Project Planning and Control

The Foundations of Project Management

Managing projects can be very different from managing day-to-day operations! Why is that true? And what knowledge, skills, and abilities must a great project manager possess? Are they the same ones that make a great functional manager? What makes great project managers great?

There are volumes upon volumes written on how to manage a project successfully. Project management is part science, part art, but it’s definitely not rocket science! In this foundational course, we introduce a simple, common sense process for planning, organizing, and executing a project to deliver a quality product… the first time! We also explore the “finer art” of project management by addressing competencies in communication, negotiation, and coordination, as well as the soft skills that often set great project managers apart from good ones.

“Project Planning and Control” has been approved by the Project Management Institute (PMI^®) to award 24 Contact Hours or PDUs (16 Technical, 4 Strategic, 4 Leadership) to participants involved with any of PMI’s professional certifications (PMP^®, PMI-ACP^®, PMI-PBA^®, etc.).

 

Who should attend.

This program is designed for individuals who are currently or will soon be managing a project, either partially or entirely, within an organization. They may have little to no prior project management training or experience, and they work with shared or part-time resources, all while facing shifting priorities.  

 

What you will learn?

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Understand foundational concepts of project management, such as the project, project life cycle, and stakeholders.
• Advocate for a proper project initiation process, including the creation of a project charter and the clear definition of project scope.
• Apply tools for identifying, organizing, and estimating the project work.
• Deal with project risk and apply risk mitigation strategies to safeguard the project.
• Identify and include the work needed to account for risk and resolve assumptions.
• Appreciate the demands of managing project resources and the implications of different project team structures on resource assignments and scheduling.
• Delegate work, motivate, and facilitate professional and personal growth for the project team.
• Develop a realistic and defensible project schedule that incorporates the work and work estimates, adjusted for any applicable ‘loading factors.’ 
• Effectively negotiate with project stakeholders throughout the project.
• Understand how to manage scope and quality.
• Implement a change management and change reporting plan.
• Communicate effectively with all stakeholders.
• Track and Report the status of the project and its deliverables for early problem identification and resolution.
• Apply project closing processes and close the project properly.
• Understand the use of project software tools to help plan, schedule, and track the project.