Project Management (PjM)

This division will assess objectives related to the management of architectural projects, including organizing principles, contract management, and consultant management. The division will focus on issues related to office standards, development of project teams, and overall project control of client, fee, and risk management. Candidates must demonstrate an understanding of and abilities in quality control, project team configuration, and project scheduling. In addition, candidates must demonstrate the ability to establish and deliver project services per contractual requirements in collaboration with consultants.

Resource Management

Assemble Team

4/4 topics

Project Team Composition: Staff, Consultants, Subconsultants, and Phase-Based Role Definition

How architects assemble and structure project teams across phases, distinguishing between in-house staff, consultants, and subconsultants while defining evolving roles from pre-design through construction administration.

Consultant Selection: Qualifications, Scope Alignment, and Engagement Timing

How architects and owners select consultants through qualifications-based processes, verify scope alignment, and time engagement for project success, including the Brooks Act framework and QBS procedures.

Team Organization for Projects: Studio, Departmental, and Matrix Structures

How architecture firms organize project teams using studio, departmental (service-discipline), and matrix structures, and how each model affects communication, reporting, staffing flexibility, and project outcomes.

Delivery Method Impact on Team Structure and Consultant Roles

How project delivery methods (Design-Bid-Build, CM at-Risk, Design-Build, and IPD) reshape the architect's role, team composition, contractual relationships, consultant engagement, and risk allocation on a project.

Allocate Manage Resources

4/4 topics

Staff Allocation: Utilization Tracking, Workload Balancing, and Adjustments

How architecture firms measure and manage staff productivity through utilization rates, billability analysis, and workload balancing to optimize resource allocation across projects.

Tracking Project Progress: Personnel, Hours, Fees, and Schedule Metrics

How architects track project health through earned value analysis, cost variance, billing breakdowns, profitability metrics, and schedule performance indicators to make informed management decisions.

Fee Projection Charts and Work Breakdown by Phase

How architecture firms build fee projection charts, allocate fees across design phases, and use S-curve tracking to monitor earned value against planned expenditure throughout a project's lifecycle.

Managing Resource Conflicts Across Multiple Concurrent Projects

How architecture firms identify, prioritize, and resolve staffing conflicts when multiple active projects compete for the same personnel, and the strategies project managers use to balance workloads without sacrificing quality or deadlines.

Project Work Planning

Develop Maintain Work Plan

5/5 topics

Project Work Plans: Components, Structure, and Key Milestones

How architects build and maintain project work plans, including the key components, organizational structure, milestone planning, and phase-gate deliverables that keep architectural projects on scope, schedule, and budget.

Gantt Charts: Creating, Reading, and Interpreting Project Schedules

How architects create, read, and interpret Gantt charts (bar charts) as the primary visual tool for project scheduling, including bar construction, dependency arrows, milestone markers, baseline comparisons, and progress tracking.

Critical Path Method (CPM): Network Diagrams, Dependencies, and Forward/Backward Pass

How architects use the Critical Path Method to analyze project schedules through network diagrams, dependency relationships, forward and backward pass calculations, float determination, and critical path identification.

Schedule Analysis: Float, Slack, Critical Activities, and Lead/Lag Relationships

Analyze project schedules using float calculations, identify critical path activities, and apply lead/lag relationships to sequence work effectively in architectural project management.

Modifying Work Plans: Incorporating Feedback, Changes, and Delays

Manage work plan modifications in response to client feedback, scope changes, schedule delays, and unforeseen conditions while maintaining project control through change management processes.

Develop Maintain Schedule

6/6 topics

External Factors on Schedules: Client Reviews, Testing, and Regulatory Submissions

How client review cycles, third-party testing, and regulatory submission processes affect project schedules, and strategies for anticipating and managing these external timeline impacts.

Schedule Compression: Fast-Tracking vs. Crashing Strategies

Evaluate and apply schedule compression techniques including fast-tracking (activity overlap) and crashing (resource addition) to recover lost time while managing the associated risks, costs, and quality implications.

