Project planning and execution – Advanced course

Ø INTRODUCTION

Advanced Project Management is a new course created to cover the entire domain of project management, including both practical and purely theoretical areas.

The IACT course will cover all aspects of project Execution, Monitoring, Control and Close-Out. Expect to see a lot of tricks, tips, “guerrilla warfare” tactics, exercises, case studies and fun historical examples. 

Ø Objective

At this program's conclusion, participants should be able to:

l  To set up and manage projects effectively

l  To scope out the objectives and deliverables for a project

l  To create a Project Plan

l  To calculate the resources required for a project

l  To manage project teams effectively

l  To establish systems for monitoring and evaluating projects

l  To assess risk factors and develop contingency plans

l  Developing a more effective approach to interacting with project stakeholders

Ø TRAINING METHODOLOGY

This training course will combine presentations with instructor-guided interactive discussions between participants relating to their individual workplace. Practical exercises, video material and case studies aiming at stimulating these discussions and providing maximum benefit to the participants will support the training.

This interactive training course includes the following training methodologies as a percentage of the total tuition hours:

l  30% Lectures, Concepts, Role Play

l  30% Workshops & Work Presentations, Techniques

l  20% Based on Case Studies & Practical Exercises

l  20% Videos, Software & General Discussions

Pre and Post Test

Ø WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Project managers and Project Directors
• Project team members wishing to move into project management roles
• Senior line managers of project staff
• Technical and engineering staff wishing to develop skills in managing projects
• Procurement and contract management personnel
• Anyone who wants to achieve professional level understanding of project management.

                                                                               Outline

Day 1

Overview of Project Management

·        Instructor Introduction and course overview

·        Definition of a project

·        Defining the five key stages of any project

·        The key characteristics of all projects

·        Understanding the key terms and stages

·        Defining key project stakeholders

·        Managing the Execution Phase

 Management of the Project

·        Human Resistance

·        How the project manager is selected

·        The key attributes of a project manager

·        The responsibilities of the project manager

·        The dedicated project team

·        Identification and analysis of key stakeholders

·        

Day  2

The Project Lifecycle, Planning and Control

• Project Monitoring and Control
• The importance of project planning and communication
• Understand the elements of a project scope
• Developing a Work Breakdown Structure
• Establishing the project schedule and baseline
• The typical constraint that affects projects
• Manage Expectations

Project Execution and Managing the Schedule

• Work Execution
• Introduction to GANTT charts and building a viable schedule
• Effective techniques of estimating work
• Understand the Critical Path Methods and applying PERT
• Methods and techniques to avoid project scope creep
• Tracking progress and dealing with schedule variances

Day 3

Dealing with Changes, Risk and Project Handover

·        Understand the importance of change management in projects

·        Developing a project risk matrix

·        The importance of effective project reporting

·        How a project ends

·        Project handover and close down of the project

·        Documentation / Scope Verification

·        Risk Management

Staying focused and leading the project team with conviction

·        Adapting your personal style of leadership

·        Developing a vision and motivating your team

·        Implementing a robust and viable communications plan

·        Setting direction and agreeing Critical Performance Indicators

·        Deal with contradicting needs between the customer, project manager and project team

Day 4

Measuring Schedule, Costs and Earned Value Management

·        Performance Measurement

·        Scheduling tools and techniques

·        Validating the schedule

·        Managing change within the project

·        The importance of a good cost/schedule baseline to measure performance against

·        The tools and techniques for using Earned Value Management

The importance of Stakeholder Management

·        Stakeholder definition and analysis

·        Determination of relevance of stakeholders

·        Stakeholder mapping

·        Stakeholder influence

·        The keys to effective influence and persuasion

Day 5

Managing Risks and Quality

·        Risk management planning

·        Identifying project risks

·        Performing risk analysis

·        Risk response monitor and control

·        Controlling project quality

Project Close-Out

·        Earned Value Method – Part 1

·        Earned Value Method – Part 2

·        Project Close-Out

·        Project Close-Out Processes / Wrap-up