The Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering hosted a lecture and business simulation, "Field Construction Management," organized in collaboration with Gazprom CPC. Participants were introduced to both the theoretical and practical aspects of managing investment and construction projects.
The speaker was Aleksey Kuzmin, Deputy Head of the Project Control Competence Center at Gazprom CPC. He began the meeting by sharing the professional experience of his team, which has twice won prizes at international construction championships—in Kazan and St Petersburg, taking first and second places in the Facilities Management category.
The lecture featured modern approaches to construction project management, including in industrial construction and the oil and gas industries. Students learned about the project lifecycle – from initiation and preliminary assessment to implementation. The speaker focused on the distinction between the pre-investment and investment stages, as well as the tools for ensuring project deadlines and budget compliance.
Aleksey Kuzmin also discussed issues such as schedule-network planning, schedule development and analysis, the critical path method, and the role of the planner in the project team. Responding to the audience who raised the globally relevant issue of project delays due to schedule and cost, the expert examined approaches to minimizing such risks.
The lecture continued with a business game, "Field Construction Management," in which 32 SPbGASU students took part.
Using the example of gas production facility construction, the game simulated the interactions between the client, supplier, and contractor at all stages of the project. Participants were required to apply basic construction project management skills, tools for planning, risk mitigation, and effective communication.
The main goal of the game was to demonstrate the importance of coordinated actions by all project participants, the ability to negotiate and apply project management methods under conditions of limited timeframes and resources.
The game was developed by Vitaly Vlasov, Head of the Project Control Competence Center, and Ksenia Pozdnyakova, Chief Specialist at Gazprom CPC. This business game has been running for several years now, is constantly being improved, and is used not only with students at various universities but also as part of corporate training programs for Gazprom specialists and project managers. The developers are currently filing a patent for this methodology.
All lecture attendees and business simulation participants received certificates. The students noted that they had acquired new, practical knowledge in the field of construction project management.
