CIVIL ENGINEERING CURRICULUM

� Course: Construction Project Management

� Satisfies the PM student outcome for program (main student outcome)

� Workshop leader and PBL/ACL/EML mentor: Andy Gerhart

� Since there are no civils at this conference, main takeaway from presentation is there is

no “d” in Gerhart

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QUICK DIGRESSION: YOU SAY PECHA KUCHA; CIVIL ENGINEER THINKS MACHU PICCHU

� Don’t think about:

� Presenting

� Marketing

� Sales

� Entrepreneurship

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CONSTRUTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT

� Could be managing construction; also managing design

� Civil and Architectural students: some will be construction based and some design

based—ALL will manage projects

� Project management course—NOT typical engineering design course

� Photo: renovation of small casino on Vegas strip

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PMBOK5: FRAMEWORK FOR COURSE

� Mostly project-based content

� Scheduling

� Changes

� Risk Management

� Logistics Management (MOT)

� Generally discuss concept of “making the business case” pre-initiation processes

� PM’s responsibilities have expanded (not just coordinating/scheduling) for project

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INITIAL SPARK FOR THE PRESENTATION

� Lightbulb is hackneyed; not sufficiently muscular or dangerous or interesting

� Keen Entrepreneurially Minded Learning (EML) workshop

� Converting PBL to EML

� Workshop leader and PBL/ACL/EML mentor: Andy Gerhart

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INITIAL REACTION TO KEEN WORKSHOP: WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?

MORPHED INTO PROBLEM STATEMENT: CIVIL ENGINEERS DO NOT DO WIDGETS

� Knee replacement: Biomedical Engineering

� Engine thing: Mechanical Engineering

� Distribution Equipment: Electrical Engineering

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CIVIL ENGINEERS MAKE MEGA-WIDGETS!

� Dams

� Roads

� Buildings (structure/foundations)

� Bridges

� Electrical Distribution Towers (tower and foundation/anchoring: structural)

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EPIPHANY: HOW TO APPROACH ASSIGNMENT

� Must be in equation form (need an equation or engineers will not understand)

� Need to tie entrepreneurship into expertise

� X = Developing, Marketing, Selling, etc. SERVICES

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INITIAL DISCUSSION WITH PM STUDENTS; PERPLEXED

� No concept of marketing or selling

� What they do is not connected to product development

� Never taken a business course

� Vague understanding if on a competition team—need to advertise and raise money tdr

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WHATEVER THE ASSIGNMENT WOULD BE—NEEDED TO BE TWO COMPONENTS

� Assignment: Asset Management

� Left Brain: Engineering analysis ; spreadsheet (template) creation; separating

components

� Right Brain; Synthesis: making sense of whole; determining benefits and marketing

� Would do over two terms—try with two different classes

� Students need to think about product development

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WHAT ARE ASSETS? WHAT IS ASSET MANAGEMENT? WHY IS IT NEEDED?

Tight coordination means good project management skills

� Gas/Electric: private entities; highly regulated by the state

� Paving: roads, sidewalk

� Stormwater: local; but likely county controls

� Water: hydrant; cutoff valve

� Traffic signals

Basic services

Maintain asset

Limited resources

Tax dollars

Operation and maintenance

Recordkeeping

Legal considerations

PRIVATE OWNERS COULD ALSO EMPLOY ASSET MANAGEMENT

� Usually think of public owners

� Private owners need asset management too

� Universities

� Research campuses (automotive, pharmacy, etc.)

� Manufacturing operations

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COURSE EXECUTION

� Preparation: Online Lectures: 2 lectures; total about 70 minutes

� Preparation: “Articles” used broadly; included EPA asset management introductory

document

� Two guest speakers (supposed to discuss engineering and marketing)

� 1 civil engineer; focus on facility AM (interior)

� 1 mechanical engineer; focus us on exterior asset management (city/county

infrastructure)

� EML execution (Lecture regarding engineering, marketing; initial team discussions)

� Initial discussion; review assignment

� Team discussion; plan of attack

� EML is actually an ACL/PBL

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ASSIGNMENT DELIVERABLES

� Written component: report to boss that includes:

� Overview

� Template with discussion on how to use

� Marketing/sales approach

� Oral component: report to boss and firm

� Left up to students how to present

� Demonstrate template

� Discuss benefits

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EXAMPLE RUBRIC DIMENSIONS USED FOR ASSIGNMENT

� Original rubric tweaked to address entrepreneurship

� TEMPLATE ADAPTABILITY actually includes aspect of entrepreneurship

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ADDED ENTREPRENEURIAL DIMENSIONS TO STANDARD RUBRIC

� Marketing focus: big picture

� Sales focus: selling the product developed

� Had to keep relatively brief; would be more extensive if in a capstone course

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THE POTENTIAL CLIENT

� City of Southfield, MI; suburb of Detroit

� Lower middle class to middle class

� Tax base coming back (improving economy)

� Assets are tired; poor roads, other concerns (Flint water crisis)

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NO TEAM PERFORMED BETTER THAN “MEETS EXPECTATIONS”

� Marketing Strategy: Little demonstration on understanding a “strategy”

� Most did explain benefits; probably just naturally followed a discussion on how to use

the template

� Obviously no research on how to market or sell

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LESSONS LEARNED: IMPLEMENTATION IDEAS FOR 2016 FALL TERM

� Article on importance of marketing—probably won’t read

� Try to better explain to practitioners the SELLING point of their lecture

� Invite a marketing/business development person from a construction or engineering

firm to discuss marketing and selling considerations

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WHAT DO STUDENT ENGINEERS NEED TO TAKE AWAY FROM ASSIGNMENT?

� Diligence at a job means diligence in more than just engineering—it also means

marketing firm services

� Selling yourself is constant—not just to get a job; selling yourself and your firm is a

constant requirement

� “Kings” is (can be) a symbol for people with means or people that control the money

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