In this episode, CMAA’s Carly Trout and Evan Hendershot are joined by Michael Griffin, partner at HKA, and Shawn Farrell, partner at Cohen Seglias, to discuss the evolving roles and responsibilities of construction managers and the growing risk and liability landscape. They outline the CM’s core functions—managing, advising, documenting, and keeping owners informed with “no surprises”—and compare the role to an air traffic controller coordinating schedule, cost, and multiple trades. The conversation highlights how early risk identification, timely owner decisions, and prompt payment can help prevent issues from escalating into disputes. Michael and Shawn also walk through practical steps to take when contractor performance begins to falter, including maintaining thorough documentation, providing proper notice, and operating within contractual authority. They conclude with a look at expanding CM liability, including exposure to negligent misrepresentation, and share a checklist of best practices, such as aligning contract language with actual duties, communicating carefully, and avoiding directives related to means and methods.

The Construction Leaders Podcast is produced by Association Briefings.

In this episode, CMAA’s Nick Soto and Evan Hendershot are joined by Brian Hanifin and Rachel Domingo of the LitCon Group to explore how construction managers can document the real story behind project delays and disruptions. Drawing on Brian’s decades of construction management and litigation support experience and Rachel’s forensic schedule and delay analysis expertise, they explain why close, real-time schedule monitoring is often the earliest indicator of emerging problems. Patterns such as repeated start-and-stop work can signal when a disruption is evolving into a true project delay. The conversation highlights the importance of contemporaneous, field-level documentation—including daily reports, meeting minutes, emails, logs, and native CPM schedule files—as the most reliable evidence in disputes. The guests also clarify key distinctions between delay, disruption, and productivity loss, and share practical strategies such as proactive meetings, clear notice practices, and effective use of existing tools to resolve issues early and keep projects out of court.

The Construction Leaders Podcast is produced by Association Briefings.

In this episode, Construction Management Association of America’s Carly Trout and Evan Hendershot are joined by Jim Ostrom, a professor of Construction Management at Joliet Junior College, for a conversation about career pathways in construction management. Jim shares his personal journey from a struggling student to an industry professional and educator, and why early exposure to construction management can be a game changer. He discusses the importance of reaching middle and high school students through targeted coursework and digital platforms to build awareness of the profession before career decisions are made. The discussion also explores the connection between skilled trades and construction management programs, the rising number of career switchers entering the field, and the role professional organizations can play in supporting education and workforce development. Jim offers practical advice for industry professionals interested in giving back by teaching part-time at community colleges, and the episode highlights CMAA’s Construction Manager-in-Training (CMIT®) program as a valuable resource for emerging professionals.

The Construction Leaders Podcast is produced by Association Briefings.