Certification keeps its currency
A letter from a recently credentialed CCM

Takis Salpeas, CCM, assistant general manager
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

As the skill sets and body of knowledge of construction management evolve, the professional certification process helps keep construction management executives in a lifetime-learning mode. I’ll take this opportunity to tell you about the recent evolution of the body of knowledge and related examination for CMCI’s Certified Construction Manager (CCM) designation and to explain why my own experience reflects the positive nature of the certification exercise. 

Though a career construction executive and an active member of CMAA for many years, I had put off the process of obtaining my CCM designation. It wasn’t that I didn’t recognize the value of professional certification in general or the CCM program in particular. It was more the realization of the significant time commitment required to properly prepare for the exam and to get the most out of the intensive review process leading up to it. 

With 27+ years of progressive experience in transportation construction in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, I felt I had considerable on-the-job training in Construction Management.  Why take the time to obtain the CCM? 

Promoting CM Certification to my staff, of course, necessitated that I obtain the designation for myself. And, the fact is, I was very much looking forward to the experience.  Having to carve out time from my schedule to focus again on my own professional development was a great opportunity.  The demands of running a multi-billion dollar Capital Program are great. It’s not easy to pull ourselves away from our day-today responsibilities to refresh our batteries and to reaffirm why we continue to care deeply about our organizations and the construction management profession. 

However, having completed the process, I can highly recommend it even to those of you who are reluctant, as I was, to commit the time and energy. The experience met all of my expectations. I would say that the benefits are these:

Sharing of knowledge. As I began the studying process, I quickly realized the breadth of resources made available to CCM candidates. The study aids and recommended readings were all beneficial to my preparation and served as a good reminder to me of how many different areas of expertise our jobs require. When I turned to some of my peers for advice, I found a vast network of CCMs who are more than willing to share their thoughts and experiences with those preparing for the exam. I continue to appreciate the importance that mentoring plays in our professional development. 

The challenge of a comprehensive exam.  The exam itself was challenging and comprehensive, focusing on the knowledge inherent to the practice of construction management.  While the exam that I took adequately reflected the profession’s priorities, the examination content outline has recently been updated (a process that occurs every few years).

Thanks to the support of certified CMs and the work of the Certification Institute, a new CCM Exam Content Outline was prepared last year. More than 500 construction management professionals were surveyed as part of a job analysis study, which was designed to update the content outline with the changes that have occurred in recent years to the knowledge seen as essential to the profession. The new content outline started taking effect with the January 2005 CCM exam.

I commend the members of CMCI for volunteering their time to ensure the validity and continued credibility of the CCM program.

Industry Recognition. No professional certification program is complete without proper recognition. I am pleased to be listed on the pages of the CM Advisor as a recently certified CM. I also want to extend my congratulations to those who recently obtained the CCM designation.