Project Management Overview
½-day Seminar
This program is designed to provide an overview of
the basic concepts and tools of project management. It can be adapted to either
an audience of managers responsible for supervising project leaders or to an
audience of project leaders and project participants.
- Introduction
- Definition of projects.
- Why projects are undertaken.
- The characteristics of projects.
- The “Triple Constraint” of time, resources, and output.
- Characteristics of effective project leaders.
- Key players in the world of projects: project team, customers, sponsors,
stakeholders.
- Project Pre-Work
- Researching the need for the project: Why this project? Why now?
- Defining Needs and Wants.
- Define the problem.
- Determine Needs (required) and Wants (desirable) and prioritize Wants.
- Determine the desired outcome of the project based on Needs and Wants.
- Develop options and alternative approaches.
- Compare options to Needs and Wants.
- Assess overall risks.
- Select an option.
- Developing the project goal.
- Determining commitment and support needed for the project.
- Determining the skills needed for the project.
- Assembling the project team.
- Project Planning
- Framing the project.
- Planning major tasks.
- Detailing tasks.
- Connecting people to tasks.
- Scheduling the project.
- Identifying the Critical Path.
- Transfer planning.
- Contingency planning.
- Project Implementation
- Project kickoff.
- The cycle of project management; Monitor, measure, problem-solve,
report.
- Status reporting and management reviews.
- Project team meetings, tools and techniques.
- Change control.
- Problem-solving process and tools.
- Project Closure
- Documentation and training.
- Timing the transfer and implementation of project output.
- On-going support.
- Completing the transfer.
- Project close-out.
- Post-project evaluation.
- Closing ceremonies.
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Hands-On Project Planning
1-day Workshop
This program provides hands-on practice with tools
and techniques for project planning. Participants are grouped into teams and
use projects from their work for the in-class exercises.
- Introduction
- Definition of projects.
- Why projects are undertaken.
- The characteristics of projects.
- The “Triple Constraint” of time, resources, and output.
- Exercise: Defining the constraints for each project as they are
known at this time.
- Characteristics of effective project leaders.
- Key players in the world of projects: project team, customers, sponsors,
stakeholders.
- Project Pre-Work
- Researching the need for the project: Why this project? Why now?
- Defining Needs and Wants.
- Exercise: A seven-step needs-analysis process applied to each
project. Steps include:
- Define the problem.
- Determine Needs (required) and Wants (desirable) and prioritize
Wants.
- Determine the desired outcome of the project based on Needs and
Wants.
- Develop options and alternative approaches.
- Compare options to Needs and Wants.
- Assess overall risks.
- Select an option.
- Developing the project goal.
- Exercise: Developing a goal statement for each project.
- Determining commitment and support needed for the project.
- Exercise: Developing a list of stakeholders and evaluating
their commitment to the successful completion of the project.
- Determining the skills needed for the project.
- Exercise: Completing a Skills and Influence Matrix for each
project, linking needed skills with individuals who are current or
potential team members.
- Assembling the project team.
- Exercise: Developing strategies for obtaining the services
of needed team members.
- Project Planning
- Introduction to project planning and the Post-It® Planning Process.
- Framing the project.
- Exercise: Defining project phases.
- Planning major tasks.
- Exercise: Developing high-level project tasks and key
decision points.
- Testing for validity.
- Exercise: Review the plan and adjust at the highest levels.
- Detailing tasks.
- Exercise: Adding detail and sub-tasks to high-level tasks;
adding additional high-level tasks; reviewing the plan and adjusting
the task sequence.
- Connecting people to tasks.
- Exercise: Identifying four levels of connection between team
members and tasks: Responsible, Involved, Advised, Consulted.
- Scheduling the project.
- Exercise: Developing estimates of Task Time and Duration for
each task and sub-task.
- Identifying the Critical Path.
- Exercise: Determining the Critical Path through the project
(both critical tasks and schedule).
- Additional planning tools.
- Transfer planning.
- Exercise: Develop first draft of the plan to deliver the
final output of each project; scheduling mid-point and final reviews
of the transfer plan.
- Contingency planning.
- Exercise: Identifying potential risk points in each project
and developing contingency plans for each.
