Custom AEC Project Management Development Programs Using the AEC PM Ecosystem

Create a culture of project management excellence that empowers and supports your people

Profitable Projects

PM Consistency

Improved Recruitment & Retention

AEC leadership and HR professionals feel pressured to reduce write offs and attract top talent.

But they find only Band-Aid training solutions:

PM Bootcamps that Don’t Work

1-2 day intensives lack follow-up and are not customized to your organization–sometimes not even to your industry. They’re not based on learning principles, and they don’t result in skill transfer to the job.

Unsustainable Internal Programs

Most AEC firms can’t take their most talented PMs off of billable projects for extended curriculum development and training duties, and great PMs are not necessarily great trainers.

AEC companies deserve development programs that provide an ROI, and their PMs deserve a pathway to success.

Our programs allow your organization to finally say goodbye to a “sink or swim” project management culture:

Customization

A thorough discovery process allows us to incorporate your company terminology, processes, standards, and tools throughout your curriculum.

Personalization

Each PM takes our AEC PM Behaviors Assessment validated via our research with Harrison Assessments International, and results are used to tailor the training to their needs.

Retention & Skill Transfer

Spaced repetition, applied assignments, engaging formats, and a 2-year support period ensure your PMs retain, apply, and continue to develop the skills for years to come.

Why Choose EMI?

Engineering Management Institute was founded by an engineer who fast-tracked his career once he developed his management and leadership skills. Today those insights power the AEC PM Ecosystem customizable programs, certification and ongoing support services for AEC Professionals.

After creating programs for top AEC organizations and resources that have been downloaded millions of times by engineers thirsty for this knowledge, we understand the obstacles to PM skill acquisition and how to overcome them.

Trusted By:

Jeanne Cotter

Vice President People and Process | Urban Engineers

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Like many firms, our team is technically strong, but stepping into a project management role requires a completely different skill set.

We had tried internal training, but it wasn’t enough to prepare our team for the communication, negotiation, and client-facing responsibilities that drive project success.

EMI stood out because they understand our industry and don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. They worked with us to build a customized program that directly addressed our challenges.

Since the training, we’ve seen increased confidence in our project managers and heard firsthand how they’re applying these skills in real situations. Just as importantly, EMI made the entire process easy. They listened, understood our needs quickly, and delivered exactly what we were looking for.

It was a very positive experience, and I would highly recommend them.

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Your organization can see lasting change with our time-tested process:

Step 1: Due Diligence

Through tailored surveys and calls, we identify training needs and focus areas for each role and seniority level.

Your PMs will appreciate being part of the design process, and you’ll receive a PM Development Strategy Report^TM with recommendations, a proposed curriculum, and rollout plan.

Step 2: Design & Delivery

We design branded slide decks, a guidebook, and real-world assignments, all aligned with your organizational culture.

Training is delivered in small cohorts that foster engagement. To optimize learning, manageable 2-hour sessions are spaced weeks apart with applied assignments in between.

Step 3: Certification & Learning Transfer

PMs take a 25-question exam at the end of the course to earn our industry-wide AEC Project Management Certification. Think of this as a PMP for AEC professionals.

Next, they receive 2 years of support through our PM Assist service which includes customized microlearning videos to refresh the knowledge and quarterly PDH webinars with leading PMs to hone the skills, ensuring a sustained benefit to the PM’s confidence in their role and the success of their projects.

Learn more about how we can support you with out AEC PM Ecosystem^TM

At Engineering Management Institute, we know that you want to be a champion for project management excellence. Book a call today, and in the meantime request our free book, so that you can learn to transform:

Stagnation to Profitability: When PMs are equipped with the necessary tools and skills, write offs and client churn are reduced while margins and and customer relationships improve.
Inconsistency to Collaboration: With a consistent project management culture, PMs can easily work together, onboard and mentor new PMs, and communicate across offices.
Turnover to Top Talent Retention: Engineers know that PM skills are critical for their career growth, so they value workplaces that invest in PM development.
Isolation to Peer Support: Small cohort sizes and an interactive program format build relationships that become valuable sources of peer support.

In Beyond PM Training: How to Build a Scalable AEC PM Ecosystem, we share our proven process for developing and supporting successful AEC project managers. This book is free to AEC organizations!

What participants are saying:

The Sanbell Project Management Development Program – Foundations of Project Management provided a solid framework that immediately strengthened how I approach project planning, communication, and execution. It helped me sharpen my ability to manage scope, timelines, and stakeholders with greater confidence and clarity. The practical tools and real-world insights have made a lasting impact on how I lead projects and collaborate with teams. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking to build or reinforce their project management skills.

The GFT Project Management Development Program – Foundations of Project Management helped me build a strong understanding of core project management concepts, from scope and stakeholder management to scheduling, budgeting, and communications. The program provided practical tools and frameworks that I can apply directly to my construction projects, helping me plan more effectively, track progress, and communicate clearly with my team and stakeholders. It has given me the confidence and skills to take on project management responsibilities more successfully.

In the current stage of my progression as a Project Manager, I feel like the GFT Foundations of Project Management course has assisted me in feeling more comfortable in my role. Understanding the project life cycle and how to manage scope, clients, stakeholders, budget and schedule among many other things are key components of being a successful project manager. The instructors in these courses really seemed dedicated to ensuring that the content and the collaboration between participants was meaningful. This is a great first step on my journey to being successful as a Project Manager.

The GFT Project Management Development Program provided a solid foundation in project management principles. The course was well structured and helped connect theory with real-world application.

I think that this course was a great overview of how to manage the life cycle of a project. While I felt like I had a good understanding of the responsibilities of a project manager when starting this course, I truly appreciated the insight from the instructors. My experience with project management has mostly been after the NTP, so getting more familiar with all aspects that go into getting to that point was helpful and I feel as though I was given tools that I can use in future project development.

The GFT Project Management Development Program - Foundations of Project Management helped me by providing an encompassing PM training that covered a wide range of topics. There were some topics that were new to me and others that the training helped to increase my knowledge in PM roles and topics. Overall, the Foundations training provided tips and increased understanding of topics for my new PM role.

I feel like the program helped reinforce the concepts I've been learning as an active project manager. It also helped fill in any of the gaps in my knowledge. It was easy to see how I could apply the concepts to future projects and how I could have used this information to help my current projects progress smoother.

The JHA Project Leaders Development Program has been a great help in growing my understanding of what it takes to become a Leader. Anthony and Mike are knowledgeable and engaging instructors. The class not only improved my leadership skills, but is a great motivation tool. I highly recommend this class to anyone who wants to grow and become a more effective and successful project leader.

The PM fundamentals course was a great refresher for improving on my current PM skillset. I learned a lot of new information and I acquired tools I can use to help more effectively manage my projects

Gave me new ideas to become a more effective project manager and raised my confidence level at honing this skill set.

Gave me a lot of good concepts and tools (spreadsheets/checklists) to help manage projects

I'm very excited to start applying earned value management on my projects!

The PM 2 program serves as a comprehensive document of the various responsibilities of project managers that are needed to increase the likelihood of person, team, and firm success. Taking this course helped me to recognize some of my blind spots that I frequently overlook in my regular work. I leave this course having a greater perspective of how to deal with clients and project teams, rather than focusing on only the project work at hand.

It helped me learn how to establish and keep client relationships, manage timelines and budgets, and create strong project plans and scopes.

The TranSystems Project Management Development Program - Foundations of Project Management helped me to better understanding the expectations for PMs across the company as I start out in my PM role, but also allowed me to feel more engaged with TranSystems, as a member of a recent acquisition.