The latest edition of SMACNA's Project Managers Institute (PMI) took place from February 5-8 in Minneapolis, MN. Program presenters Richard Reese and Stephen Staff from FMI Corporation led the program through interactive presentations on management, leadership, project planning, time management, and financial management.
The program started with a group exercise with a "design team" and a "build team" to fabricate an actual structure. From this exercise, the program built upon the importance of the "3Cs" – Communication, Cooperation, and Collaboration.
Day one included management and leadership sessions, followed by a discussion on customer-focused construction from beginning to end. Aspects discussed during this session were the project bid process, project start, construction, and closeout.
Day two encompassed an interactive team exercise on financial matters, with each team starting a new company. Team members gained hands-on experience managing cash flow, borrowing money from the bank, billings and collections, and regularly occurring problems that can impact closeout. The afternoon included a discussion on Change Order Management with how to sell a change order, causes of change order problems, and managing change orders.
Future editions of the Project Managers Institute will occur on March 26-29, 2023, in Raleigh, NC, and September 17-20, 2023, in Denver, CO. SMACNA members interested in attending or sending employees to a future PMI program can contact Shelly Dixon to request more information.
