International Journal of Engineering Management

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Application of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) in an Interdisciplinary Capstone: The AISC Steel Bridge Competition

Received: 07 June 2019    Accepted: 16 July 2019    Published: 31 July 2019
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Abstract

Seven West Point Cadets recently competed in the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Steel Bridge Competition for their capstone project. West Point capstones allow cadets to demonstrate their practical, innovative, and hands-on solutions to complex problems, serving as an opportunity to demonstrate characteristics required of Army leaders. For purposes of meeting guidelines established by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the capstone serves as a culminating major engineering design experience in at least two civil engineering contexts. It incorporates engineering standards and allows students to apply knowledge and skills from previous coursework. Historically consisting of all civil engineers, this year’s interdisciplinary Steel Bridge Team included a systems engineer major for the purposes of improved project management. As tomorrow’s leaders are asked to solve complex problems and win in an uncertain tomorrow, the need for graduates to have the skills required to organize chaos, manage risk, establish a schedule and plan, and adapt to change are more important than ever. This paper, organized by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Process Groups of Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing, documents the implementation of project management principles towards the West Point Steel Bridge Team’s success and their development as future leaders.

DOI 10.11648/j.ijem.20190301.14
Published in International Journal of Engineering Management (Volume 3, Issue 1, June 2019)
Page(s) 17-24
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

PMBOK, AISC, Steel Bridge Competition, Project Planning, Process Groups

References
[1] AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition Rules (2019). www.aisc.org/ssbc
[2] PMBOK Guide: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (6th ed.). (2017). Newton Square, PN: Project Management Institute.
[3] Laufer, A. (1997). Simultaneous management. New York: AMACOM.
[4] Hayes, D. S. (2000). Evaluation and application of a project charter template to improve the project planning process: lessons for managing large development programs. Project Management Journal, 31 (1), 14–23.
[5] Eskerod, P., Huemann, M., & Savage, G. (2015). Project Stakeholder Management—Past and Present. Project Management Journal, 46 (6), 6–14.
[6] Davies, A., MacAulay, S. C., & Brady, T. (2019). Delivery Model Innovation: Insights From Infrastructure Projects. Project Management Journal, 50 (2), 119–127.
[7] Construction, AISC. (2017). Steel Construction Manual. American Institute of Steel Construction.
[8] Derenskaya, Yana. “Project Scope Management Process.” Baltic Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 4, no. 1, 2018, pp. 118–125., doi: 10.30525/2256-0742/2018-4-1-118-125.
[9] Githens, G. D. (2001). Manage innovation programs with a rolling wave. PM Network, 15 (5), 35–39.
[10] Autodesk© Robot Structural Analysis Professional (2018).
[11] Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS© (2018).
[12] Basu, Ron. “Managing Quality in Projects: An Empirical Study.” International Journal of Project Management, vol. 32, no. 1, 2014, pp. 178–187., doi: 10.1016/j.ijproman.2013.02.003.
[13] Hill, A. (2018). Student Mastery of Structural Analysis with Design Review. Structures Congress 2018, https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784481349.052.
[14] Hamilton, Scott R. (2005). Peer Review: Modeling Civil Engineering Practice, Another Way To Improve Learning. Proceedings of the 2005 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. Portland, OR: ASEE.
[15] Hamilton, S., & Brunell, L., & Tamm, G., & Arnas, O. (2006). Peer Review In Engineering Courses As A Learning Tool. Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois.
[16] Harper, Steven, and Robert Nagel. “A Study on Conflicts during an Interdisciplinary Capstone Design Experience.” International Journal of Collaborative Engineering, vol. 1, no. 3-4, 2014, pp. 256–273., doi: 10.1504/IJCE.2014.063354.
[17] Randeree, Kasim. “The Management of Productivity and Resources: A Case Study in a Culturally Diverse Environment.” International Journal of Technology, Knowledge and Society, vol. 3, no. 2, 2007, pp. 79–86., doi: 10.18848/1832-3669/CGP/v03i02/55725.
[18] Paretti, Marie & Pembridge, J. J. & Brozina, S. C. & Lutz, Ben & Phanthanousy, J. N. (2013). Mentoring team conflicts in capstone design: Problems and solutions. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings.
[19] Edwards, S. M. & Edwards, S. M. (2002). The dream team, effectively leading and motivating diverse project teams. Paper presented at Project Management Institute Annual Seminars & Symposium, San Antonio, TX. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
[20] Moulton, David J., et al. Enhancing Productivity and Innovation in ECP with a Team of Teams Approach. Figshare, 2018.
[21] Edward J., Kinlaw, C. S., & Kinlaw, D. C. (2000). Developing superior project teams: a study of the characteristics of high performance in project teams. Paper presented at PMI® Research Conference 2000: Project Management Research at the Turn of the Millennium, Paris, France. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
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Author Information
  • Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering, West Point, New York, USA

