Masters Certificate in Project Management (Project Management)

The Masters Certificate course format appreciates the severe time limitations of today’s corporate employees and encourages active learning. The majority of this program is delivered in 2 or 3 day modules every second week. A short assignment is handed out after each module, creating about an hour of homework over the two weeks between classes. These assignments tie the whole program together and help prepare for the project simulation you will run through at the end of the program. An exam is administered at the end of the program.

PROGRAM TAKEAWAYS

• Better manage your projects, from planning and team building to quality and cost management.
• Become a stronger, more effective communicator and leader.
• Be fully prepared to write the PMP® certification examination.
• Advance to a senior level in project management.
• Connect and network with other project managers.

Modules

Program Introduction

• Overview of the knowledge areas of project management as defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI)® and others
• Introduction to the project simulation to be used throughout the program
• Delivery of tools and technology to be used throughout the program
• Discussion and exercise around team leadership and effectiveness

Project Planning and Control

• How to form a project team, scope projects and manage within a matrix environment
• Developing detailed and high-level project management plans
• Creating activity-based network diagrams and working with the critical path
• Understanding earned value management
• Meeting stakeholder requirements with various control strategies

Project Quality Management

• Quality: defined and measured
• The basic process for achieving quality
• How preventive quality action dramatically reduces project cost
• Reducing total cost of quality through problem solving
• Overcoming obstacles to front-end planning and achieving results

Leadership, Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Understanding communication dynamics and your communication style
• Team development: understanding yourself, stakeholders and team members
• Linking team life cycle stages with project communication needs
• The impact of change curve stages on your project team and stakeholders
• Building a communication plan and templates for your project
• Communication strategies for virtual teams

Effective Project Cost Management

• Cost estimating: micro versus macro
• Resource planning, budgeting and cost control
• Earned value concepts
• Fixed, variable and unit costs
• Status reporting

Assessing & Managing Project Risk

• Project risk management framework
• Risk management in project planning and execution
• Quantitative and team facilitation techniques to identify risks and responses
• Utilizing decision trees and expected monetary value
• Applying techniques such as Delphi method and Monte Carlo simulation

Procurement & Contracting Management

• Procurement and solicitation planning
• Solicitation and negotiation principles
• Source selection
• Contract close-out and contract law

Introduction To Agile And Scrum

Understand key elements of Agile and Scrum and how to apply them to any project.

• Agile and Scrum Introduction
• Sprint Preparation
• Sprint Execution
• Sprint Closure

Filling in the Gaps and Final Exam

• Review all areas covered in the program to-date (scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communications, and risk management)
• The A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide) as a complete unit
• Preparing for the masters certificate final exam
• Final exam spanning all program material (marks to be handed out the same day)

PMBOK is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

Project Simulation

What you will learn:

In project simulation, all participants apply their learning to propose, plan, execute and deliver a full-scale realistic project in teams

Simulation:

Many graduates tell us that this is the best part of the whole program. It serves to pull it all together – all of the knowledge, tools, techniques and relationships come together to complete the program and the student’s tool kit. Students have been working on the project simulation throughout the program and now they will execute the project – a unique, exciting, and somewhat stressful experience. Just like real life.