Project Management Training

Project Management Overview

Much of the work that you do can be organized as a project. The ability to successfully define and subsequently manage a project is quickly leaving the realm of the extraordinary and is becoming a core competency for many organizations. Managing a project is not easy and project management skills do not come naturally to many people. This class provides an overview of the concepts, processes and techniques associated with formal project management. It is targeted toward individuals that need to understand project management concepts, but are not looking for hands-on project management skills.Read More

Project Management

Much of the work that you do can be organized as a project. The ability to successfully define and subsequently manage a project is quickly leaving the realm of the extraordinary and is becoming a core competency for many organizations. Managing a project is not easy and project management skills do not come naturally to many people. Fortunately, the skills associated with defining and managing a project can be learned. Understanding and practicing the concepts taught in this class increases the likelihood of success on the project.Read More

Project Management Back to Basics

Much of the work that you do can be organized as a project. The ability to successfully define and subsequently manage a project is quickly leaving the realm of the extraordinary and is becoming a core competency for many organizations. Managing a project is not easy and project management skills do not come naturally to many people - even to many “experienced” project managers. This class provides the foundation for experienced project managers that have not had prior formal training before. It is also a great refresher class for experienced project managers that would like to recap the value associated with rigorous and disciplined project management practices.Read More

Project Management for Managers

Project management training is usually targeted to project managers and other senior project professionals. But what about company managers? The project sponsor and other senior managers need some knowledge of formal project management as well - for two reasons. First, managers must understand the terminology and concepts that the rest of the staff is learning so that they can communicate intelligently. Second, managers must understand the role they play in ensuring that the project management processes are implemented successfully in their organizations. It’s not just about project managers. All of the management hierarchy has a role to play in ensuring their organizations successfully implement the project management discipline.

Do your senior managers need to attend five days of training to get the proper level of understanding? No, they don’t need that level of detail. This class provides this high-level overview of project management concepts and the role of management in a fast-paced ½ day session.Read More

Project Estimating

Projects that start out with poor estimates are doomed to failure. Yet, there is no question that estimating work is difficult because it is partially an art and partially a science. The “science” component, consisting of formal estimating techniques and formulas, can be learned and applied with practice. The “art” component, consisting of making decisions without all of the facts, and accounting for the people side of the equation, is more difficult to master. The objective of the estimator is to base as much of the estimate as possible on the “science” side, while also applying sound judgment and valid techniques to the “art” side.

Read More

Project Lifecycle Management

Projects can be managed using a common set of project management processes. In fact, a similar set of project management processes can be utilized regardless of the type of project. All projects should be defined and planned, and all projects should manage scope, risk, quality, status, etc. Project management, however, defines the overall management and control processes for the project. Project management does not actually result in the project execution. At some point, you still need to define the actual activities necessary to build the house, execute the marketing campaign, develop the IT business application and upgrade the desktop operating systems. These activities are referred to as the project lifecycle, and the project lifecycle is the focus of LifecycleStep.Read More

Project Quality Management

Quality is ultimately defined by the customer, and represents how close the project and deliverables come to meeting the customer's requirements and expectations.

An effective quality management process results in “better” project deliverables, more efficient project work processes and increased client satisfaction. There is a cost associated with a quality management process as well, and it is important that the value of quality outweigh the cost. Much of the cost of quality is incurred during the project, while the benefits of quality are seen throughout the life of the deliverables. An effective quality program must be implemented at both a project level and an organization level. The focus of an organization quality program is to standardize processes and continually improve them over time.Read More

Project Risk Management

Risk refers to future conditions or circumstances that exist outside of the control of the project team that will have an adverse impact on the project if they occur. In other words, whereas an issue is a current problem that must be dealt with, a risk is a potential future problem that has not yet occurred.

A reactive Project Manager tries to resolve issues when they occur. A proactive Project Manager tries to resolve potential problems before they occur. Many problems can be seen ahead of time. Risk management is a proactive process that is invoked to attempt to eliminate these potential problems before they occur, and therefore increase the likelihood of success on the project.Read More

Project Vendor Management

Companies are relying more and more on vendors to help them complete critical project work. In many cases, the vendor actually takes responsibility for delivering certain components of the project. When this happens, the vendor should not be allowed to work independently until the expected delivery date. That is a recipe for disappointment and failure. Instead, the project manager needs to make sure that the vendor has a complete and clear set of requirements, as well as a contract that sets the right expectations and motivations. The project manager then needs to manage and monitor the vendor to ensure they meet the business requirements and the contractual requirements established up-front. Many of the project management techniques are similar to those utilized on internal work. However, there are many processes and techniques that are unique to a client - vendor relationship.Read More

Project Training Curriculum

Training is one of the premiere services offered by a Project Management Office (PMO). In fact, in many organizations, the primary role of the PMO is to offer project management training to the staff. However, there is a lot to consider in a training program. Like many of the services offered, training must be considered holistically, along with any other services that the PMO is offering. Your PMO may only have the resources to offer one or two classes. However, if you have the resources, and if your pool of project managers has the need, you would want to develop an overall curriculum, including classroom and non-classroom based learning opportunities. This class will provide you with the skills necessary to build such a curriculum.Read More

Project Workplan (Schedule)

The workplan is a vital tool to ensure that the project manager knows the work that needs to be done to complete the project. The workplan for small projects can be built without a lot of formality. However, as a project gets larger, the project workplan will obviously get more and more complex. Although there are some shortcuts, the project manager should know how to create a workplan from scratch. This includes creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), estimating the work effort, creating a network diagram, adding resources, etc., until a final viable workplan emerges. This is the workplan that must be managed effectively to ensure it is up-to-date and continually reflects the work remaining to complete the project.Read More

Project Process Modeling

Most managers think that they understand the processes that are executed on an ongoing basis in their organizations. However, how well do they really understand these processes? In fact, there is probably a good understanding of the work processes at a high-level. However, this understanding and clarity gets very hazy at a detailed level. This lack of clarity in the process details is what keeps managers from recognizing the inefficiencies that will lead to process improvement and greater efficiencies.

Process modeling is a way to gain an understanding of your business processes at a detailed level, allowing you to see the redundancies, the extra handoffs and the inefficiencies that are occurring on an ongoing basis. Modeling provides a precise syntax of pictures and words that allow you to see what is going on and identify process improvements in terms of cost, time, effort, safety, governance, etc. This class will provide the fundamentals to help you get on the path to gaining these benefits using process modeling techniques. Read More