AGC Supervisory Training Program

Exam blueprint

Sourced from AGC Supervisory Training Program (STP) Curriculum — current edition (six units)

• Unit 1: Leadership + Motivation15%
• Unit 2: Communication15%
• Unit 3: Planning + Scheduling (CPM basics)20%
• Unit 4: Contract Documents + Construction Law (basics)15%
• Unit 5: Improving Productivity + Managing Costs20%
• Unit 6: Risk Management + Problem-Solving15%

1. 01Unit 1: Leadership and Motivation — leading a working crew

   ~90min

   Field supervision is operational leadership under time pressure. STP Unit 1 teaches the practical leadership skills every foreman and superintendent uses daily — situational leadership, motivation theory, conflict, and discipline.

   • Situational leadership — match style to follower readiness

     Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership is the conceptual backbone of STP Unit 1. Four leadership styles map to four levels of follower competence + commitment: (1) DIRECTING — high task / low relationship — for new workers who don't yet know the work; supervisor specifies what + how + when. (2) COACHING — high task / high relationship — for workers building skill; supervisor still directs but explains why and seeks input. (3) SUPPORTING — low task / high relationship — for skilled workers losing motivation; supervisor focuses on encouragement + obstacle removal. (4) DELEGATING — low task / low relationship — for fully competent + committed workers; supervisor sets the goal and gets out of the way. The KEY MISTAKE field supervisors make: applying ONE style (often Directing or Delegating) to everyone. STP teaches reading the worker's readiness for the specific TASK at hand and adjusting style — the same worker may be 'D4 delegated' on framing and 'D1 directed' on a new layout method.

   • Motivation theory + practical levers in field environments

     STP introduces the motivation theory landscape briefly: Maslow's hierarchy, Herzberg's hygiene-vs-motivator distinction, McGregor Theory X/Y. The practical takeaway for a working foreman: HYGIENE FACTORS (pay, safety, working conditions, perceived fairness) cause DISSATISFACTION when absent but do not motivate when present. MOTIVATORS (achievement, recognition, growth, responsibility) actually drive engagement. A foreman who fixes a hygiene complaint (e.g., proper PPE, better break schedule) removes a dissatisfaction source but doesn't suddenly create motivation. To motivate: assign challenging-but-achievable work, give specific recognition for good work (in front of peers when possible), explain the WHY of decisions, and create growth opportunities (cross-train workers on the next-skill-up trade). STP-trained supervisors can name 5-6 specific motivators applicable to their crew — that's the unit's practical bar.

   • Progressive discipline + documentation

     STP teaches the union-and-non-union-friendly progressive discipline model: (1) VERBAL warning — documented in the supervisor's notes; specific behavior, expected change, deadline. (2) WRITTEN warning — same content in writing, signed by supervisor and worker (worker signature acknowledges receipt, not agreement); copy to HR. (3) FINAL WARNING / SUSPENSION — clear notice that the next incident leads to termination; HR involvement mandatory. (4) TERMINATION — coordinated with HR + legal review. SAFETY VIOLATIONS often skip steps — a refusal to wear fall protection at height is typically immediate suspension, not verbal warning. Documentation matters: an undocumented progressive-discipline path is no path at all when a worker is terminated and grieves the action. STP teaches the WRITE-IT-DOWN reflex — every conversation with a performance dimension goes into the supervisor's notes that day.

   Practice questions (2)

   1. 1. A skilled veteran carpenter on your crew has been showing up late and producing inconsistent work for the last two weeks. Per situational leadership, the most appropriate style for this worker right now is:

      • A.Directing — tell them exactly what to do
      • B.Supporting — high relationship, low task; focus on understanding what is going on and removing obstacles to renewed motivation✓ correct
      • C.Delegating — leave them alone since they are skilled
      • D.Coaching — re-teach the work

      A skilled (high competence) but disengaged (low commitment) worker fits the 'D3' readiness level, which calls for the SUPPORTING style — high relationship, low task direction. The supervisor focuses on conversation, obstacle removal, recognition. (A) and (D) treat a competence problem when it's a commitment problem — likely backfires by feeling patronizing. (C) ignores the slipping performance and lets it worsen. STP-trained supervisors recognize commitment dips as different from skill gaps and respond accordingly.

