Program and Project Management
20% of the examThis is the heaviest domain on the exam at 20% — roughly one question in five. It covers how construction projects are organized and led: the five project phases (Conception, Design, Procurement, Construction, Post-Construction), the delivery methods that determine who carries which risk, and the CM's role within each.
The core idea the exam returns to again and again is the difference between CM Agency and CM at-Risk. An agency CM is the owner's fiduciary — an advisor with no construction risk, duty-bound to put the owner's interests first. A CM at-risk starts as an advisor but, once a GMP is set, holds trade contracts and carries cost risk like a general contractor. Program management extends the same discipline across a portfolio of projects with a policy-level, owner-side perspective.
Expect scenario questions: an owner with a compressed schedule and a sophisticated in-house team, a stakeholder with high influence but low interest, adjacent development appearing mid-project. The exam rewards the answer that best serves the owner and the overall project — coordination over territorialism, disclosure over convenience.
Key concepts
- Five phases: Conception → Design → Procurement → Construction → Post-Construction
- Delivery methods: DBB, Design-Build, CM at-Risk, CM Agency, IPD, multiple primes
- Fiduciary duty of the agency CM; conversion of the at-risk CM at GMP
- CM Services Agreement: scope, fee, authority
- Stakeholder management and communication planning
- Program vs. project management perspective
Exam tips
- DB is fastest with least owner design control; DBB is traditional; multiple primes give the owner maximum control with more coordination burden
- IPD is the only method that pools risk AND reward in one multi-party agreement
- Pre-construction services = estimating, VE, scheduling, procurement planning — NTP is a construction-phase event
69 practice questions in this domain
10 are in the free practice test; the rest unlock with premium.