Duration
3 days
Suitable for participants who have some or no project management knowledge.
Course Overview
This course is intended for executives in technical and non-technical work areas, who need to acquire working knowledge and skill in planning, monitoring or tracking, measuring the implementation of client’s projects (for both generic, engineering, and IT specific projects). Their participation through an action-learning methodology will facilitate an immediate transfer of such competency to workplace.
This course is carefully designed to provide the best mix of experience, theory and practice in an adult learning environment. Formal presentations are used mainly to introduce key concepts and significant elements of project management. Emphasis is on practical applications through “hands on” action learning.
A high level of participation and team involvement is required. 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. Scenarios of project stakeholder conflicts, and ways to resolve them are taught; including project problem-solving and decision-making techniques.
Participants are encouraged to bring their projects to the session. The appreciation of project management software and techniques will be used to help participants better understand project management concepts; reflecting on their current project practices, and knowing how to improve them. Ample case studies, examples and interactive individual/group exercises are provided.
Objectives
- To provide project management fundamentals (i.e., the project management framework) for participants to understand the project management methodology.
- To understand the use of project management tools for initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing projects.
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Have comprehensive understanding of the various processes of project management.
- Evaluate risk management planning of projects.
- Determine task/project durations, and costs.
- Project schedule and cost simulations using Monte Carlo technique.
- Determine which task(s) has overwhelming influence in project duration.
- Track project progress and making project reports.
- Have a working set of project management tools and techniques for monitoring project progress - appreciate use of MS Project for planning, scheduling and tracking project progress.
Detailed Course Content
The sessions will normally start at 9.00 am and end at 5.00 pm, or at client’s timing preference; with two 15-minute tea breaks and an hour lunch.
Day 1
Project Management Background & Framework
PMBoK’s ten knowledge areas.
The time-cost-quality & project scope triangle.
Project management stakeholders and their implications on projects.
Project management context and roles.
The project life cycle – initiating-planning-executing-monitoring & controlling-closing phases.
Project Initialising Process
Project manager and team member roles, accountability, and responsibilities.
Project team assembly.
Defining project needs, functional and technical requirements.
Defining measurable objectives to meet project requirements (scoping).
Initial cost estimates (order-of-magnitude/top-down/budget estimation techniques).
Project Planning Process
Scope definition & planning.
Activity: creating a project charter.
Work breakdown structure (WBS).
Activity: constructing a WBS using Post-It notes and WBS ChartPro software.
Work task listing.
Activity: constructing a work task list.
Work sequencing and scheduling (Network diagram, Gantt & milestone diagram).
Activity: constructing a Gantt chart and a milestone chart of a project.
Understanding the Critical Path Method (manual approach and visualising by MS Project.)
Network logic analysis – earliest start and end times, latest start and end times, and
float.
Day 2
Project Planning Process (continued)
Establishing baselines.
Resource listing – human, material, facility, equipment, etc.
Identifying controllable costs – direct and indirect costs.
Activity: creating a resource list.
Using bottom-up estimates for scheduling and cost control.
Time-phased distribution of costs – cumulative cost curve (S-curve).
Leading Effective Teams
The stages of team development
Leading and maintaining effective, productive teams
Evaluate team progress and coach team members as necessary
Project team anxieties and how to address them.
Motivating
Motivation theories
How to be more influential by understanding motivational patterns
Using an understanding of individual differences to help you manage conflict more effectively
Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM).
Activity: constructing a RAM.
Project risk management - planning for risk with contingency (risk management plan and risk management strategies).
Day 3
Project Execution Process
Executing the project plan.
Tracking project schedule progress using Gantt Chart.
Activity: Using project management software to track project progress.
Activity: Gantt Chart and project progress.
Simulating best case, most likely, and worst case scenarios for project duration and project cost using Monte-Carlo technique.
Identifying critical resources influencing project duration and costs – using Monte-Carlo simulation and Tornado Diagramming technique.
Responding to project risks (executing risk responses, monitor and control the execution of the responses).
Work-around risk responses (for risks unidentified in risk management plan).
Risk monitoring.
Activity: Risk response activation and rules.
Verifying project scope deliverables and stage sign-offs.
Project Closeout Process
Administrative close-out checklist.
Activity: 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.
Activity: Scope verification of supplier deliverables (as per contract), document lessons learned, closing the contract, and thanking the supplier.
Project Failure And Success Case Studies
Training Approach
The training uses practical exercises that take individuals outside their comfort zones. By giving the participants help and guidance during the process, confidence and skills are strengthened. We make the sessions challenging and practical through the use of role-play, experiential learning and group exercises. Participants will quickly discover their strengths and weaknesses in communicating with others. Moreover, this interaction makes classes enjoyable and motivational.
The tempo of the training is light-hearted and fast-paced. Our experience suggests that this makes people actually look forward to attending our training sessions and reinforces the motivational effects. Peer group pressure, structure and relaxed atmosphere are the key elements to the success of our courses.
Methodology
Presentation, case studies, and hands-on activities.
Who Can Benefit
Executives who are directly involved in planning, estimating, scheduling, monitoring (tracking), and measuring, and reporting the implementation progress of projects. Examples, case studies and templates are provided.
Programme scope, delivery arrangements and suitability are confirmed during enquiry.