Project Management Essentials for Non-Project Managers

Project management is not just for designated project managers. Every project—no matter the size—requires you to use sound project management principles, including interacting with stakeholders, managing and mitigating risk, and following the project lifecycle. You will learn the basics of project management through a focus on terms and definitions, class discussion, and exercises that challenge you to develop the collateral often used in managing projects, large or small.

Learning Objectives

• Define project management terms
• Describe fundamental project management concepts
• Identify project stakeholders
• Develop a project charter
• Describe the planning process
• Organize project work using a work breakdown structure
• Understand scheduling concepts
• Describe cost components of a project
• Create a risk register
• Describe how to monitor and manage the project status

Course Topics

Project Management Overview

• Definition of a Project
• Projects Deliver
• Other Project Characteristics
• Key Concepts

Defining the Project

• Project Stakeholders
• Definition of a Team
• Why Do Projects Get Initiated?
• What Is a Project Charter
• Team Charter
• Exercise: Create a Project Charter

Planning the Project

• Purpose of Planning Projects
• Approaches to Planning
• The Project Management Plan (PMP)
• Project Management Plan Components
• Project Documents
• Assumptions
• Constraints
• Iteration through a Project

Organizing the Scope

• Elaborating Project Scope
• The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Work Packages
• Exercise: Create a WBS

Scheduling the Project

• The Project Schedule
• Purpose of Scheduling
• The Scheduling Process
• Responsibility Assignment Matrix
• Activity Estimates
• The Critical Path
• Portraying the Schedule

Project Budgeting

• What Is a Project Budget?
• The Spend Plan

Planning for Risk

• Risk Management
• Risk Management Process

Baselining the Project

• Project Baselines

Managing the Project

• The Managing Cycle
• Managing Scope and Quality
• Managing Schedule
• Managing Cost
• Managing Risk
• Managing Change
• When Do You Revise the PMB?
• Reporting Status
• Communicating Project Status

Closing the Project

• Project Close Out
• Make Projects a Learning Experience

Course Summary

• Project Management Fundamentals
• Project Definition
• Project Management Plan
• Work Breakdown Structure
• The Project Schedule
• Working with Project Budgets
• Planning for Project Risks
• Performance Measurement Baseline
• Project Performance
• Closing Projects