Professional Practice and Project Management
Licensure and ethics
Professional practice questions test the rules you work under. Know the difference between responsible charge and supervised work, when a seal and signature are required, and that sealing work outside your competence is an ethics violation. Conflicts of interest, confidentiality, and obligations to public safety outweigh client loyalty. Bidding practices, contingent fees, and gifts are regulated.
Delivery and contracts
Compare design-bid-build, design-build, and construction-manager-at-risk. Understand lump-sum, unit-price, cost-plus, and time-and-materials contracts, and which party carries quantity risk. Know the standard components of scope, schedule, and change order.
Scheduling and cost
CPM basics: ES, EF, LS, LF; total float = LS - ES = LF - EF. The critical path has zero total float and sets project duration. Cost estimating involves quantity takeoff, contingency, escalation, and life-cycle cost including operation, maintenance, and discounting.
Regulation and safety
Expect OSHA standards and agricultural exemptions, NPDES/CAFO permits, USDA conservation programs, and ASABE/ISO standards for machinery and structures. Worker protection standards, confined-space entry, and grain-dust hazards appear frequently.
Traps
- Assuming the longest-duration path is critical; only zero-float paths are.
- Confusing total float with free float.
- Treating a unit-price contract as carrying quantity risk for the owner.
- Assuming an agricultural exemption removes the general-duty obligation to provide a safe workplace.
- Overlooking that a change order can reset both cost and schedule baselines.
Worked example
Task A: ES 0, duration 5, EF 5. Task B follows A: ES 5, duration 4, EF 9. Task C follows A: ES 5, duration 7, EF 12. If the project finishes at 12, B's LF = 12 and its total float = 12 - 9 = 3. C has zero float and is on the critical path.