Project Management Essentials

Course Specifications
Course length: 3.0 day(s)

Course Description
Course Objective: You will identify and apply generally recognized practices in project management.

Target Student: The target student for this course is any individual who may need to perform project management activities in their job role on either a formal or informal basis, or any project team members who want to enhance their knowledge of project management in order to interact more productively with a project manager and perform more effectively on a project team.

Prerequisites: Work experience with project management and knowledge of the roles, responsibilities, and skills required for project management is needed. Also, basic working knowledge of office productivity tools is required. The Project Management Fundamentals course is recommended for students as a prerequisite to this course.

Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• identify the basic concepts and terminology of professional project management.
• launch a project.
• estimate project work.
• create a project schedule.
• plan project costs.
• plan for project risks.
• plan for project quality and compliance.
• manage human resources for your project.
• manage project procurements.
• plan for change management and monitor the project scope.
• monitor and optimize project schedule and cost.
• monitor quality of project work and the risks involved.
• plan communication strategies and manage stakeholder relationships.
• perform project closure.

Course Content
Lesson 1: Getting Started with Project Management
Topic 1A: Project Management Basics
Topic 1B: Factors Influencing a Project

Lesson 2: Launching Projects
Topic 2A: How Organizations Choose the Right Project
Topic 2B: Identify Project Stakeholders and Their Expectations
Topic 2C: Identify the Project Scope
Topic 2D: Prepare a SOW
Topic 2E: Formally Authorize a Project

Lesson 3: Estimating Project Work
Topic 3A: Estimate Project Effort and Resources Using Top-Down Estimation
Topic 3B: Estimate Project Effort and Resources Using Bottom-Up Estimation
Topic 3C: Reduce Risks in Project Estimates

Lesson 4: Creating a Project Schedule
Topic 4A: Illustrate Project Flow
Topic 4B: Identify Activity Resources
Topic 4C: Schedule Project Work

Lesson 5: Planning Project Costs
Topic 5A: Estimate Project Costs
Topic 5B: Establish the Cost Baseline
Topic 5C: Reconcile Funding and Costs

Lesson 6: Planning for Risks
Topic 6A: Create a Risk Management Plan
Topic 6B: Identify Risks and Their Causes
Topic 6C: Analyze Risks
Topic 6D: Develop a Risk Response Plan

Lesson 7: Planning for Quality and Compliance
Topic 7A: Deliver the Desired Project Results
Topic 7B: Verify Compliance Requirements

Lesson 8: Managing Human Resources
Topic 8A: Plan Your Dream Team
Topic 8B: Put the Team Together
Topic 8C: Build the Team
Topic 8D: Manage the Team

Lesson 9: Managing Project Procurements
Topic 9A: Plan for Project Procurements
Topic 9B: Obtain Responses from Vendors
Topic 9C: Choose the Right Vendor
Topic 9D: Manage Vendors and Procurements

Lesson 10: Managing Change During Project Execution
Topic 10A: Gear Up for Project Execution
Topic 10B: Manage Project Changes
Topic 10C: Monitor the Project Scope

Lesson 11: Monitoring and Controlling Project Schedule and Cost
Topic 11A: Monitor and Control the Project Schedule
Topic 11B: Optimize the Project Schedule
Topic 11C: Monitor and Control Project Costs

Lesson 12: Monitoring Risk and Quality
Topic 12A: Monitor and Control Risks
Topic 12B: Put Quality Plans into Action
Topic 12C: Control Project Quality

Lesson 13: Communicating and Reporting
Topic 13A: Communicate in a Project
Topic 13B: Distribute Project Information
Topic 13C: Manage Stakeholder Relationships and Expectations
Topic 13D: Report on Project Performance

Lesson 14: Closing the Project
Topic 14A: Hand Off the Project
Topic 14B: Close Project Procurements
Topic 14C: Wrap Up a Project

Appendix A: Project Management Templates