Task Prioritization and Workload Impact Assessment

Methods for prioritizing design and project management tasks based on urgency, criticality, dependencies, and resource constraints, and techniques for assessing how workload changes impact project schedules and team capacity.

Design Phase Milestones, Deliverables, and Phase Gate Reviews

The standard design phases (SD, DD, CD), their expected deliverables, completion criteria, and the gate review processes that control phase transitions and authorize advancement of a project through design.

Total Working Fee Calculations and Work Plan/Fee Projection Charts

How architecture firms calculate total working fees from direct labor, overhead, profit, and consultant costs, and how work plan/fee projection charts track planned versus actual fee expenditure across project phases.

Schedule Recovery: Delay Analysis and Corrective Strategies

How project managers identify, classify, and analyze schedule delays in architectural projects, and the corrective strategies available to recover lost time while managing scope, cost, and quality trade-offs.

Project Communication

4/4 topics

Meeting Management: Agendas, Minutes, and Action Item Tracking

How architects plan, run, and document project meetings during construction and design phases, including agenda preparation, minute-taking protocols, and systems for tracking action items to completion.

Project Communication Protocols: Types, Frequency, and Standards

How architects establish and manage project communication protocols, including the types of project communications, their required frequency, documentation standards, and the role of communication plans in reducing risk and maintaining project alignment.

Documentation Types in Practice: RFIs, Transmittals, Memos, and Correspondence

How architects use RFIs, transmittals, memos, and project correspondence to manage information flow during construction, including processing protocols, response obligations, and the role of documentation in claims defense.

Stakeholder-Specific Communication: Owner, Contractor, Consultants, and Staff

How architects tailor communication strategies for different project stakeholders, including owner-architect communication protocols, contractor coordination through proper channels, subconsultant management, and internal staff communication, all within the AIA contract framework.

Contracts

Owner Architect Agreement

12/12 topics

Verifying B101 Adherence: Standard of Care, Scope Tracking, Phase Billing, and Compliance

How architects verify and maintain compliance with AIA B101 provisions throughout a project, including standard of care obligations, scope management, phase-based billing, and regulatory compliance procedures.

Compensation Methods Compared: Stipulated Sum, Percentage, Hourly, and Cost-Plus

A comparison of the four primary compensation methods used in owner-architect agreements, including stipulated sum (lump sum/fixed fee), percentage of construction cost, hourly billing, and cost-plus arrangements, with analysis of risk allocation, appropriate use cases, and prohibited methods.

B101 Cost of the Work: Budget Monitoring and Redesign Triggers (Article 6)

How AIA B101 Article 6 defines the cost of the work, establishes budget monitoring responsibilities, and triggers redesign obligations when bids exceed the owner's budget.

Delivery Method Selection and Impact on Contract Requirements

How the choice of project delivery method (DBB, CMAR, DB, IPD) shapes contract structure, risk allocation, architect roles, and the specific AIA contract documents required for each approach.

B101 Copyright, Instruments of Service, and Licensing Provisions (Article 7)

How AIA B101 Article 7 protects the architect's intellectual property through copyright ownership, defines instruments of service, and establishes the nonexclusive license granted to the owner.

B101 Claims, Disputes, Termination, and Suspension (Articles 8-9)

How AIA B101 Articles 8 and 9 structure the resolution of claims and disputes through the Initial Decision Maker, mediation, and binding resolution, and how termination and suspension provisions protect both parties.

B101 Compensation: Methods, Phase Billing, Reimbursables, and Payment Terms (Article 11)

How AIA B101 Article 11 structures architect compensation through stipulated sum, percentage, or hourly methods, establishes phase-based billing, defines reimbursable expenses, and sets payment timing requirements.

Alternative Delivery Contracts: A133 (CMAR/GMP), A141 (DB), and A195/B195 (IPD)

Comparison of AIA contract documents for three alternative project delivery methods beyond traditional design-bid-build: Construction Manager as Constructor with Guaranteed Maximum Price (A133), Design-Build (A141), and Integrated Project Delivery (A195/B195). Covers contractual structures, risk allocation, compensation models, and the architect's shifting role across each delivery method.

