NCTC Gulfport Opens New Lab for Construction Management Training
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS060316-20
Release Date: 3/16/2006 10:30:00 PM
By Builder 1st Class Ken Hodel, Naval Construction Training Center Gulfport Public Affairs
GULFPORT, Miss. (NNS) -- Naval Construction Training Center (NCTC) Gulfport, Miss., opened a new Construction Battalion Construction Management (CBCM) computer lab with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 30.
The lab is equipped with the latest version of CBCM, which is a computer-based program that the Naval Construction Force uses to input and track information when planning and estimating projects for upcoming deployments. The first generation of the program (version 2.1) was developed in 1995, designed to work in IBM Computers using DOS. The latest version available, CBCM 7.1, is currently being implemented into Naval Mobile Construction Battalions (NMCB) and is replacing the previous CBCM 7.0
“The opening of the CBCM computer lab is a tremendous step toward ensuring our Seabees are going out to the field with the right tools and knowledge to complete the mission in the safest and most efficient way possible,” said Training Operations Officer, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Tommy Neely, who was joined at the ribbon cutting by Commanding Officer Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport Capt. George Eichert, Commanding Officer NCTC Gulfport Cmdr. Bill Finn and Public Works Shops General Foreman Roy Jones.
Neely added that in addition to the latest course software, the computer lab is also equipped with 24 new work stations complete with Internet access where students can access their Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) accounts, myPay, and other important military Web sites.
Under the instruction of Builder 1st Class (SCW) William Carter, the class will learn how to input data for projects and execute it on deployment. The class is broken down into two separate weeklong sections. The first week concentrates on the homeport side of business, where all the planning and estimating will take place. The students are given a project in which they must plan, estimate, input all the data into the program and do Construction Activity Summary (CAS) sheets for each activity. Students must also perform resource leveling (a method used to ensure all personnel on a particular job are being utilized effectively).
The second week of class is geared toward the deployment, where students learn how to manage the activities during the construction process by filling out time cards, creating situation reports and updating 2-week incremental construction project plans.
Carter also teaches how to cope with the myriad of problems that so often cause a project to fall behind schedule during a deployment. He gives instruction on how to re-plan and get things back on track. Carter ends by showing how to do a 30-day review and properly turn over a project as the deployment comes to an end.
“The new version of CBCM is a lot more user friendly than its predecessor, and there are fewer glitches (run time errors),” Carter said. “Another great improvement is that the program files are now saved as PDF files instead of Excel, so that the numbers cannot be tampered with.”
NCTC offers this two-week course twice a year to Gulfport-area Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) personnel while in their home port, as well as two to three classes annually for the Naval Construction Force (NCF) Reserve Component. It is available to students E-1 and above, giving a good understanding of the program throughout the ranks rather than concentrating training on crew leaders, making the project planning phase much more efficient within the crew, since everyone is more involved in the process. To attend the CBCM program, Sailors should contact their Training Department for availability and scheduling.
For related news, visit the NCTC Gulfport Navy NewsStand page at www.navy.mil/local/nctc.
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