   2. 2. A field supervisor has a series of performance conversations with a struggling apprentice over six weeks but documents none of them. The apprentice is later terminated and grieves the termination. Most likely outcome of the grievance?

      • A.Termination upheld because the supervisor remembers the conversations
      • B.Reinstatement likely because there is no documented progressive discipline path supporting termination✓ correct
      • C.No effect on the grievance
      • D.Apprentice gets back pay only

      Undocumented progressive discipline is functionally no progressive discipline. Grievance arbitrators consistently reinstate workers when the employer cannot produce a documented record showing verbal warning → written warning → final warning → termination. The supervisor's memory does not substitute for contemporaneous written records. (A) is wishful thinking. (C) understates the impact. (D) is sometimes the outcome but reinstatement is the more common remedy when the procedural path was missed.

2. 02Unit 2: Communication — the supervisor as information hub

   ~75min

   Field supervisors transmit information up, down, and sideways constantly. STP Unit 2 builds active-listening skills, written communication discipline, and the ability to run a productive crew meeting.

   • Active listening + the listening trap

     STP teaches active listening as a four-step practice: (1) ATTEND — face the speaker, eye contact, no phone; (2) PARAPHRASE — restate what you heard ('So you're saying the rebar shipment is short by 200 feet — is that right?'); (3) CLARIFY — ask one or two specific follow-up questions; (4) RESPOND — only after understanding is confirmed. The LISTENING TRAP that catches new supervisors: planning your response while the other person is still talking. The cure is paraphrasing — you can't paraphrase if you weren't actually listening. Field application: an experienced super, when a foreman brings a problem, takes 30-60 seconds to listen and paraphrase before offering any solution. This builds trust AND surfaces information the foreman might withhold from a fast-talking boss.

   • Written communication — daily reports + email discipline

     Field supervisors write more than they realize: daily reports, RFI text, deficiency notices, change-order narratives, email to office. STP teaches the BLUF principle — Bottom Line Up Front. The reader should know in the first sentence what you are asking, telling, or warning. Bury the lead and the reader skims past it. For DAILY REPORTS specifically: factual + dated + signed. No interpretation, no blame. 'The mason crew was held up 4 hours waiting for the brick delivery; reroute attempted to other elevations.' Not: 'The brick supplier always screws us.' For EMAIL: use subject lines that signal action ('Action needed by Friday: column placement decision'); keep to one topic; use bulleted lists for readability. Most office-side conflict between project teams comes from poorly-written field communication that is interpreted as accusatory.

   • Running a productive crew + coordination meeting

     Two meeting types every supervisor runs: (1) DAILY HUDDLE / TOOLBOX TALK with the crew — 5-10 minutes, stand-up, before work starts. Cover: today's plan + safety hot-spot + any change from yesterday + handoff coordination. End with one concrete safety reminder. STP-trained supervisors run a tight huddle that crews actually appreciate. (2) WEEKLY COORDINATION MEETING with foremen + super + sub PMs — 30-60 minutes. Agenda items: (a) safety review; (b) schedule check — what's behind, what's the recovery plan; (c) coordination handoffs (who is in whose way next week); (d) RFIs / submittals waiting on action; (e) one-week look-ahead. Keep notes; close the loop on action items at the next meeting. The cardinal sin: a meeting that runs long, has no agenda, and ends with no documented action items. STP teaches that meeting discipline is a measurable supervisor competency.

   Practice questions (2)

   1. 1. A foreman reports to you (the super) that the concrete sub is consistently late to the morning crew brief. The BEST opening response per active-listening practice is:

      • A.Tell the foreman to write the sub up
      • B.Say "So you're seeing the concrete crew arriving after the morning brief — how late, and how often?" and listen to the answer✓ correct
      • C.Go directly to the sub's PM
      • D.Ignore — minor scheduling drift is normal

      Paraphrasing + clarifying question is the textbook active-listening response. It signals the supervisor heard the report, confirms understanding, and surfaces specifics (frequency, magnitude) needed before action. (A) jumps to discipline without facts. (C) bypasses the foreman's information and weakens the supervisory chain. (D) dismisses the issue. STP-trained supervisors lead with paraphrase + clarify, decision after.

