Summary

This course is focused on exploring the fundamental principles of successful project management and incorporates a number of easy to apply, effective tools and techniques that, when applied in the workplace, will allow the attendees to become more confident and competent in managing a project. A number of easy to use checklists are also included.

Suitable for individuals who are:

• New to the role of project manager and/or lack any formal training in the discipline of project management.
• Looking to adopt a project approach to managing work or are setting up a Project Support Office.
• On the first steps of achieving APMP accreditation.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Recognise when it is appropriate to adopt a ‘project’ approach to managing your workload.
• Apply a simple life cycle to a project to break it into easy to manage stages.
• Clearly define your projects to provide real clarity in terms of project scope, roles and responsibilites and other key factors. 
• Confidently plan, organise and document a project by using a wide variety of tools that add value to the project management process.
• Identify and manage risks proactively to minimise the impact of any deviations from the original plan.
• Become more effective in monitoring and controlling the project work, change requests and resourcing pressures by using best practice processes and techniques.
• Understand what lessons can be learnt from managing work using a project approach.
• Tailor your approach to projects of varying size and complexity.

Course Content

What is a Project?

• Defining what we mean by project working and how it differs from the day job
• Determining a structured approach to managing projects - the project life cycle
• Understanding why projects fail - what to watch out for  

Defining a Project

• Understanding the role of the project manager and other key stakeholders
• Appreciate the importance of team working within the project
• How to clearly define a project
• Setting and agreeing objectives, scope and constraints
• Understanding what questions to ask
• Recognising the need for project governance 
• Simple risk management tools and techniques available to avoid surprises

Planning a Project

• Exploring tools and techniques used in planning a project including Work Breakdown Structures, Gantt Charts, Network Diagrams and Critical Path Analysis
• Determine the key project documentation and data display methods used on a project
• Scheduling techniques to maximise limited resources
• How to make time and cost estimates more credible and realistic
• How to plan for identified risks
• Defining and delivering against agreed quality expectations
• Recognise the need for a change management process and version control in a project

Implementing a Project

• How to monitor, track and control activities
• What impact will changes have on the project?
• Determine corrective actions to ensure the project remains on track
• How to communicate the status of a project more effectively

Closing and Reviewing a Project

• Understanding the need for a controlled close to a project
• Measuring what actually happened against the plan
• Learning lessons - both positive and negative
• Closing down and moving on