- Project Implementation Overview
- Project kickoff.
- The cycle of project management; Monitor, measure, problem-solve,
report.
- Status reporting and management reviews.
- Project team meetings, tools and techniques.
- Change control.
- Problem-solving process and tools.
- Project Closure Overview
- Documentation and training.
- Timing the transfer and implementation of project output.
- On-going support.
- Completing the transfer.
- Project close-out.
- Post-project evaluation.
- Closing ceremonies.
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Project Management in the Workplace
2 ½-day Workshop
This program is an interactive workshop covering
the complete project planning and management process. It is designed to provide
hands-on practice with the tools and techniques of project management in a
real-world setting. Participants use real-world examples of projects from
their own experience for the in-class exercises. In addition, several topics
involving the people skills needed to successfully lead projects within an
organization are added to the basic tools and techniques.
- Introduction
- Definition of projects.
- Why projects are undertaken.
- The characteristics of projects.
- The “Triple Constraint” of time, resources, and output.
- Exercise: Defining the constraints for each project as they are
known at this time.
- Characteristics of effective project leaders.
- Key players in the world of projects: project team, customers, sponsors,
stakeholders.
- Exercise: Defining all known players for each project.
- Project Pre-Work
- Researching the need for the project: Why this project? Why now?
- Defining Needs and Wants.
- Exercise: A seven-step needs-analysis process applied to each
project. Steps include:
- Define the problem.
- Determine Needs (required) and Wants (desirable) and prioritize
Wants.
- Determine the desired outcome of the project based on Needs and
Wants.
- Develop options and alternative approaches.
- Compare options to Needs and Wants.
- Assess overall risks.
- Select an option.
- Developing the project goal.
- Exercise: Developing a goal statement for each project.
- Determining commitment and support needed for the project.
- Exercise: Developing a list of stakeholders and evaluating
their commitment to the successful completion of the project.
- Determining the skills needed for the project.
- Exercise: Completing a Skills and Influence Matrix for each
project, linking needed skills with individuals who are current or
potential team members.
- Assembling the project team.
- Exercise: Developing strategies for obtaining the services
of needed team members.
- People Skills for Project Leaders
- The development and use of power and authority.
- Motivation.
- Leadership.
- How teams grow and change over time.
- Negotiation.
- Communication.
- Exercise: Communication Style Self-Evaluation (take-home
self-assessment; usually given out at the end of the first day and
reviewed the morning of the second day).
- Project Planning
- Introduction to project planning and the Post-It® Planning Process.
- Framing the project.
- Exercise: Defining project phases.
- Planning major tasks.
- Exercise: Developing high-level project tasks and key
decision points.
- Testing for validity.
- Exercise: Review the plan and adjust at the highest levels.
- Detailing tasks.
- Exercise: Adding detail and sub-tasks to high-level tasks;
adding additional high-level tasks; reviewing the plan and adjusting
the task sequence.
- Connecting people to tasks.
- Exercise: Identifying four levels of connection between team
members and tasks: Responsible, Involved, Advised, Consulted.
- Scheduling the project.
- Exercise: Developing estimates of Task Time and Duration for
each task and sub-task.
- Identifying the Critical Path.
- Exercise: Determining the Critical Path through the project
(both critical tasks and schedule).
- Additional planning tools.
- Transfer planning.
- Exercise: Develop first draft of the plan to deliver the
final output of each project; scheduling mid-point and final reviews
of the transfer plan.
- Contingency planning.
- Exercise: Identifying potential risk points in each project
and developing contingency plans for each.
- Project Implementation
- Project kickoff.
- Exercise: Developing content of the kickoff meeting including
both information and “cheerleading”.
- The cycle of project management; Monitor, measure, problem-solve,
report.
- Status reporting and management reviews.
- Project team meetings, tools and techniques.
- Change control.
- Problem-solving process and tools.
- Project Closure
- Documentation and training.
- Exercise: Defining documentation and training needs for the
project outputs.
- Timing the transfer and implementation of project output.
- On-going support.
- Exercise: Developing a first draft of support needs.
- Completing the transfer.
- Project close-out.
- Post-project evaluation.