   2. 2. Best practice for the weekly coordination meeting per STP Unit 2:

      • A.Free-form discussion until everyone has spoken
      • B.Agenda + timeboxes + documented action items with owners and due dates✓ correct
      • C.Skip when schedule is tight
      • D.Only run when there is a problem

      STP teaches that meeting discipline = agenda + timebox + documented action items. Without those, the meeting consumes time without producing decisions. (A) drifts and burns hours. (C) creates the very coordination gaps that lead to the schedule problems. (D) treats the meeting as reactive when its primary value is preventive — getting ahead of conflicts before they become problems.

3. 03Unit 3: Planning + Scheduling — CPM at the field-supervisor level

   ~105min

   Field supervisors don't typically build the master CPM, but they live inside it. STP Unit 3 teaches the supervisor to read the schedule, identify their critical-path activities, manage float, and update the schedule weekly with reliable look-aheads.

   • CPM basics — activity, predecessor, duration, critical path

     Critical Path Method represents the project as a NETWORK of activities (boxes) connected by relationships (arrows showing predecessors). Each activity has a duration, an early start (ES), early finish (EF), late start (LS), late finish (LF), and total float (LS − ES, equivalently LF − EF). The CRITICAL PATH is the longest chain through the network — its activities have ZERO total float. Any delay on a critical-path activity slips the project end-date one-for-one. Activities OFF the critical path have float — slack time before they impact the project. STP-trained supervisors know which of THEIR activities are on the critical path and which have float. The four relationship types: FINISH-TO-START (FS) — most common, predecessor finishes before successor starts; START-TO-START (SS); FINISH-TO-FINISH (FF); START-TO-FINISH (SF, rarely used). LAGS shift relationships in time (FS+5 = predecessor finishes, then 5 days, then successor starts — typical for concrete cure time).

   • Three-week look-ahead — the supervisor's weekly tool

     The MASTER schedule is built once and updated periodically. The THREE-WEEK LOOK-AHEAD is the supervisor's WORKING tool, refreshed every week. It shows in detail: the past week (actuals vs. plan), the current week (commitments + handoffs), and the next two weeks (planned activities with named crews + materials + equipment + predecessor confirmations). The look-ahead is the basis for the weekly coordination meeting. STP teaches the discipline of CONFIRMING look-ahead activities with the foremen who will run them — 'will you be ready to start the framing on Tuesday?' If the answer is 'no, the slab is not cured' the look-ahead changes BEFORE the week starts, not after a missed handoff. The look-ahead is the mechanism by which big-CPM-thinking gets turned into daily field reality.

   • Schedule recovery — when you slip, what do you do?

     When the project slips on a critical-path activity, the supervisor's options: (1) ABSORB — if there is downstream float that can absorb the slip without slipping the project end. Cheap, but consumes future flexibility. (2) FAST-TRACK — overlap currently-sequential work (start framing while final slabs are still curing in another area). Risk: rework if the predecessor changes. (3) CRASH — add resources to shorten activity duration. Costs go up; productivity per added person drops as crowding increases (the law of diminishing returns kicks in around 1.25× the planned crew size). (4) RE-SEQUENCE — change activity order if logically possible (rare on most projects). (5) ACCEPT THE SLIP — if recovery is more expensive than the slip itself. STP teaches the supervisor to PRESENT THE OPTIONS to the project manager with cost + risk + benefit, not just request the schedule be changed.

   Practice questions (2)

   1. 1. On a project with 12-month duration, a critical-path activity has 10 days of total float. What can you conclude?

      • A.It is critical because it has float
      • B.It is NOT on the critical path — critical-path activities have zero total float✓ correct
      • C.The CPM was built incorrectly
      • D.You can crash this activity

      By definition, critical-path activities have ZERO total float. An activity with 10 days of float is NOT on the critical path — there is at least one parallel chain that finishes 10 days later, and that chain is the critical path. (A) confuses 'has float' with 'critical'. (C) the CPM is fine; the activity is just labeled wrong in the question's premise. (D) crashing applies to critical-path activities to shorten the project; crashing a non-critical activity gives the project nothing.

