Project Management Foundations and Best Practices

Course Information: Next Public Offering TBD Please click the button below and fill out the form to be notified of the next training dates.

Instructors Jeff Oltmann Jeff Oltmann, PMP, is an experienced manager and instructor. He ran the Program Management Office (PMO) and project portfolio for IBM’s development facility in Oregon… Learn More About Jeff >>

Overview

Modern projects are in the clutches of constant pressure. They must deliver more with less, while meeting short schedules and tight budgets. Unfortunately, too many projects fail at this challenge. This class shows you how to organize small to medium size projects, then work with a team to accomplish them on schedule and within budget. Participants learn practical and proven project management techniques, then immediately apply them to real projects as in-class teams.

Topics include:

• Starting a project on a firm foundation by defining it clearly, then getting alignment among the stakeholders
• Visual tools for building a good plan that addresses the how, when, and who of the project
• Executing the plan, monitoring progress, steering, and making changes
• Properly closing a project, including how to learn lessons for future improvement

The class includes proven techniques researched by the Project Management Institute, the global professional body for project management.

Course Objectives

By the end of this two-day class, participants will understand how to manage a project from beginning to successful completion. They will understand how to:  

• Recognize common causes of project success and failure
• Explain the role of projects at work
• Efficiently run a project using a standardized set of steps
• Clearly identify how the project aligns with the mission and strategy of the organization
• Get agreement on what a project will deliver
• Set stakeholder expectations early
• Use visual techniques that encourage team-based planning
• Use work breakdown technique to identify the tasks that the project must do
• Develop a realistic schedule, a resource plan, and a budget that fits the project
• Identify and manage risks
• Communicate important project information
• Monitor project progress, steer the project’s execution, and take corrective action
• Increase team motivation
• Complete a lessons learned review

Prerequisites

Previous experience in a project environment is helpful, but not required.

Intended Audience

People who need to organize and manage small to medium-sized projects.

Course Outline

1. Overview of project management
   • Why projects succeed and fail
   • Does project management really make a difference?
   • Project management frameworks
2. Initiating and defining a project
   • Defining how the project supports mission and strategy
   • Agreeing on deliverables for the project
   • Chartering
   • Managing stakeholders
   • Constraints, assumptions and high level risks
   • Roles and responsibilities
3. Teams and people
   • Characteristics of effective project leaders
   • Forming project teams
   • How organizational structures affect projects
4. Scope planning
   • How much planning is worthwhile?
   • Seven questions of planning
   • Work breakdown
   • Activity sequencing
   • Critical path
   • Resource and duration estimating
   • Making trade-offs
5. Managing risks
   • Identification
   • Prioritization
   • Assessment
   • Taking action
6. Executing and controlling
   • Measuring progress
   • Steering the project
   • Resolving issues
   • Communications
   • Managing changes
7. Closeout
   • Verification and acceptance
   • Project handoff
   • Lessons learned and team acknowledgements
8. Action planning
   • Create an action plan to apply what you’ve learned in the class