  • Department of Systems Engineering, West Point, New York, USA

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  • APA Style

    Aaron Thomas Hill Jr., Madeleine Lyndall Nelson. (2019). Application of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) in an Interdisciplinary Capstone: The AISC Steel Bridge Competition. International Journal of Engineering Management, 3(1), 17-24. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijem.20190301.14

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    ACS Style

    Aaron Thomas Hill Jr.; Madeleine Lyndall Nelson. Application of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) in an Interdisciplinary Capstone: The AISC Steel Bridge Competition. Int. J. Eng. Manag. 2019, 3(1), 17-24. doi: 10.11648/j.ijem.20190301.14

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    AMA Style

    Aaron Thomas Hill Jr., Madeleine Lyndall Nelson. Application of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) in an Interdisciplinary Capstone: The AISC Steel Bridge Competition. Int J Eng Manag. 2019;3(1):17-24. doi: 10.11648/j.ijem.20190301.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijem.20190301.14,
      author = {Aaron Thomas Hill Jr. and Madeleine Lyndall Nelson},
      title = {Application of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) in an Interdisciplinary Capstone: The AISC Steel Bridge Competition},
      journal = {International Journal of Engineering Management},
      volume = {3},
      number = {1},
      pages = {17-24},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijem.20190301.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijem.20190301.14},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijem.20190301.14},
      abstract = {Seven West Point Cadets recently competed in the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Steel Bridge Competition for their capstone project. West Point capstones allow cadets to demonstrate their practical, innovative, and hands-on solutions to complex problems, serving as an opportunity to demonstrate characteristics required of Army leaders. For purposes of meeting guidelines established by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the capstone serves as a culminating major engineering design experience in at least two civil engineering contexts. It incorporates engineering standards and allows students to apply knowledge and skills from previous coursework. Historically consisting of all civil engineers, this year’s interdisciplinary Steel Bridge Team included a systems engineer major for the purposes of improved project management. As tomorrow’s leaders are asked to solve complex problems and win in an uncertain tomorrow, the need for graduates to have the skills required to organize chaos, manage risk, establish a schedule and plan, and adapt to change are more important than ever. This paper, organized by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Process Groups of Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing, documents the implementation of project management principles towards the West Point Steel Bridge Team’s success and their development as future leaders.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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    AB  - Seven West Point Cadets recently competed in the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Steel Bridge Competition for their capstone project. West Point capstones allow cadets to demonstrate their practical, innovative, and hands-on solutions to complex problems, serving as an opportunity to demonstrate characteristics required of Army leaders. For purposes of meeting guidelines established by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the capstone serves as a culminating major engineering design experience in at least two civil engineering contexts. It incorporates engineering standards and allows students to apply knowledge and skills from previous coursework. Historically consisting of all civil engineers, this year’s interdisciplinary Steel Bridge Team included a systems engineer major for the purposes of improved project management. As tomorrow’s leaders are asked to solve complex problems and win in an uncertain tomorrow, the need for graduates to have the skills required to organize chaos, manage risk, establish a schedule and plan, and adapt to change are more important than ever. This paper, organized by the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Process Groups of Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing, documents the implementation of project management principles towards the West Point Steel Bridge Team’s success and their development as future leaders.
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