   2. 2. You are a superintendent on Friday afternoon. Your three-week look-ahead shows framing starts Tuesday. What is the STP-disciplined action right now?

      • A.Wait until Tuesday morning to confirm the framing crew is ready
      • B.Walk the slab pour from this week, confirm cure status; verify framing crew + lumber + equipment is ready; if any item is uncertain, surface it Monday at coordination✓ correct
      • C.Email everyone on the project
      • D.Write up the late-shift schedule

      The three-week look-ahead is a CONFIRMATION tool, not a wishlist. Friday is the time to verify Tuesday's start: predecessor (slab cure), crew (foreman + headcount), materials (lumber on site), equipment (saws, scaffold). Anything uncertain becomes a discussion item at Monday's coordination. (A) waits until the issue can no longer be prevented. (C) is unfocused. (D) addresses an unrelated topic. STP-trained supers run their week through their look-ahead.

4. 04Unit 4: Contract Documents + Construction Law (basics)

   ~75min

   Field supervisors don't draft contracts but they LIVE in them. STP Unit 4 builds working knowledge of the contract document hierarchy, change-order process at the field level, and basic construction law concepts (warranty, liens, indemnification).

   • The contract document hierarchy + finding the right answer

     Standard private-sector hierarchy (AIA-style): (1) the AGREEMENT (signed contract); (2) GENERAL CONDITIONS (e.g., AIA A201); (3) SUPPLEMENTARY CONDITIONS (project-specific overlays to A201); (4) SPECIFICATIONS; (5) DRAWINGS; (6) ADDENDA + APPROVED MODIFICATIONS. When documents conflict, the higher-tier document typically controls — but the actual conflict resolution clause IS in the contract and may invert the order (e.g., on federal jobs the SPEC controls over the DRAWING — the opposite of common private practice). STP teaches the supervisor to KNOW WHERE TO LOOK rather than memorize: spec section for material + workmanship requirements; drawings for geometry + dimensions; general conditions for change-order process + payment + warranty. The supervisor who can find the answer in the contract within 5 minutes is twice as effective as one who guesses.

   • Field-directed change vs. proper change order

     A common foreman + super trap: an owner's representative or designer says in passing 'just go ahead and add another receptacle here.' The field crew does it. Six weeks later the owner refuses to pay because there's no signed change order. STP teaches the WRITTEN-DIRECTION rule: any work outside the contract scope requires WRITTEN authorization through the contract's change-order process before performing the work. If schedule pressure won't allow waiting, the appropriate vehicle is a CONSTRUCTION CHANGE DIRECTIVE (CCD) — owner's WRITTEN unilateral direction to proceed; cost reconciled later. Verbal direction from anyone who isn't the contracting officer / owner's authorized representative is not a basis to proceed. The supervisor's discipline: 'I'll get this done as soon as I have written direction' — every time, even when uncomfortable.

   • Basic construction law concepts every supervisor should know

     STP introduces (does NOT make experts of supervisors in) five concepts: (1) WARRANTY — contractually-defined period during which the contractor is on the hook for defects (typically 1 year correction period for workmanship; longer for some materials). The supervisor's role: capture punch-list items and follow-up corrections diligently, because warranty calls track back to documented corrections. (2) LIEN RIGHTS — most state laws give contractors and subs the right to file a mechanic's lien on the property if not paid; deadline-driven (typically 60-120 days from last work). (3) INDEMNIFICATION — clauses where one party agrees to defend / cover claims against another. Scope varies — supervisors don't draft these but recognize them in subcontract review. (4) DIFFERING SITE CONDITIONS — Type I (conditions differ from contract documents) and Type II (unusually difficult conditions); both require WRITTEN NOTICE within contract-specified time, often 7-10 days. (5) STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS / REPOSE — there is a final cutoff after which claims cannot be brought, varying by state.

   Practice questions (2)

   1. 1. On a private AIA-form project, the SPECIFICATION says use Type X gypsum board; the DRAWING says use Type C. Per typical AIA hierarchy, which controls?

