Session Goal

This session identifies basic management functions and responsibilities of construction companies and how supervisors, effectively manage the relationship dynamics between employees, supervisors, contractors, suppliers and others that are part of each project team.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the activities in this session, learners will be able to:

• Identify the hierarchy of supervisory positions on the job and in your company.
• Explain your company mission and values.
• Apply company values to create and sustain a work culture and establish expectations.
• Explain the role of human resources professionals in hiring, evaluating, disciplining, and terminating employees.
• Identify legal requirements for supervisors in hiring, evaluating, disciplining, and terminating employees.
• Recognize and value diversity in the workforce.
• Define the requirements of the supervisor in eliminating discrimination on the jobsite.
• Explain how to identify and eliminate harassment on the jobsite.

Session Goal

This session introduces learners to construction supervision and provides learners with tools that will help them organize and acclimate to the challenges of construction supervision. It provides basic leadership and motivation principles as well as an introduction to leadership styles that will help them build relationships with others.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the activities in this session, learners will be able to:

• Define the basic elements of construction supervision.
• Identify, organize, and prioritize supervision responsibilities.
• Describe how to build relationships using various leadership styles and through engagement of your team.
• Explain leadership and motivation characteristics.
• Describe examples of good leadership.

Session Goal

This session is designed to help learners understand the importance of effective communication and emphasizes sorting, facilitating, and managing the flow of information that construction supervisors encounter in their daily work.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the activities in this session, learners will be able to:

• Recognize the supervisor’s role in the flow of communication on the job.
• Describe barriers to communication.
• Describe how to eliminate barriers to effective communication.
• Recognize and define the different forms of communication commonly used by construction companies and supervisors.
• Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
• Describe good practices for using electronic communication devices efficiently.
• Describe how to be a good listener.
• Describe how to handle confrontations effectively.
• Describe requirements for giving orders and providing instruction.

Session Goal

This session presents information about planning, scheduling and effectively managing time. Supervisors are expected to carefully plan work so that it is completed within the constraints of the budget and schedule. This session provides learners with several tools that will help them accomplish these goals.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the activities in this session, learners will be able to:

• Define the importance of planning and organizing your work.
• Identify effective time management techniques.
• Describe how to minimize non-productive activities.
• Explain the need to maximize the return on your time investment.
• Describe how to reduce stress through better management of your time.
• Explain each step in the eight-step planning process.
• Develop a work plan.
• Utilize schedules to identify activities, their durations and activity relationships for planning purposes.
• Develop a bar (Gantt) chart.
• Develop a short-term production schedule.

Session Goal

Construction supervisors must actively think about risk, hazards, and safety throughout their daily activities. They must understand that there are risks involved in construction projects. Supervisors must learn how hazards and hazardous conditions create economic and human consequences. This session presents information about how to eliminate or reduce/manage these conditions that affect the health and safety of their workers and the financial stability of their company.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the activities in this session, learners will be able to:

• Describe the benefits of a safe and healthful workplace, free of recognized risks and hazards.
• Define the supervisor's responsibility for safety.
• Explain how safety affects a company's competitive position and profitability.
• Recognize stress characteristics and their impact on safe performance.
• Identify hazards and plan ways to eliminate or reduce them.
• List the direct and indirect costs of an accident.
• Explain how Experience Modification Rates (EMR) affect your company's ability to compete.
• Describe Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) administrative requirements and standards.
• Recognize the impact of drug and alcohol abuse on productivity and safety.
• Identify risk potential at all levels of your project... quality, financial, and legal.
• Explain the risk/reward concept of business strategies.

Session Goal

In this session learners will study the definition of contract and peripheral documents used on a construction project. They will learn that various documents have specific roles and functions and facilitate relationships between contractual parties. They will understand their role in controlling quality, time and cost, and how they can help to avoid or resolve disputes on a project.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the activities in this session, learners will be able to:

• Describe different contract documents to define roles and responsibilities of those on a construction project.
• Explain the requirements for change orders.
• Describe how to manage change orders and make them a profit center.
• Explain different time impacts that can affect your schedule and work planning.
• Explain that the Dispute Resolution Process stresses resolving disputes at the lowest possible level.
• Describe the guidelines of contract law for your work.
• Describe Contract Documents and Your Responsibilities.

Session Goal

This session is designed to help learners understand the importance of problem identification and resolution. Coupled with skill in making the appropriate decision at the right time, supervisors will be successful. Their decisions directly impact the people and work they supervise. This session presents a logical, sequential and analytical method of identifying problems, seeking opportunities, and deciding on effective solutions.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the activities in this session, learners will be able to:

• Describe the importance of accurately identifying problems.
• Describe the perspective of a problem-solving attitude.
• Identify potential solutions to problems.
• Identify opportunities for improvement.
• Use the seven-step decision-making process.

Session Goal

In this session learners will study cost awareness, cost control, and productivity on their projects. Every supervisor should be able to use unit costs to determine budgetary information.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the activities in this session, learners will be able to:

• Describe how a construction estimate is established.
• Explain the difference between conceptual and detailed estimates.
• Develop material estimates.
• Describe how to use unit prices to control labor and equipment budgets.
• Describe how to measure productivity of equipment and labor.
• Explain how to increase productivity.
• Describe means for improving labor productivity on your job.
• List ten steps to improve equipment productivity on your job.
• Identify ways to improve productivity of suppliers and specialty contractors.

Session Goal

This session gives learners a chance to reflect upon the information presented in this course and apply what they have learned on their jobsites.

There is a self-assessment tool that will help them determine the strengths and weaknesses in their supervisory skills and knowledge. Using that information and career information from this session, they will develop a one- and five-year career development plan, and review those plans with a mentor from their company.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the activities in this session, learners will be able to:

• Review concepts and key elements of each session.
• Recognize and understand the career opportunities available to people working in the construction industry.
• Determine educational opportunities, including AGC programs, that offer training to prepare a person for advancement in the construction industry.
• Assess the level of skills and knowledge necessary to advance your career.
• Plan for career advancement.