B101 Initial Information: Project Parameters, Budget, Delivery Method, and Contract Framework (Articles 1-2)

How AIA B101-2017 Articles 1 and 2 establish the foundational project information that shapes every subsequent contractual decision. Covers the initial information table, owner's budget, delivery method selection, the architect's scope under Article 2, and how these early provisions allocate risk between owner and architect.

B101 Basic Services: The Five Design Phases and Phase Completion Criteria (Article 3)

How AIA B101-2017 Article 3 structures the architect's basic services across five sequential phases, what deliverables and activities define each phase, how fee effort distributes across them, and what completion criteria trigger transitions from one phase to the next.

B101 Supplemental vs. Additional Services: Scope Boundaries and Triggers (Article 4)

How AIA B101-2017 Article 4 distinguishes supplemental services (agreed at contract execution) from additional services (arising after execution), including what triggers additional services, common exclusions from basic services in public sector guidelines, compensation mechanisms, and how scope misclassification creates financial and legal risk.

B101 Owner's Responsibilities: Information, Budget, Surveys, and Decisions (Article 5)

How AIA B101-2017 Article 5 defines the owner's obligations to provide information, establish budgets, furnish surveys and site data, make timely decisions, and communicate with the architect. Covers the architect's right to rely on owner-provided information, the consequences of unreliable information, and how the owner's failure to perform responsibilities creates risk for the project.

Architect Consultant Agreement

5/5 topics

Managing Consultant Performance, Coordination, and Communication

Strategies for evaluating subconsultant work quality, coordinating interdisciplinary teams, and maintaining effective communication channels throughout a project.

C401 Overview: Architect-Consultant Relationship and Contract Structure

The structural framework of AIA Document C401-2017 and how it establishes the architect-consultant relationship. Covers the C-series document family, the role of the prime agreement as the foundational reference, the distinction between architect-retained and owner-retained consultants, vicarious liability exposure, the right-to-rely concept, and how C401 fits within the broader AIA contract document ecosystem for project management purposes.

C401 Flow-Down Provisions: B101 Obligations Transferred to Consultants

How AIA C401-2017 transfers the architect's B101 obligations to subconsultants through flow-down provisions. Covers the four key areas that flow down (standard of care, payment terms, indemnity, dispute resolution), the mechanics of Section 1.3, conflict resolution between C401 and the prime agreement, and risk management implications for architects managing subconsultant contracts across different project delivery methods.

Consultant Scope, Payment Schedules, and Additional Services under C401

Managing scope definition, compensation structures, and additional services within the AIA C401 architect-consultant agreement. Covers the critical relationship between scope clarity and financial risk, compensation methods available under C401 (lump sum, cost-plus-fixed-fee, hourly rates), payment timing coordination with B101, additional services triggers and authorization procedures, scope creep prevention, limitation of liability in payment contexts, and fair compensation negotiation principles for consultant agreements.

Consultant Insurance Requirements and Professional Liability

Insurance requirements and professional liability concepts in the architect-consultant relationship under C401. Covers professional liability (PL) insurance fundamentals, why clients cannot be named as additional insureds on PL policies, the three types of indemnification clauses (broad, intermediate, comparative), the relationship between standard of care and insurance coverage, anti-indemnification statutes, four critical questions for analyzing indemnity agreements, consultant insurance verification duties, and recommended contractual language for PL coverage requirements.

Owner Contractor Agreement

10/10 topics

A101 Owner-Contractor Agreement: Stipulated Sum Structure and Key Terms

Covers the structure, key provisions, and practical application of AIA Document A101, the standard owner-contractor agreement for stipulated sum (fixed price) projects in the design-bid-build delivery method.

A201 Owner and Contractor Obligations, Contract Document Hierarchy (Articles 1-3)

Covers the foundational articles of AIA A201-2017 General Conditions, including how contract documents relate to each other, what owners must provide and prove financially, and what contractors owe regarding performance, supervision, and compliance.

