Project Management (FM 5-412)

Field Manual (FM) 5-412, "Project Management, "is intended for use as a training guide and reference text for engineer personnel responsible for planning, scheduling, and controlling construction projects in the theater of operations (TO). It provides planning and management techniques to be applied when planning and scheduling a construction project. This manual also provides techniques and procedures for estimating material, equipment, personnel, and time requirements for project completion. Management definitions are as varied as the authors who write books about the subject. A good definition states that management is "the process of getting things done through people." Project management may be defined more specifically as "the process of coordinating the skill and labor of personnel using machines and materials to form the materials into a desired structure. "Project construction operations include planning, designing facilities, procuring materials and equipment, and supervising construction. An important Army management principle states that "continual improvement in systems, methods, and use of resources is required for continuous effectiveness in operations." In most large nontactical Army organizations, management engineering staffs help commanders and line operators design new ways to work faster, cheaper, and better.