Duration
2 days
Suitable for participants who have some or no project management knowledge
Course Overview
This course is intended for managers and executives in generic, IT and non-IT technical (e.g. engineering, technical support, governace, consulting) and non-technical work areas (e.g. sales, marketing, business development, customer service), who need to acquire a high competency in project management, project control and documentation tools and processes. The entire course content is compliant with the standard Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) of the Project Management Institute (USA).
One of the objectives of this course is for participants to appreciate and enforce project management as a system of procedures and controls that can regulate and stabilize project control, through the use of the right project management methodology, tools and techniques.
This project management course is carefully designed to provide the best mix of experience, theory and practice in an adult-learning environment. Formal presentations will be brief and used mainly to introduce key concepts and significant elements of project management. Emphasis is on real case studies, and practical applications through “hands-on” action learning. Project management planning using Microsoft Project will be shown to reinforce the learning. Throughout the course will require a high level of participation and team involvement. Maximum opportunities will be given to participants to inject their own examples and issues into the course and continually relate the material to their own contexts.
Participants are encouraged to bring their projects and cases to the session. The use of project management software and techniques will be used to help participants better understand project management concepts. Project management documentation such as templates, forms and checklists are provided in the course material, and are downloadable online; and the participant may freely use or modify them for use in his/her organisation.
Objectives
- Clarifying the roles of senior management, project manager, team members and suppliers.
- Know the delicate task of leading project teams including other project stakeholders.
- Conducting systematic and structured project scoping and scheduling.
- Tracking project progress and making project reports – using network, milestone and Gantt chart diagramming.
- Appreciating MS Project for planning, scheduling and tracking project progress.
- Develop the communications and risk management plans
- Knowledgeable of the different types of contracts for different project scope.
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Have a working knowledge of the various processes of project management within the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).
- Have an advanced set of project management tools and techniques for immediate project application at the workplace.
- Gain a clear understanding of why communication is so important—regardless of how a project is organised.
- Understand how and when various contract types are used.
- Participants will have a ready set of working templates, forms and checklists relevant for use in projects at their place of work.
Detailed Course Outline
PROJECT MANAGEMENT BACKGROUND
- The need for project management knowledge and standard.
- What are projects, phases, and project lifecycles?
- The project management life cycle – initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing phases.
- The time-cost-quality triangle of constraints (triple constraints).
- The project hierarchy, roles and responsibilities among stakeholders – customer, sponsor, performing organization, project manager, team members, etc.
- Managing communications among stakeholders.
- Activity: creating a Project Communications Plan.
INITIATING PHASE
- Defining measurable objectives to meet project requirements (scoping).
- Developing the Project Charter, and using a project kickoff checklist.
- Activity: creating a Project Charter.
PLANNING PHASE
- Developing a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) from the project scope requirements.
- Activity: constructing a WBS.
- Develop a Task List from the WBS.
- Activity: constructing a Task List.
- Detailing resources
- Activity: creating a Resource Requirements list.
- Task sequencing using network diagramming technique.
- Assigning task duration and predecessors, and work estimating.
- Scheduling the project using the Milestone diagram and Gantt chart.
- Various project duration reduction strategies.
- Understanding the critical tasks, non-critical tasks, and their role in the Critical Path Method (CPM).
- Planning for project risks – risk identification, assessment, and responses.
- Activity: risk management planning.
- Procurement planning – contract types, RFQ, RFP, solicitation, purchase, and award.
EXECUTING PHASE
Executing the project plan, and tracking project schedule progress using the Gantt Chart.
Activity: Using project management software to track project progress.
Activity: Gantt charting and measuring project progress.
MONITORING & CONTROLLING PHASE
- The change control system – change request, change control board, change impact assessment approve/disapprove, change implementation schedule, and updating configuration documents.
- Responding to project risks (executing risk responses monitor and control the execution of the responses).
- Risk monitoring.
- Activity: Risk response activation and rules.
CLOSING PHASE
- Administrative close-out checklist - product verification (formal acceptance and handover sign-offs), closing project books, post-mortem, documenting lessons learned, archiving project documents, disbanding, rewarding and thanking the team.
- Contract close-out administration checklist - final scope verification of supplier deliverables (as per contract), document lessons learned, closing the contract, and thanking the supplier.
- What is Next? Post-project contracts, enhancement or upgrade project(s), and solving outstanding project issues.
Other Project Case Studies
- Real Cases (Stories) on Challenges: System deployment and change management, change of user groups and effect on project, a new project manager facing difficulties to get team support and loyalty, project managers being treated like project administrators by the CEO, and many others.
- Situational project cases.
Who Can Benefit
Managers and executives who are directly involved in planning and implementation of any kind of general and IT projects, or setting up a Project Management Office, and those requiring an advance set of tools to assist in procurement, contract, risk assessment and management.
Programme scope, delivery arrangements and suitability are confirmed during enquiry.