Improving Your Project Management Skills: the Basics for Success
American Management Association
How long?
- from 2 days
- online, in person
What are the topics?
American Management Association
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Comprehensive course analysis
Who should attend
Individuals who are new to project management, “accidental” project managers (professionals for whom PM is a secondary part of their jobs), business analysts, subject-matter experts from any field who contribute to projects, managers responsible for projects and experienced project managers looking to review current tools, techniques, and processes.
About the course
Build a solid foundation of project management knowledge, techniques and tools in this hands-on workshop that covers the entire project life cycle.
As the business world grows more competitive, organizations find it necessary to take on an increasing number of projects. Unfortunately, these same organizations often don’t have skilled project managers to handle the work. In this seminar, you will learn and practice the critical tools and techniques that have been proven necessary for project management success. In lectures, discussions and exercises, you’ll cover the essential aspect of managing projects.
While aligned with the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) framework, this course is specifically designed to focus on the practical application of concepts. You’ll return to work with the knowledge and tools you need to get your projects started right and completed successfully.
How You Will Benefit
- Ensure that your projects are set-up for success from the start
- Learn the basics for effectively gathering and documenting requirements
- Understand the role of the project manager, business analyst, and others in managing projects
- Develop an integrated project plan including realistic scope, schedules, budgets, and risks—and turn that plan into successful action
- Learn how to effectively track and report on project progress
- Gain the respect of your project team and build credibility with top management
What You Will Cover
An Overview of Key Project Management Concept
Discussion of key concepts, terminology, and roles, including:
- The project triangle
- The definition of the "project"
- The five-core PM
Initiating the Project
- Creating a project charter and tying it to the business case
- Gathering and documenting requirements
- Setting customer, sponsor, and team member expectations
Identifying the Work
- Creating the work breakdown structure (WBS) based on the charter and product requirments
- Assigning ownership to tasks
Estimating the Work
- Discussing industry best practices for creating realistic estimates
Scheduling the Work
- Creating precedence (network logic) diagrams to show task dependencies
- Producing Gantt charts to graph project timelines
- Determining the critical path and calculating float
Creating the Budget
- Estimating and tracking personnel and (out of pocket) expenses
Special Feature
AMA Blended Learning combines instructor-led training with online pre- and post-seminar assessments, tune-up courses and other resources to maximize your training goals. Through a blend of proven instructor-led seminars and powerful online technology, AMA Blended Learning provides a compelling and more comprehensive experience for the learner—producing a greater return-on-investment for the employer and the seminar participant.
EXTRAS FROM AMA
This seminar features fictional case studies that allow participants to immediately practice course concepts in group exercises. Participants will create key project documents, such as business case, charter, product requirements, project plan, status reports and lessons learned. Participants have access to online blended learning components, including a full toolkit of integrated project management templates to download and use for getting started immediately after completing the seminar.
Outline – Classroom
The Project Management Framework
- Define the Basic Project Management Framework
- Describe Key Project Management Terminology
- Explain the Triple Constraints (Project Triangle)
- Differentiate Between Operations and Projects
- Describe Project Management in a Business Context
Initiate the Project
- Describe How Projects Are Initiated
- Describe the Difference Between Project Requirements and Product Requirements
- Describe the Purpose and Content of the Project Charter
- Describe the Purpose and Content of the Product Requirements Document
- Use the SMART Model When Writing Requirements
- Identify Information-Gathering Techniques
Identify the Work
- Discuss the Purpose of a Kick-Off Meeting
- Develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Estimate the Work
- Discuss Guidelines for Making Better Estimates
- Explain the Use of Three-Point Estimates
Schedule the Work
- Describe Task Dependencies
- Identify the Sequence of Tasks via Precedence Diagramming
- Develop the Project Schedule
Create the Budget
- Determine the Personnel Costs Needed for the Success of the Project
- Determine the Expense Costs Needed for the Success of the Project
- Differentiate Between Bottom-Up and Top-Down Cost Budget Planning, and State Which Is More Appropriate for Different Situations
Complete the Plan
- Create the Project Communications Plan
- Describe the Project Risk Management Processes
- Describe the Purpose of the Project Procurement Plan
- Discuss the Purpose of Reserves
Execute the Plan
- Create a Project Status Report
- Describe the Key Elements Required to Determine Project Health
- Describe How to Run an Effective Project Status Meeting
- Describe the Change Management Process
Close the Project
- Identify the Elements of Both Administrative and Contractual Project Closure Procedures
- Describe the Different Ways That Projects Can Be Terminated
- Explain the Importance of a Repository and Lessons Learned
Outline – Online
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
- Provide Project Management Methods, Skills, Tools, and Techniques to Help You Plan and Manage Projects Successfully
LESSON ONE
The Project Management Framework
- Define the Basic Project Management Framework
- Describe Key Project Management Terminology
- Explain the Triple Constraints (Project Triangle)
- Differentiate Between Operations and Projects
- Describe Project Management in a Business Context
Initiate the Project
- Discuss How Projects Are Initiated
- Describe the Difference Between Project Requirements and Product Requirements
- Discuss the Purpose and Content of a Project Charter
- Discuss the Purpose and Content of a Product Requirements Document
- Use the SMART Model When Writing Documents
LESSON TWO
Initiate the Project (cont’d)
- Discuss How Projects Are Initiated
- Describe the Difference Between Project Requirements and Product Requirements
- Discuss the Purpose and Content of a Project Charter
- Discuss the Purpose and Content of a Product Requirements Document
- Use the SMART Model When Writing Documents
Identify the Work
- Discuss the Purpose of a Kickoff Meeting
- Develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Estimate the Work
- Discuss Guidelines for Making Better Estimates
- Demonstrate the Use of Three-Point Estimates
LESSON THREE
Schedule the Work
- Describe Task Dependencies
- Identify the Sequence of Tasks
- Develop a Project Schedule
Create the Budget
- Determine the Personnel Costs for a Project
- Determine the Out-of-Pocket Expense Costs for a Project
- Differentiate Between Bottom-Up and Top-Down Cost Planning, and State Which Is More Appropriate for Different Situations
LESSON FOUR
Complete the Plan
- Create the Project Communications Plan
- Describe the Project Risk Management Process
- Describe the Purpose of the Project Procurement Plan
- Discuss the Purpose of Reserves
Execute the Plan
- Create a Project Status Report
- Describe the Key Elements Required to Determine Project Health
- Describe How to Run an Effective Project Status Meeting
- Describe the Change Management Process
Close the Project
- Identify the Elements in the Project Closure Procedure
- Describe Administrative and Contractual Closure
- Describe How Projects Are Terminated
- Explain the Importance of a Repository and Lessons Learned
Videos and materials
Improving Your Project Management Skills - Seminar #6503
Improving Your Project Management Skills: the Basics for Success at American Management Association
Read more about Project management
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