A201 Architect's CA Role, Subcontractors, and Separate Contractors (Articles 4-6)

Covers the architect's construction administration duties under AIA A201-2017 Articles 4 through 6, including site visits, submittal review, interpretations, reporting obligations, subcontractor administration, and the owner's right to engage separate contractors.

A201 Changes in the Work: Change Orders, CCDs, ASIs, and the Change Management Decision Tree (Article 7)

Covers the three mechanisms for modifying construction work under AIA A201-2017 Article 7: Change Orders requiring full agreement, Construction Change Directives when agreement is absent, and Architect-ordered minor changes. Explains the decision tree for selecting the right instrument, markup and pricing structures, documentation requirements, and risk management strategies for the architect during the change process.

A201 Time, Delays, and Extensions of Time (Article 8)

How AIA A201 Article 8 governs construction time, defines delay types, establishes procedures for time extensions, and allocates risk between owner and contractor when schedules slip.

A201 Payments and Completion: Applications, Retainage, Substantial and Final (Article 9)

How payment applications flow under A201, the architect's certification role, retainage mechanics, grounds for withholding, and the distinction between substantial and final completion.

A201 Insurance, Bonds, and Surety Requirements (Articles 10-11)

Coverage of AIA A201-2017 Articles 10 and 11 addressing insurance obligations for owners and contractors, the insurance exhibit structure, waiver of subrogation, performance and payment bonds, surety bond programs, and the architect's limited role in insurance matters.

A201 Claims, Disputes, Termination, and Remedies (Articles 12-15)

How AIA A201-2017 handles claims procedures, the Initial Decision Maker process, dispute resolution through mediation and arbitration, termination for cause and convenience, and the mutual waiver of consequential damages.

G-Series Payment Forms: Applications (G702/G703), Substantial Completion (G704), and Final Payment (G706/G707)

The AIA G-Series forms that govern payment applications, certification of substantial completion, and final payment closeout during construction administration, including the architect's certification authority, contractor obligations, and the legal significance of each document in the payment chain.

G-Series Change and Administration Forms: Change Orders (G701), CCDs (G714), ASIs (G710), and RFIs (G716)

AIA G-Series forms that govern changes and administration during construction, including change orders, construction change directives, architect's supplemental instructions, and requests for information.

Owners Consultant Integration

1/1 topics

Owner's Consultants: Roles, Integration, Sequencing, and Coordination

How owner-retained consultants interact with the architect's team, including typical consultant types, coordination responsibilities, sequencing of consultant work products, and the contractual framework for managing information flow between the architect and owner's separate consultants.

Project Execution

Construction Budget Compliance

4/4 topics

Construction Cost Estimating Methods by Design Phase

How cost estimating methods evolve across project phases, from early parametric and analogous estimates during programming through detailed engineering build-up estimates during construction documents, and why selecting the right method at each stage determines budget reliability.

Cost Estimation Formats: Conceptual, Assembly, and Detailed Quantity Takeoff

Compares the three primary cost estimation formats used across a project's lifecycle: conceptual estimates that rely on parametric and analogous methods during early phases, assembly-level estimates that group building systems using Uniformat classifications, and detailed quantity takeoff estimates that price individual line items using Masterformat during construction documents. Covers when each format applies, how accuracy improves with design completeness, and how architects use these tools to maintain construction budget compliance.

Contingencies and Allowances: Types, Application, and Phase-Based Reduction

Distinguishes design contingency, construction contingency, and allowances. Covers how each type is applied within cost estimates, how contingency percentages decrease as project definition increases through design phases, and how risk analysis drives contingency allocation.

Reviewing and Assessing Construction Estimates Throughout Design

How architects and project managers review, validate, and reconcile construction cost estimates at each design phase to keep projects within budget and support informed decision-making.

