Professor James Diekmann

Construction Engineering and Management Program.

University of Colorado at Boulder

Professional Activities

Teaching & Research
Text Box: My teaching focuses on construction project management and construction engineering. My primary interests are in application of computational methodologies to construction project management and construction engineering problems. I have a long standing interest in risk analysis and decision making in the project environment. I am increasingly interested in understanding how to adapt current construction approaches to make them appropriate for developing countries. I am continuing my work to document the historical changes in the AEC process over time and across different cultural regions. Text Box: I am the faculty advisor for the Nepal team of our Engineers without Borders Chapter. We are working in Namsaling, a rural farming community in the hill region of far-eastern Nepal.  Namsaling has well established agricultural areas and the potential to grow valuable cash crops, the area has little in the way of transportation or commercial infrastructure to allow for income generation.  In 2007 we began working with Namsaling community members to improve lifestyle, health conditions and create potential income generation opportunities. Visit our website: http://sites.google.com/a/colorado.edu/ewb-nepal

Engineers without Borders

History of Construction
Text Box: This is a project designed to understand the experiences of past generations of constructors and make that knowledge accessible to future generations of engineering students and construction practitioners. Much in the same way as medical students can trace their lineage back to Hippocrates, this project aims to provide architecture, engineering, and construction students, and professionals alike, a sense of their professional history. We investigated issues such as the flow of money, training of workers, sharing of design knowledge, and nature of contracts and agreements. The central question posed by this work is how should knowledge of the history and evolution of construction practices be incorporated in the dialog that educators have with students and with the larger professional community? Powerpoint Presentation of History Material

Consulting Activities
Text Box: Much of my consulting work involves applying risk analysis techniques to innovative and difficult construction projects. I have been involved in a project to design and implement a risk analysis tool for use in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers MCACES cost estimating program and to assist Washington State DOT with the implementation of their Cost Estimating Validation Process (CVEP®). I have completed cost and schedule risk analyses on many large, complex DOE Environmental Remediation projects including the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) and River Corridor. In addition to my project risk analysis work I have been involved with assignments dealing with a wide variety of project management topics including project productivity, lean construction, and project control.