SEF-BAP7006 - Project Planning and Control

Course Description

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 successfully manage a project. 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 are also exploring the “finer arts” of project management, by addressing the competencies of communication, negotiation, and coordination, as well as the soft skills that frequently separate the good project managers from the great ones.

This program is for anyone who is or will be managing a portion of a project or an entire project in an organization, with little or no prior project management training or experience, with shared or part-time resources, all with shifting priorities! 

“Project Planning and Control” has been approved by the Project Management Institute (PMI^®) and awards 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.)

Course Outline

1. General Concepts
   • Project
   • Project Management
   • Project Life Cycles
   • Project Stakeholders
   • Project Sponsor
   • Project Manager
2. Project Initiation
   • Project Charter
   • Defining Project Goals
   • Identifying Stakeholders
   • Defining Quality
   • The Total Systems Pentagon
3. Planning the Project
   • Project Plan
   • Project Strategies
   • Project Scope
   • Tasks
   • Task Dependencies
   • The Network Diagram
   • The Critical Path
   • The Gantt Chart
4. Managing Project Risk
   • Risk Definition
   • Risk Identification
   • Risk Analysis
   • Risk Mitigation
5. Project Staffing and Scheduling
   • Team Structures
   • Staffing the Project
   • Finalizing the Schedule
   • Getting the Plan Approved
   • Project Baselines
6. Project Communications
   • The Importance of Communications
   • The Communication Plan
   • Communication Skills
   • Progress Status Reporting
   • Project Meetings
7. Project Closure
   • Closing Activities
   • Closing Documents

Learner Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand foundational concepts of project management, such as Project, Project Life Cycle, Stakeholders, etc.
• 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.

Notes

This class is part of the Project Management and Agile programs.

Our primary communication will be through email so please provide a current email address when you register.

Instructional methods for this course are lecture, discussion, detailed case study assignments and presentations.  Included in the program are references to the PMI® PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge), Agile and Waterfall methodologies, Six Sigma, and in-house Standards and Policies.

Applies Towards the Following Certificates

• Project Management with Agile Plus Certificate Program : Project Management with Agile Plus Certificate Program