Scope Changes Creep

4/4 topics

Scope Changes vs. Scope Creep: Identification and Contractual Distinction

Distinguishing between authorized scope changes processed through formal contractual mechanisms and unauthorized scope creep that erodes project budgets, schedules, and professional services agreements.

Analyzing Scope Change Impact on Fees, Schedule, and Owner Financing

How scope changes during project execution ripple through architect fees, project timelines, and the owner's financial position, with strategies for evaluating and communicating those impacts.

Managing Additional Services Requests and Contract Modifications

How architects identify, document, and negotiate additional services beyond the original scope of work, including the contractual tools, fee structures, and risk management strategies that protect the firm while maintaining strong client relationships.

Change Documentation: Authorization Protocols, Tracking, and Record-Keeping

How architects and project teams document, authorize, track, and maintain records of changes during construction, from formal change orders through configuration management systems.

Documentation Policies

6/6 topics

Documentation Policies and Procedures by Project Delivery Method

How documentation requirements, submission workflows, and record-keeping protocols shift depending on whether a project uses design-bid-build, CM-at-risk, design-build, or integrated project delivery.

Project Documentation Types and Deliverables by Design Phase

Examines the types of project documentation produced during each phase of architectural design, from schematic design through construction documents, including drawing sets, specifications, engineering reports, and project manuals.

Specifications: MasterFormat, UniFormat, and the CSI Three-Part Format

How the construction industry organizes specification information using the CSI classification systems (MasterFormat and UniFormat) and the standardized three-part section format (General, Products, Execution), with emphasis on the project manager's role in coordinating specifications across project phases.

BIM Documentation: Execution Plans, LOD Standards, and Coordination

How architects establish BIM Execution Plans, assign Levels of Development to model elements, and coordinate digital documentation across project teams using AIA digital practice documents and agency-specific BIM standards.

Construction Document Coordination: Interdisciplinary Review and Checking

How architects coordinate construction documents across disciplines, including systematic review processes, clash detection, and quality control procedures that ensure consistency between architectural, structural, MEP, and civil drawings.

Document Control: Version Management, Distribution, and Archival

Analyzes document control systems for architectural project management, covering version tracking, distribution protocols, records retention, digital vs. hard-copy document authority, BIM model management, and archival strategies that protect both project integrity and professional liability.

Authorities Having Jurisdiction

3/3 topics

Authorities Having Jurisdiction: Identifying Agencies, Submissions, and Approval Requirements

How architects identify every authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) on a project, understand each agency's submission requirements, and manage the approval process from initial filing through final sign-off.

Zoning and Land Use Approvals: Variances, Special Exceptions, Setbacks, FAR, and Review Boards

How zoning ordinances regulate land use through districts, dimensional standards, and approval mechanisms, and what architects need to know about variances, special exceptions, conditional use permits, setbacks, floor area ratio, and the review boards that administer these processes.

Building Permit Process: Plan Review, Approval, Inspections, and Certificate of Occupancy

Covers the full lifecycle of building permits, from application and plan review through inspections and certificate of occupancy issuance, including the roles of building officials, code compliance verification, and common triggers that affect project timelines.

Project Quality Control

Laws Regulations Adherence

4/4 topics

Environmental Regulations and Sustainability Compliance: NEPA, Wetlands, and Energy Codes

Covers the federal and state environmental review frameworks architects encounter during project management, including the NEPA process (CE, EA, EIS), Clean Water Act Section 404 wetlands permitting, state-level environmental review (CEQA as a model), and energy code compliance paths under the IECC and ASHRAE 90.1. Emphasizes the project manager's role in scheduling environmental clearances, coordinating with regulatory agencies, and integrating sustainability requirements into project delivery.

Code Analysis: IBC Occupancy Classification, Construction Type, and Area/Height Limits

How architects classify buildings by occupancy and construction type under the IBC, and how those classifications determine allowable building height, number of stories, and floor area.

