Introduction to Project Management

Unit 1 – Introduction

• The power of project management
• The term “project”
• The term “management”
• The term “project management”
• The need for project management
• Typical projects
• The project life cycle
• Phase one – project identification and initiating process
• Phase two – project planning
• Phase three – project implementation, executing and controlling
• Phase four – project completion and evaluation
• Success of other projects
• Why be a project manager?
• Tips for successful project management
• What ultimately makes a project successful?
• Project roles
  • Project owner
  • Project steering group (PSG)
  • Project sponsor
  • Project manager
  • Project coordinator
  • Project team

Unit 2 – Project Identification

• Introduction
• Formulating a project’s objectives
• Developing a project outline
• Define the problem, issue or challenge
• Determine a definition
• Note possible alternatives
• Assessing a project’s feasibility
• Extrapolation
• Pilot test / simulation
• Methods to use
• Feasibility checklist
• The identification test
• Types of risks
• Budget
• Project schedule
• Staffing
• Resources
• Project size
• External factors
• Risk management
• Project documentation

Unit 3 – Project Planning

• Planning parameters
• Planning quality
• Developing a strategy framework
• Developing a work breakdown structure (WBS)
• Work based schedule components
• Planning time
• The Gantt chart
• The PERT chart
• Planning expense
• Delegating responsibilities

Unit 4 – Project implementation

• Project launch
• Implementation
• Controlling progress
• Applying standards
• Preparation control chart
• Events control chart
• Example of an events control chart
• Budget control chart
• Monitoring performance
• Evaluating performance
• Regulating progress
• Dealing with conflict (key points)

Unit 5 – Project Completion & evaluation

• Project completion
• What is involved at completion stage?
• A declaration of a project’s imminent completion
• Contract closure
• The release or reassignment of resources
• The completion of final & necessary documentation
• Consideration of the project’s sustainability
• Project evaluation
• How do you evaluate post project?
• Benefits of evaluation
• Appraising the project
• Why projects succeed
• Why projects fail

Unit 6 – Technical Project Management Skills

• Preparing a project proposal
• Project proposal layout
• Tendering for a project
• Drawing up a budget
• Getting started – estimation techniques
• Creating a basic project budget
• Constructing a post project appraisal
• Software for all projects – great and small
• Why software?
• What can project management programs do for you?
• The types of project management software
• Criteria you can use when choosing your software
• What project management software can’t do?

Unit 7 – Leadership skills

• Wearing the big shoes
• Project management team leader needs
• Traits of effective project managers
• Establishing your leadership
• Seven steps of good project leaders:
• How to be a project leader
• Communication
• Visibility
• Leadership characteristics
• Leadership skills
• A project leader’s responsibilities
• Dealing with conflict
• People conflict
• How to resolve conflict
• Sociodynamics
• People with extra strong/domineering synergy but some antagonism
• People with strong synergy and no antagonism
• People with equal amounts of synergy and antagonism
• People with both minimal synergy and minimal antagonism
• People with antagonism that is stronger than synergy
• People with strong antagonism and weak synergy (call them mutineers)
• Behavioural changes

Unit 8 – Common Project Problems (Improving Key Personnel Skills)

• Difficulties that arise in projects
• The most common problems
• Schedule not maintained
• Ill-defined start date
• Insufficient time
• Priorities need to change
• Administration overload
• Changes in deadlines
• A key skilled person leaves
• Cost blow out
• Team skills not appropriate to the task
• Role confusion
• The team is exhausted
• Political implications
• Taking care of yourself
• Lack of motivation
• Communication breakdown
• The non-listening project manager
• Change management
• What is change management?
• Change management approaches
• Change management models
• Kotter’s 8 step change model
• McKinsey 7’s model
• ADKAR model

Unit 9 – PBL Project – Manage a project