Advanced Project Management Training

A Three-Day Seminar

SEMINAR DESCRIPTION

This seminar is for those responsible for implementing large or complex projects. It may involve managing many projects at once, or projects that span multiple departments with shared resources. The project may be implementing a network, building a facility, marketing, manufacturing and so forth. The seminar concentrates on planning and controlling such complex projects using information summary rollup to different levels of the organization.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

Basing the lecture on the nine knowledge areas of the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge using the processes of planning and control:

• Learn how to manage the scope of multiple projects, including creating a rolled-up Work Breakdown Structure.
• Learn project time management by doing good time estimates, setting dependencies and using PERT, Gantt and other scheduling techniques.
• Learn project cost management by doing cost estimates and cost roll up of multiple projects.
• Learn how to manage risk by anticipating it, controlling it and including risk and management reserve in the project estimate.
• Learn project integration management by balancing the constraints of time, cost and quality during the planning and controlling of the project.
• Learn project human resource management by knowing how to assemble an appropriate project team, assign responsibilities, motivate, delegate and manage the team.
• Learn the advantages and disadvantages of organizing a project in a matrixed, functional or projectized environment.
• Learn how to control a project within schedule, cost and quality constraints.
• Learn how to detect problems and fix them before crises arise.
• Learn how to report project progress against the baseline plan.
• Learn how to write proper project documents such as proposals, plans, charters, requests for proposal, specifications, tests and so forth.
• Learn how to summarize information for different levels of management.
• Learn how automated project management tools assist in project planning and control.
• Learn how to run technical and management review meetings.
• Learn how to manage multiple projects at once with shared resources.

OUTLINE

Introduction

• Speaker
• Schedule

The need for Project Management

• Accurate planning, effective control, cost and schedule performance

Plan and control life-cycles

• The Plan/Build/Implement stages

Planning the project

• Setting Objectives
• Formulating solutions
• Obtaining reliable information from the client
• Determining the real needs vs. wishlist items
• Knowing the stakeholders of the project
• Planning for information rollup

The go/no-go decision

• Feasibility Study
• Resource, cost, time limitations

Risk management

• Anticipating risk
• Eliminating and reducing risk
• Contingency planning
• Controlling fires

Proposals

• Terms of Reference
• The Business case
• Request for a proposal
• Writing a proposal
• Evaluating and negotiation

Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)

• Methods of breaking down a large project
  • Functional, component, time-phase
• Methods of correlating multiple projects

Estimating

• Estimating methods
  • Professional judgment based on experience
  • Variable analyses and formulas
  • Function point approach
• Time, cost, resource requirements
• Probability and confidence levels
• Handling estimates ‘by edict’

Pricing

• Resource, direct costs
• Pricing in the risk factors

Scheduling

• Networks (PERT, Precedence Net)
• A simple but inclusive GANTT model
• Critical path focus and alteration
• Manpower histograms
• Resource leveling

Handling multiple projects

• Multi project PERT and GANTT
• Overlaid resource allocation
• Multi project resource leveling

“Crashing” a project

• How to run a project as fast as possible

Project Control

• The GANTT as the control tool
• Measuring and reporting actual versus plan
• The effect of activity slips
• Establishing the delivery date

Problem situation

• Determining what the problem is
• Management by exception
• Focus on the Critical Path
• Reacting to problems
• Announcing slips

Earned value

• Showing “accomplishment”
• Measuring Earned Value

Determining the load a single person

• Personal time management when handling many tasks at once

People Issues

• Forming the project team
• Choosing team members
  • Skills, personalities, responsibilities
• Communication
  • Motivation
  • Delegation
  • Negotiation
  • Interpersonal (peer to peer, management) interaction skills
  • Communication outside the team
  • Meetings
    • Project Kickoff Meeting
    • Post Project Review
• Reports
  • A simple Status Report showing
    • Plans, actuals, accomplishment, forecast
    • Time and cost
    • Information roll-up: Reporting project information summarized for the appropriate management level
    • Project file
    • A location for the latest project information
• Organizing the project within the company

Computer support for Project Management

• Software capabilities
  • Work breakdown, networks, schedules
    • Report types
    • Graphics
• Limitations
• Hardware Types
  • Microcomputer products
  • Minicomputer and mainframe products
• Evaluating whether or not computer support is needed
• Evaluating Project Management software products
• Optional computer demonstration

Conclusions

• Implementing all of this
• Futures
  • Technology
  • Processes
  • The increasing importance of Project Management

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