Project Management Essentials

The ability of a project manager to demonstrate best practices in project management on the job is becoming standard in order to compete in today’s fast-paced and highly technical workforce. In this course students will learn how to apply the formally recognized practices of project management to successfully manage projects. Materials for this course are a valuable on-the-job resource. Files for simulated hands-on activities and exercises included on a CD-ROM, enable students to practice new skills.

This course is approved by the Project Management Institute and is eligible for 18 Professional Development Units (PDUs).

At Completion

• Identify the basic concepts and terminology of professional project management
• Launch a project
• Estimate project work
• Create a project schedule
• Plan project costs
• Plan for project risks
• Plan for project quality and compliance
• Manage human resources for your project
• Manage project procurements
• Plan for change management and plan for the project scope
• Monitor and optimize project schedule and cost
• Monitor quality of project work and the risks involved
• Plan communication strategies and manage stakeholder relationships
• Perform project closure

Lesson 1: Getting Started with Project Management

• Describe the basics of project management
• Recognize the factors influencing a project

Lesson 2: Launching Projects

• Identify how an organization selects projects
• Identify stakeholders and their expectations
• Identify the project scope
• Prepare an effective Statement of Work (SOW)
• Formally authorize a project through a project chart

Lesson 3: Estimating Project Work

• Estimate project effort and resources using the top-down estimation technique
• Estimate project effort and resources using the bottom-up estimation technique
• Identify the techniques used to reduce risks in project estimate

Lesson 4: Creating a Project Schedule

• Illustrate project flow
• Identify activity resources
• Schedule project work

Lesson 5: Planning Project Costs

• Estimate project costs
• Establish the cost baseline
• Reconcile funding and cost

Lesson 6: Planning for Risks

• Create a risk management plan
• Identify project risks and their causes
• Analyze risks
• Develop a risk response plan

Lesson 7: Planning for Quality and Compliance

• Create a quality management plan to deliver the expected project results
• Verify project compliance requirements

Lesson 8: Managing Human Resources

• Plan your dream team
• Put the project team together
• Build the team; manage the project team
• Identify steps to assess team performance

Lesson 9: Managing Project Procurements

• Plan for project procurements
• Conduct a make-or-buy analysis
• Obtain responses from vendors
• Examine types of contracts and warranties
• Manage vendors and procurements

Lesson 10: Managing Change During Project Execution

• Execute the planned project
• Transition from planning to implementing
• Define the PMIS and identify common PMIS problems
• Manage project changes
• Avoid scope creep
• Identify change control systems
• Monitor the project scope

Lesson 11: Monitoring and Controlling Project Schedule and Cost

• Monitor and control the project schedule
• Understand Earned Value Management (EVM)
• Optimize the project schedule
• Understand schedule compression and fast-tracking
• Crashing the schedule
• Monitor and control project costs

Lesson 12: Monitoring Risk and Quality

• Monitor and control project risk
• Put quality plans into action
• Use quality assurance tools
• Control the quality of the project
• Conduct root cause analysis
• Use Pareto charts

Lesson 13: Communicating and Reporting

• Communicate effectively using various methods
• Distribute project information
• Manage stakeholder relationships and expectations
• Report on project performance

Lesson 14: Closing the Project

• Deliver the project to the customer or the operations team
• Close project procurements
• Wrap-up a project

Students should have completed Project Management Fundamentals, a course which will provide knowledge of terminology, roles and concepts of project management.  A working knowledge of Microsoft Office is also required. 

This course is designed for any individual needing to perform project management activities in their job role on either a formal or informal basis, or any project team members who want to enhance their knowledge of project management in order to interact more productively with a project manager and perform more effectively on a project team.