMA truly special,
but you won’t read about the details of the projects in this
article, nor will you see any photos of them on these pages—
even though the photos are fantastic. We’re not telling our
readers about these projects because the PCCA PMA is an
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