Accessibility Requirements: ADA Standards and Fair Housing Act

Federal accessibility laws governing architectural design, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its 2010 Standards for Accessible Design, the Fair Housing Act's seven design requirements for multifamily dwellings, and the Architectural Barriers Act for federally funded facilities. Covers scoping, technical requirements, alterations triggers, path of travel obligations, and the relationship between overlapping federal accessibility mandates.

Job Site Compliance Protocols, Permits, and Inspection Requirements

How architects manage regulatory compliance on projects: identifying AHJs, coordinating permit applications, understanding inspection sequencing, performing code analyses, and establishing compliance monitoring protocols throughout project duration.

Quality Control Risk Reduction

5/5 topics

Quality Assurance vs. Quality Control in Project Execution

Distinguishes between quality assurance (process-oriented, proactive) and quality control (product-oriented, reactive) within architectural project execution, covering how each function reduces risk, who performs each role, and how QA/QC programs integrate across design and construction phases.

Establishing Phase-Based Review Processes and Completion Criteria

How architects and project managers build the formal QC system: structuring review checkpoints at 30/60/90/100%, defining completion criteria, formalizing comment registers, and using phase gates to control quality, cost, and schedule progression.

Project Risk Assessment: Identification, Evaluation, and Mitigation Strategies

Systematic methods for identifying project risks, evaluating their probability and impact through risk matrices and registers, and selecting appropriate mitigation strategies including avoidance, control, transfer, and acceptance.

Project-Level Insurance: Professional Liability, CGL, Builder's Risk, and Property

Analyzes the four major insurance types on construction projects from a project management perspective: verifying contractor coverage, coordinating project-specific requirements per AIA A201 Article 11, identifying coverage gaps, and managing certificate of insurance workflows.

Dispute Resolution on Projects: Mediation, Arbitration, and Litigation

How construction disputes are resolved through a tiered system of mediation, arbitration, and litigation, including the architect's role as Initial Decision Maker, the claims process under AIA A201, statutes of limitations and repose, and risk management strategies for dispute resolution contract provisions.

Coordination Constructability

6/6 topics

Consultant Coordination: Interdisciplinary Design Integration and Conflict Resolution

How architects organize, coordinate, and manage consultant teams across disciplines to integrate building systems, resolve design conflicts, and maintain quality throughout the project lifecycle.

Clash Detection and BIM-Based Coordination Workflows

How architects and project teams use BIM-based clash detection and coordination management to identify and resolve spatial conflicts between building systems before construction begins.

Constructability Review: Assessing Documentation for Buildability

How architects evaluate construction documents to confirm that designs can actually be built using standard methods, and how this review process reduces change orders, claims, and project delays.

QC Checklists, Redline Reviews, and Document Review Protocols

Structured approaches to quality control in architectural practice, including development and deployment of QC checklists across project phases, redline review techniques for catching errors and omissions, and formal document review protocols that protect firms from liability while improving deliverable quality.

Coordination Drawings, Composite Plans, and Combined Service Drawings

How architects produce and manage coordination drawings, composite plans, and combined service drawings to resolve spatial conflicts between building systems during design and construction phases.

Peer Review Programs and Independent Quality Reviews

Understanding how peer review programs and independent quality reviews function within project management, including their timing, team composition, review processes, and how they differ from internal QA/QC procedures.

Design Objectives Integrity

3/3 topics

Design Intent Documentation, Communication, and Stakeholder Monitoring Across Phases

How architects document, communicate, and preserve design intent from pre-design through construction and post-occupancy, including the Owner's Project Requirements, Basis of Design, and stakeholder engagement strategies that keep projects aligned with original goals.

Design Review Milestones and Phase Gate Quality Assessments

How architects monitor and protect design objectives across all phases: tracking OPR/BoD compliance, detecting design criteria drift, coordinating performance domains (structural, MEP, envelope, sustainability), and communicating design intent to stakeholders.

Value Engineering: Balancing Cost Reduction with Design Integrity

How architects apply the value methodology to reduce life-cycle costs while preserving essential design functions, performance requirements, and project quality through systematic function analysis and creative alternative evaluation.