Course Specifications

Course Number:

095032

Course Length:

2 days

Course Description

Overview:

Successfully managing a project requires effective planning and adherence to the industry's best practices in every step of the process. By mastering the fundamentals of project management, you will be better prepared to initiate a project in your organization and position it for success. In this course, you will identify effective project management practices and their related processes.

At this point in your professional development, you are ready to take on the responsibility for managing projects. You can manage a project by developing a solid understanding of the fundamentals of project management and its underlying structure and elements, including project phases, project life cycles, stakeholders, and areas of expertise. These, coupled with the ability to identify the project management processes that are recognized industry wide as good practice, will help you to apply effective project management techniques to improve the efficiency of your projects and ensure their success.

Course Objectives:

In this course, you will identify the elements of sound project management and apply the generally recognized project management practices to successfully manage or participate in projects. You will:

• Identify the key processes and requirements of project management.
• Initiate a project.
• Use a Predictive approach to plan for time and cost.
• Use an Adaptive approach to plan a project.
• Plan for project risks, communication, and change control.
• Manage the execution of a project.
• Close a project.

Target Student:

This course is designed for individuals in a variety of job roles whose primary responsibility is not project management, but who manage projects on an informal basis; who contribute as members of a project team; or who wish to incorporate project management practices into their personal work. It is also beneficial for anyone who is considering a career path in project management and desiring a complete overview of the field and its generally accepted practices.

This course is designed to cover various project management approaches and is not intended to focus on a single methodology or framework.

Prerequisites:

To ensure your success in this course, you should have some basic computing skills. Some experience using Microsoft Office is desirable but not required.

Having some on-the-job experience with project management—either as a team member or project leader—is helpful but not required.

Course-specific Technical Requirements

Hardware:

For this course, you will need one computer for each student and one for the instructor. Each computer will need the following minimum hardware configurations:

• Sufficient processor speed, RAM, and storage space for good system performance when running Microsoft Office apps.
• Mouse, keyboard, microphone, and monitor.
• High-speed, stable Internet connection.
• For the instructor's computer, a method to project and/or share the screen as needed for local and remote class participants.

Software:

• Microsoft® Windows® 10.
• Microsoft® 365 Office apps (Word and Excel) for accessing student data files.
• If necessary, software for viewing the course slides. (Instructor machine only.)

Course Content

Lesson 1: Getting Started with Project Management

Topic A: Identify the Characteristics of a Project

Topic B: Identify the Project Approach

Topic C: Identify the Leadership Roles in a Project

Lesson 2: Initiating a Project

Topic A: Create a Project Scope/Vision Statement

Topic B: Identify the Essential Skills for a Project Team

Topic C: Identify the Risks to a Project

Lesson 3: Planning for Time and Cost in Predictive Projects

Topic A: Create a WBS

Topic B: Create a Project Schedule

Topic C: Determine Project Costs

Lesson 4: Planning for Adaptive Projects

Topic A: Create Epics and User Stories

Topic B: Build a Product Backlog

Topic C: Create an Initial Release Plan

Topic D: Conduct a Sprint Planning Meeting

Topic E: Replan the Project

Lesson 5: Planning for Project Risks, Communication, and Change Control

Topic A: Analyze the Risks to a Project

Topic B: Create a Communication Plan

Topic C: Develop a Change Control Plan

Lesson 6: Managing a Project

Topic A: Begin Project Work

Topic B: Execute the Project Plan

Topic C: Track the Progress of an Adaptive Project

Topic D: Report Project Performance

Topic E: Implement Change Control

Lesson 7: Closing a Project

Topic A: Close a Sprint, a Release, or an Adaptive Project

Topic B: Close a Predictive Project

Topic C: Create a Final Report

Appendix A: Using Earned Value Analysis