Now an Online Lecture Series! 5.5 PDUs
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Project Management Essentials
Course Description
Organizations rely on critical project management skills to deal with increasingly competitive markets, financial pressures to improve performance, restructuring, and globalization. Project management provides a structure for dealing with the "faster, better, cheaper" pressures that most organizations are facing.
This comprehensive 3-day course provides participants with an overview of the essential elements (e.g., project initiation and needs analysis, planning, execution, monitoring, controlling and closure) of the project management life cycle. Students gain an understanding of the valuable tools and techniques that are immediately usable in one’s job as a project team member or project manager. This course is tightly aligned with PMI® Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) processes and knowledge areas.
This course is taught by PMPs with extensive project experience and a wealth of tools and techniques. Project managers interested in achieving the prestigious PMP certification will get 21 of the 35 educational contact hours required to sit for the exam.
Student Prerequisites:
This is a detailed overview of the PMBOK® and its project management processes and provides an excellent comprehensive overview for newcomers to project management or practitioners considering the PMP® or CAPM® certification. Students should have some experience in working on projects and project teams.
The course includes:
- Presentations
- Discussions
- Case Studies
- Team Exercises
- Skills Practice
- Networking
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Objectives
The class attendees will be able to:
- Master basic project management terms and concepts
- Master the ability to define a define the real customer need
- Learn the important influences on the project environment
- Comprehend PMBOK® processes and knowledge areas and how to apply them
- Master the methods for producing WBS, network diagrams, resource assignment matrices and communication plans
- Understand the PMBOK® risk management process
- Use practical tools and techniques to identify risks
- Identify response plans to threats and opportunities
- Understand the importance of customer needs and constraints in scheduling and cost management
- Learn how to translate the work breakdown structure into a schedule
- Identify key planning inputs for schedule and costs
- Master the ability to create resource requirements, pools and plans
- Apply different estimation methods
- Calculate PERT estimates
- Comprehend the critical path method
- Master the ability to communicate more effectively with project team members and customers
- Comprehend practical means to improving teamwork
- Gain practical knowledge to successfully manage vendors
- Comprehend how to write great Statements of Work
- Master the skills required to successfully control scope creep
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Outline
Scope Definition
- WBS definition
- Importance of a WBS
- Creating a WBS
- Creating a WBS with your team
Time Management
- Activity Definition
- Sequencing of activities
- Estimating durations
- Project Network Diagram
- Types of estimation methods
- Productivity measures for time
- PERT Estimates
Resource Management
- Estimating resources
- Concepts – Cost estimating, cost budgeting, cost control
- Inputs to budget – Types of costs
- Creating a project requirements list, resource pool and resource plan
- Creating a resource plan
- Productivity measures for cost
- Resource Assignment Matrix
- Project Team Organizational Chart
- Customer Organizational Chart
- Developing project team
- Managing expectations
Communication Management
- Communication inputs
- Distributing information to stakeholders
- Key items a project manager must always communicate
- Create a communication plan
- Good communication habits for project managers
- Common communication breakdowns
- Performance reporting
Quality Management
- Developing a quality plan
- Difference between quality assurance and quality control
- Good quality practices for project managers
- Quality tools can be used to measure quality of deliverables
Risk Management Planning
- Definition and characteristics of “risk”
- Elements and factors of risk
- Types of risk
- Risk Life Cycle
- Risk characteristics
- Overview of risk management process
- Risk management plan components
- Risk break-down structure
- Risk identification inputs
- Methods for identifying risks
- Creating a risk register
- Risk perceptions and attitudes
- Managing risk attitudes
- Creating a risk response plan
Procurement Management
- Basics of procurement management
- Important differences in types of contracts
- Contents of a Statement of Work
Schedule Development
- Creating a project network diagram
- Basic scheduling and network calculations
- Critical path method
- Calculating critical path
- Using Gantt charts and schedules in management reporting
- Creating milestone charts
- Impact of risk on budget and schedule
Monitoring and controlling the Project
- Trend analysis, importance of early warning
- Basics of earned value concepts
- Formulas of earned value
- Rules for earned value
- Using earned value to forecast
- Establishing an earned value system on your project
Closing out the Project
- Objectives of the project – benefits
- Transition to support / maintenance
- Contract closeout
- User acceptance
- Administrative closure
Importance of Project Leadership
- Leadership in project management
- Importance of leadership qualities
- Building trust and credibility
- The MyProjectAdvisor® Leadership Competency Pyramid
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Contact Hours
Students will receive:
22 PDUs
2.2 CEUs
Certificate of completion
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Who Should Attend
- Newcomers to project management
- Project managers
- Project managers seeking certification
- Business analysts
- Project team members
- Organizational change agents
- Technical project team members
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Evaluation Comments
- “Attended a PM course years ago, this was so much more informative, interesting, and usable.” - Participant
- “I immediately realized how I've forgotten some of the basics when it comes to Project Management. I thought the class was very helpful and will be very useful.” - Participant
- “I wanted to say how much I enjoyed the classes. I learned a lot about project management but mostly I realize the complexity. I hope that does not sound too naive but I now know what it takes to have a successful project, or at least what I want to achieve.” – Melissa, participant
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“PMI is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.”
“PMP is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.”
“PMBOK is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.”
“CAPM is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.”
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