      • A.The drawing — drawings always control
      • B.The specification — specs typically control over drawings on private AIA projects (subject to actual contract clause)✓ correct
      • C.Whichever is more expensive
      • D.Whichever the architect prefers in person

      AIA A201 typically establishes spec-over-drawings precedence (federal contracts also lean this way per FAR 52.236-21). The supervisor should issue an RFI for clarification, but the DEFAULT until clarified is to follow the spec. (A) is the common (wrong) field assumption. (C) substitutes cost for contract terms. (D) substitutes opinion for contract documents. The supervisor's habit: KNOW the order of precedence on YOUR project (read the contract clause) before relying on a default.

   2. 2. An owner walks the site and verbally tells the foreman to add a window in a wall that isn't in the drawings. STP-disciplined response?

      • A.Add the window today and bill for it later
      • B.Politely refuse to start the work and ask the owner to direct the change in writing through the project's change-order process; if urgent, request a CCD✓ correct
      • C.Charge time and material and add it
      • D.Add it and don't bill

      Verbal direction = no contractual basis. The supervisor's discipline is to redirect to the contract's change-order vehicle: written CO (cost agreed first) or CCD (proceed now, cost later). (A) creates payment-dispute exposure — the most common 'unpaid extras' fact pattern in construction. (C) inverts the process. (D) gives away contractor money for no reason. STP-trained supervisors push back on verbal directions politely but firmly every time.

5. 05Unit 5 + 6: Productivity, Cost, Risk, Problem-Solving

   ~120min

   The last two STP units cover the supervisor's role in measuring + improving productivity, controlling project costs at the field level, identifying and managing risk proactively, and structured problem-solving when things go sideways.

   • Measuring and improving productivity — units per labor hour

     Productivity is measured as UNITS OF OUTPUT per UNIT OF LABOR INPUT — typically 'productivity factor' (PF) = budgeted labor hours / actual labor hours. PF > 1.0 = beating budget. PF < 1.0 = behind. STP teaches the supervisor to TRACK productivity by activity (e.g., linear feet of conduit per electrician-hour) rather than just total labor cost. When productivity drops, the cause is usually one of the FIVE FRICTIONS: (1) materials not staged where needed; (2) tools / equipment not available; (3) preceding work incomplete; (4) crew composition wrong (too many apprentices, missing journeyman); (5) information missing (unclear drawings, RFI not answered). The supervisor's job is to walk the work, identify which friction is biting today, and remove it. Twenty percent of productivity loss is fixable in real-time by an attentive super; the rest requires schedule + sequencing changes.

   • Field cost control — labor budgets, equipment hours, waste

     The field supervisor controls three cost categories directly: (1) LABOR — by managing crew size + composition + productivity. STP teaches reading the labor budget per activity, knowing your hours-spent vs. budget weekly, and flagging variances early. (2) EQUIPMENT — by minimizing IDLE TIME (rented backhoe sitting unused while crew waits on inspection = full hourly cost burning cash). Coordinate equipment delivery + return tightly with planned use. (3) MATERIAL WASTE — track delivery quantity vs. installed quantity per major material; cull orders that systematically over-arrive. STP-trained supervisors review their LABOR REPORT weekly and can name two to three activities with productivity issues at any time — that's the operating bar.

   • Risk management at the field level — identify, assess, control

     STP teaches a simplified risk framework appropriate for the field: (1) IDENTIFY — what could go wrong this week / this phase? Walk the site with risk-spotting eyes (weather forecast, equipment age, new crew, unfamiliar method, lookahead). (2) ASSESS — likelihood × impact. High-likelihood high-impact = act now. Low-likelihood high-impact = mitigate (insurance, contingency plan). Low-likelihood low-impact = accept. (3) CONTROL — engineering controls > administrative controls > PPE (in safety risks); for schedule + cost risks: contingency days/dollars, alternative supplier, cross-trained crew. (4) MONITOR — review weekly. The supervisor's habit: keep a running TOP-FIVE-RISKS list for the project and revisit it at every coordination meeting. The unsexy 'risk register' habit catches more incidents than the sexiest hard-hat.

   • Structured problem-solving — root cause + 5-Whys

     When a problem hits (failed inspection, missed pour, defective material), STP teaches structured problem-solving rather than blame: (1) STATE THE PROBLEM in measurable terms ('the second-floor slab failed compressive strength testing — 3,200 psi vs. 4,000 psi required'). (2) GATHER FACTS — what was the mix, who placed it, what was the temperature, what was the cure protocol. (3) 5-WHYS — ask why five times to drive past symptom to root cause ('why did it fail compression? Low water-cement ratio at delivery. Why? Truck driver added water on arrival. Why? Concrete was stiff in chute. Why? Truck waited 45 min after batching. Why? Pump truck was late'). (4) CORRECTIVE ACTION at the root cause ('schedule pump truck and concrete delivery to overlap at site'). (5) PREVENTIVE ACTION ('add this coordination check to the preparatory phase checklist for all future pours'). The 5-Whys habit prevents recurrence; just-fix-the-symptom guarantees recurrence.

   Practice questions (3)

   1. 1. A foreman reports that a conduit-installation crew is producing 60 feet per labor hour vs. budgeted 80 feet per labor hour (PF = 0.75). The MOST useful first action per STP Unit 5?

      • A.Replace the foreman
      • B.Walk the work with the foreman and identify which of the five frictions is biting today✓ correct
      • C.Increase the labor budget to match actuals
      • D.Wait two weeks and see if it improves

      STP teaches DIAGNOSE before TREAT. The supervisor walks the work, looks for which of the five frictions (materials, tools, preceding work, crew composition, information) is causing the productivity loss, then removes it. (A) jumps to discipline without facts; usually misdirected. (C) accepts the loss as unavoidable. (D) burns money waiting. Most productivity loss is fixable when caught early.

   2. 2. A super walks the site Monday and notices the only operational concrete pump is showing oil-pressure warnings. Per STP Unit 6 risk practice, the most disciplined response is:

      • A.Wait for it to fail and then address
      • B.Add it to the risk register; arrange backup pump rental + service call before next planned pour; communicate to coordination meeting✓ correct
      • C.Stop all concrete work
      • D.Ignore — the pump is the sub's problem

      The risk identification → mitigation → communication path is exactly what STP teaches. A high-impact (pour stoppage), high-likelihood (warning lights showing) risk is documented, mitigated proactively, and surfaced to the team. (A) is the WAITING TRAP — a critical pour will fail and cost 100× the rental cost. (C) over-corrects and stops productive work for a manageable risk. (D) abdicates supervision; the supervisor coordinates the project regardless of contractual ownership.

   3. 3. A pour fails compression strength tests. The supervisor uses 5-Whys and traces the cause to a 45-minute wait between batching and placement. The most useful CORRECTIVE + PREVENTIVE action per STP problem-solving practice?

      • A.Replace the concrete sub
      • B.Just blame the pump truck operator
      • C.Tighten coordination of pump truck + concrete delivery on this pour AND add the coordination check to future preparatory phase checklists✓ correct
      • D.Increase the cement content for future pours

      Structured problem-solving requires CORRECTIVE action (fix the root cause now) AND PREVENTIVE action (prevent recurrence). Tightening coordination addresses both — the immediate pour and a checklist update for all future pours. (A) treats symptom as personnel issue; doesn't address the coordination gap. (B) is blame, not problem-solving. (D) addresses a different variable (mix design) that is not the actual root cause; the coordination gap recurs.

External resources

• Official
  AGC Supervisory Training Program — official curriculum portal ↗

  AGC's official STP page with unit descriptions, instructor materials, and a chapter locator. Most local AGC chapters offer all six units on a rolling 12-18 month cadence — find the chapter offering the next unit start.

• Official
  AGC Education and Training Resources — Field Supervisor Library ↗

  AGC's broader training library — STP is the flagship but related resources (BIM for field supervisors, Lean Construction Education Program LCEP, Project Manager Development Program PMDP) round out a supervisor's path. Read alongside STP material to see how the AGC curriculum maps to the field-supervisor career arc.

• Third-party
  29 CFR 1926 Subpart C — General Safety + Health Provisions ↗

  Subpart C is the OSHA construction-industry section every field supervisor must operate inside. STP Units 1 + 6 reference safety responsibilities throughout — knowing the actual regulation makes the STP guidance concrete instead of abstract.