Course Outline

Project Management – Initiation and Philosophy

• Project definition vs. on-going daily operations (Business as Usual)
• The attributes and selection of the Project Manager
• Understanding the Project Charter and the impact of the requirements
• The Triple Constraint that affects all projects
• Understanding the five keys stages of Project Management
• Critical areas that affect the success of a project and how to avoid project failure

Project Preparation and Planning

• Project definition vs. on-going daily operations (Business as Usual)
• The attributes and selection of the Project Manager
• Understanding the Project Charter and the impact of the requirements
• The Triple Constraint that affects all projects
• Understanding the five keys stages of Project Management
• Critical areas that affect the success of a project and how to avoid project failure

The Project Schedule and Tracking

• Working to the scope of the project and statements of work
• The Work Breakdown Structure
• Monitoring the agreed schedule
• The project budget and scheduling balancing
• Estimating methods and Earned Value Analysis
• Critical Path and PERT analysis

Project Implementation and Control Management

• Monitoring the agreed project schedule
• Working on the project and dealing with day to day operational issues
• Managing the performance of the team and selecting and managing suppliers’ performance
• Dealing and coping with changes and variances in the project
• Impact analysis and decision-making
• Getting the project back on track

Project Close Down and Handover

• Dealing with issues and negotiation for better results
• Writing procedures and reviewing and reporting the project stages
• Handing over and delivering the project for sign off
• Evaluation of the team’s performance
• Recommendations and lessons learned
• Documenting the project procedures and results

Leading the Project Team with Conviction

• Adapting your personal style of leadership
• Developing a vision and motivating your team
• Implementing a robust and viable communications plan
• Setting direction and agreeing Critical Performance Indicators
• Major sources of conflict on project teams and the five modes of handling conflict
• Deal with contradicting needs between the customer, project manager and project team

The Importance of Stakeholder Management

• Stakeholder definition and analysis
• Determination of relevance of stakeholders
• Stakeholder mapping
• Stakeholder influence
• Persuasion and negotiation tactics with stakeholders Prioritising stakeholder requirements and expectations
• Dealing with Challenging Behaviours

Managing Risks and Quality

• Risk management planning
• Identifying project risks
• Performing risk analysis
• Risk response monitor and control
• Controlling project quality
• Quality assurance and quality

Measuring Schedule, Costs and Earned Value Management

• Resource allocation
• Scheduling tools and techniques
• Validating the schedule
• Managing change within the project
• The importance of a good cost/schedule baseline to measure performance against
• The tools and techniques for using Earned Value Management

Staying Focused and Delivering a Successful Handover

• Avoiding project scope creep
• Influences on decision making
• Problem solving styles
• Personal attitudes and human behaviours
• The keys to effective influence and persuasion
• Gaining and maintaining commitment throughout to successful handover