Fundamentals of Project Management Training

The objective of this training is twofold. First, to give the participants a set of fundamental tools and techniques of project management, useful in projects of different kinds and scales. The training focuses on the technical layer of project management, which is often weak or missing from the formal trainings, particularly those leading to certifications. Second, the training will introduce the participants to a variety of project management approaches, with intention to help them chose a further path, towards professional certifications such as PMI PMP, PRINCE2, or Agile. Over the last several decades there has been a proliferation of methods, approaches and frameworks, and it is far from easy to chose the project working methods, away from hype and publicity, often generated by certification industry.

Certifications are valuable and useful, as confirmation of  knowledge acquired and as a way of standardisation of project management within an organisation. But more important than that is the right choice of a method or an approach, that serves best the kind of project undertaken by an organisation. Or the right combination of methods, a method mix, that will cover the greatest possible range of an organisation’s project management needs.

The training will offer the participants an insight into such a mix and so allow the informed decisions concerning project management methodologies, together with further personal and professional development.

Target group:

• Aspiring and practising project managers
• Project management officers

Benefits

• Knowledge of the existing project management methods and approaches, opening paths for further learning and informed certification
• Learning of the key tools and techniques belonging to different methods
• Noticing the possibilities of combining different fireworks, tools and techniques

 Training agenda

 Opening and introduction

• Training scope
• Work plan
• Training style
• Technicalities

Project management universe

• What is project management tradition?
• Traditional project management
• Sequential and Adaptive projects
• Methods spectrum

Systemic project management

• Project management standards
• Project management levels
  • Projects
  • Programmes
  • Portfolios
• Risk Managements
• Value Management
• Project support structures: PMO

Project Governance

• The key roles: Project Sponsor / Executive and Project Manager
• The Stakeholders: the matter of influence
• Project environment: internal and external environment, matter of sustainability
• (Delagated) competencies: project assurance and project change control
• Communication management, stakeholder register and communication approach / plan

Project team

• Tuckman model
• Leadership styles
• The role of the Project Manger
• Project facilitation

The starting point

• The variety of business needs
• Project justification
• Project entry point and exit point
• Products, results, benefits
• Project change and organisational change
• Project parameters and tolerances

Product definition

• Product description
• Features and functionalities
• Different kinds of requirements
• Use cases and user stories
• Acceptance criteria

 Breakdown structures

• Product Breakdown Structure
• Work Breakdown Structure
• Prioritised Requirement List / Backlog

 Project planning

• Product flow and dependencies
• Work Packages, activities, tasks
• Time estimation
• Resources estimation

Scheduling

• Scheduling software
• Building a schedule
• Schedule flexibility
• Fast tracking and crashing

Risk management

• What is risk?
• Risk exposure, appetite and tolerance
• Risk management approach / plan and risk register
• Risk management process
  • Identification
  • Evaluation
  • Planning
  • Execution
  • Communication

Project control and closure

• Project staging and stage-gates
• Reports
• Progress visualisation: Earned Value and Burndown charts
• Lessons Learnt Workshop / Retrospective and Project End Report

Workshop duration, languages and logistics

• 3 days, or according to client needs
• In English or in French
• Onsite or online

Cost

• 1390 EUR / person for a 3-day training
  • In Belgium add 21% VAT: 291,9 EUR