- Closing ceremonies.
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Project Management in the Workplace
2-day Workshop
This program is an interactive workshop covering
the complete project planning and management process except for the People
Skills for Project Leaders section. This workshop is appropriate for
organizations that have a solid team training program in place and need to
add project planning and management skills to the mix. It provides hands-on
practice with the tools and techniques of project management in a real-world
setting. Participants use real-world examples of projects from their own
experience for the in-class exercises.
- Introduction
- Definition of projects.
- Why projects are undertaken.
- The characteristics of projects.
- The “Triple Constraint” of time, resources, and output.
- Exercise: Defining the constraints for each project as they are
known at this time.
- Characteristics of effective project leaders.
- Key players in the world of projects: project team, customers, sponsors,
stakeholders.
- Exercise: Defining all known players for each project.
- Project Pre-Work
- Researching the need for the project: Why this project? Why now?
- Defining Needs and Wants.
- Exercise: A seven-step needs-analysis process applied to each
project. Steps include:
- Define the problem.
- Determine Needs (required) and Wants (desirable) and prioritize
Wants.
- Determine the desired outcome of the project based on Needs and
Wants.
- Develop options and alternative approaches.
- Compare options to Needs and Wants.
- Assess overall risks.
- Select an option.
- Developing the project goal.
- Exercise: Developing a goal statement for each project.
- Determining commitment and support needed for the project.
- Exercise: Developing a list of stakeholders and evaluating
their commitment to the successful completion of the project.
- Determining the skills needed for the project.
- Exercise: Completing a Skills and Influence Matrix for each
project, linking needed skills with individuals who are current or
potential team members.
- Assembling the project team.
- Exercise: Developing strategies for obtaining the services
of needed team members.
- Project Planning
- Introduction to project planning and the Post-It® Planning Process.
- Framing the project.
- Exercise: Defining project phases.
- Planning major tasks.
- Exercise: Developing high-level project tasks and key
decision points.
- Testing for validity.
- Exercise: Review the plan and adjust at the highest levels.
- Detailing tasks.
- Exercise: Adding detail and sub-tasks to high-level tasks;
adding additional high-level tasks; reviewing the plan and adjusting
the task sequence.
- Connecting people to tasks.
- Exercise: Identifying four levels of connection between team
members and tasks: Responsible, Involved, Advised, Consulted.
- Scheduling the project.
- Exercise: Developing estimates of Task Time and Duration for
each task and sub-task.
- Identifying the Critical Path.
- Exercise: Determining the Critical Path through the project
(both critical tasks and schedule).
- Additional planning tools.
- Transfer planning.
- Exercise: Develop first draft of the plan to deliver the
final output of each project; scheduling mid-point and final reviews
of the transfer plan.
- Contingency planning.
- Exercise: Identifying potential risk points in each project
and developing contingency plans for each.
- Project Implementation
- Project kickoff.
- Exercise: Developing content of the kickoff meeting including
both information and “cheerleading”.
- The cycle of project management; Monitor, measure, problem-solve,
report.
- Status reporting and management reviews.
- Project team meetings, tools and techniques.
- Change control.
- Problem-solving process and tools.
- Project Closure
- Documentation and training.
- Exercise: Defining documentation and training needs for the
project outputs.
- Timing the transfer and implementation of project output.
- On-going support.
- Exercise: Developing a first draft of support needs.
- Completing the transfer.
- Project close-out.
- Post-project evaluation.
- Closing ceremonies.
Back to Top
Other Training Programs
Process Analysis and Design, Team Development,
Team Building, Custom Skill-Development.
In addition to our popular Project Management
in the Workplace training
series, Crow Development also offers the following training programs. Like
Project Management in the Workplace, each of these programs can be customized
to meet client-specific needs.
Work Process Analysis and Design
Gains in productivity are achieved by improving
a work process, not by
simply pushing more work through that process. To see where productivity
is being hindered and process improvement opportunities exist, it is
necessary to examine all aspects of how the work is being done, not just the
final output. This workshop presents a simple, hands-on method of mapping
work processes, analyzing them for effectiveness and efficiency and
re-designing them for optimum performance.
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