Run the job. Lead the build.
Built to Lead takes you from blueprints to certificate of occupancy — giving you the scheduling tools, budget controls, subcontractor skills, and communication frameworks that turn capable tradespeople and site supervisors into project managers who actually deliver.
The job is hard enough — you shouldn't also be figuring out the fundamentals under fire on someone else's dime.— Michelle Dixon
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Build and manage a complete project schedule using Gantt charts and critical path method (CPM)
- Create accurate project budgets, track cost codes, and control scope creep before it bleeds profit
- Write and negotiate subcontractor bids, contracts, and change orders with confidence
- Run productive pre-construction meetings, daily standups, and owner-architect-contractor (OAC) reviews
- Identify, log, and mitigate project risks before they become costly delays or safety incidents
- Execute a clean project closeout including punch lists, lien waivers, and certificate-of-occupancy documentation
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 29 lessons
Construction Project Fundamentals
Establishes the foundation of how commercial and residential construction projects are structured, contracted, and governed before a single shovel hits the ground.
- 1.1The Project Lifecycle from Bid to CloseoutIncluded
- 1.2Reading and Interpreting Construction DocumentsIncluded
- 1.3Project Delivery Methods and Contract TypesIncluded
- 1.4Your Role as Project Manager on SiteIncluded
Scheduling and Critical Path Planning
Teaches students to build, read, and actively manage a project schedule using industry-standard Gantt and CPM techniques.
- 2.1Breaking Down Scope with a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)Included
- 2.2Building a Gantt Chart from ScratchIncluded
- 2.3Critical Path Method (CPM) ExplainedIncluded
- 2.4Managing Float, Lag, and Schedule SlippageIncluded
- 2.5Updating and Communicating the ScheduleIncluded
Budgeting, Cost Control, and Scope Management
Covers how to build a realistic project budget, track it using cost codes, and defend profit margins against scope creep.
- 3.1Building the Project Budget and Cost Code StructureIncluded
- 3.2Reading and Forecasting the Cost ReportIncluded
- 3.3Identifying and Controlling Scope CreepIncluded
- 3.4Writing and Pricing Change OrdersIncluded
- 3.5Owner Billing, Retainage, and Cash Flow BasicsIncluded
Subcontractor Management and Field Coordination
Equips students to source, bid, contract, and actively manage subcontractors to keep the field moving without conflict or confusion.
- 4.1Scoping and Issuing a Subcontractor Bid PackageIncluded
- 4.2Evaluating Bids and Selecting SubcontractorsIncluded
- 4.3Negotiating and Executing SubcontractsIncluded
- 4.4Managing Sub Performance and Daily Field CoordinationIncluded
- 4.5Handling Sub Change Orders and BackchargesIncluded
Communication, Meetings, and Stakeholder Management
Builds the meeting management and communication skills PMs need to align owners, architects, and crews throughout a build.
- 5.1Running an Effective Pre-Construction MeetingIncluded
- 5.2Daily Standups and Lookahead SchedulingIncluded
- 5.3Owner-Architect-Contractor (OAC) Meeting FundamentalsIncluded
- 5.4RFIs, Submittals, and the Document Control ProcessIncluded
- 5.5Difficult Conversations: Delivering Bad News to Owners and SubsIncluded
Risk, Safety, and Project Closeout
Covers proactive risk identification and mitigation, jobsite safety compliance, and executing a clean, documented project closeout.
- 6.1Building a Project Risk RegisterIncluded
- 6.2Mitigating Schedule, Cost, and Safety RisksIncluded
- 6.3Jobsite Safety Fundamentals for Project ManagersIncluded
- 6.4Managing the Punch List to Substantial CompletionIncluded
- 6.5Final Closeout: Lien Waivers, CO, and Project TurnoverIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
The Promoted Tradesperson
You earned your way off the tools and into a PM role — now you need the business and documentation skills to match your field knowledge.
The Aspiring Site Supervisor
You're running day-to-day site operations and ready to step up, but you've never formally managed a schedule, budget, or subcontract.
The Early-Career PM
You landed a project manager title but your training has been on-the-job guesswork — this gives you the structured foundation you never got.
The Small Contractor Wearing Every Hat
You own or work for a small construction firm and need proven systems to manage projects without a full back-office team behind you.
The Career Changer Entering Construction
You're coming from another industry and need a rigorous, field-grounded introduction to how construction projects are actually managed.
The PM Ready for Bigger Projects
You've delivered smaller builds successfully and want the scheduling, subcontractor, and risk management depth to take on more complex work.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Michelle Dixon
If you're reading this, there's a good chance you've already been handed more responsibility than you've been given training for. Maybe you got promoted from the field. Maybe you're shadowing a PM and realizing the job is ten times more complex than it looks from the outside. Maybe you're already running small projects but quietly unsure how to handle the bigger ones coming your way.
I've been there. And I built this school because the construction industry is full of talented, capable people who are being set up to fail — not because they can't do the work, but because nobody ever taught them the systems that make the work manageable.
Project management on a construction site isn't about being the smartest person in the room. It's about having the right frameworks in place before the job starts — so when things go sideways (and they will), you're making decisions from a position of control, not panic. That means a schedule you built and understand. A budget you can read and defend. Subcontract language you negotiated, not just signed. Meetings you run with an agenda and an outcome. A risk register you've actually looked at this week.
That's what Built to Lead teaches. Not theory. Not exam prep. The actual mechanics of delivering a project — from the day you pick up the documents to the day you hand over the keys. Every module is structured around what you do, in the order you do it, with the tools you'll actually use.
My promise to you is simple: go through this school, apply the frameworks, and you will show up to your next project — or your next interview — as a fundamentally more prepared, more confident project manager. The job is hard. Let's make sure it's not also confusing.
If you're ready to stop figuring it out as you go and start leading with a system, let's build.
— Michelle Dixon
Start your journey today
Join get instant access — learn at your own pace with an AI coach in your corner.
$79/mo
Recurring billing · cancel anytime
Secure checkout · Instant access
- 6 modules, 29 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed