Essential Skills for Project Managers

This 3-day workshop will give you the project management tools and skills you need to succeed. Lively lecture combined with relevant demonstrations and in-class practice will provide you with an in-depth understanding of what it takes to manage projects. You'll gain a thorough knowledge of the project management process and the most important and powerful project management tools. You'll leave the workshop with the ability to apply what you've learned immediately. If you're responsible for contributing to or leading projects, you shouldn't miss this workshop!

Maximize project success and avoid costly mistakes!

Project management brings structure and repeatable practices to organizations. Using project management techniques, organizations can clarify and gain commitment to desired outcomes, and gain effective control of schedules and costs. Using project planning techniques, project managers can make intelligent tradeoffs when available time, resources and money are insufficient to meet desired functionality. Finally, project management allows organizations to monitor and control project execution, reducing "scope creep" and cost/schedule overruns, while at the same time reducing the frustration and burnout that afflict many project team members.

Who Should Attend

This workshop will benefit all those who will be responsible for contributing to projects, those who manage people who lead projects, and those responsible for managing and leading projects.

Workshop Objectives

Understand and apply the project management processes.
Determine and use effective project management practices.
Learn to use the various tools and techniques to support the practice.
Practice using techniques with a case study.
Learn to create an effective project environment.
Discuss and explore project management ideas, concerns, and issues.

Outline


Project Management Overview
	Project management is a broad topic, and there are almost as many approaches to it as there are project managers. This section presents a brief look at a general model of project management, and introduces several relevant terms and concepts.
		(a) Project Management Defined
		(b) The Five Processes of Project Management
		(c) The Project Life Cycle
		(d) Key Players: the Project Stakeholders
		(e) The Project Management Triangle
		(f) The Flexibility Matrix
		(g) Ten Keys to Project Success
II. Initiating Projects
	Projects take many forms and originate in a variety of ways. This section discusses the project manager's role in project initiation and provides several steps to get a project off to a great start. The most significant problems with projects often involve poor definition. You will learn how to define your projects clearly, generating and enhancing organizational and user commitment to the project.
		(a) Types of Projects
		(b) How Projects Originate
		(c) Clarifying the Business Case for the Project
		(d) How to Define a Project
		(e) Creating the Project Charter
		(f) Introduction to the Case Study
			Practice: Develop a project charter.
III. Planning the Project
	The next section of the workshop explores the components of a project work plan (the task list, the schedule, etc.) and how to create them.
		(a) Understanding the Components of a Project Plan
		(b) Identifying the Work to Be Done
			Practice: Develop a work breakdown structure.
		(c) Estimating the Effort Required to Do the Work
			Practice: Estimate some of the tasks.
		(d) Identifying the Resources Needed
		(e) Sequencing the Project Tasks
			Practice: Create a network diagram.
		(f) Developing the Project Schedule
		(g) Documenting and Maintaining the Project Plan
IV. Executing and Controlling Projects
	Part 1 — Preparation
	The section introduces a proactive approach to project control. It identifies the project control plans and shows how to develop them.
		(a) Project Control Plans
		(b) Communication Management
		(c) Issue Management
		(d) Quality Management
		(e) Scope & Change Management
		(f) Risk Management
			Practice: Create a risk management plan.
V. Executing and Controlling Projects
	Part 2 — Practice
	When a project is underway, the project manager has to monitor progress, respond to problems and change, and keep the project on track. In this section, we present tools and techniques to make project control more straightforward.
		(a) Assessing Progress, Status and Quality
		(b) Responding to Issues and Problems
			Practice: Using Problem solving techniques.
		(c) Keeping the Project on Track
		(d) Managing Scarce Resources (The Critical Chain
		(e) Project Pitfalls
		(f) Key Project Control Tools
		(g) Tips for Managing Expectations and Concerns
VI. Closing the Project
	Some projects do finish, and it's important to know how to close out a project. This section presents some simple steps to take when a project completes.
		(a) Determining When You're Finished
		(b) Closing a Project
		(c) Finishing and Finalizing Documentation
		(d) Project Evaluation and Lessons Learned
			Practice: Documenting lessons learned.
VII. Summary and Conclusion
		(a) Key Points
		(b) The Ideal Project Manager
		(c) Objectives Revisited
		(d) Wrap-up

Project Management On-Site Instructor-Led Workshop