Project Management Fundamentals

Project Management: Fundamentals

Course Specifications

Course number: 079160
Course length: 1 day
Software: none 

Course Description

Project Management: Fundamentals overviews the basics of project management. It provides the theory and core methodology you will need to manage projects or participate on project teams.

This course does not make use of any project management software application, but instead focuses on the conceptual underpinnings that students must know in order to use any project management software application effectively.

Target Student:  Students enrolling in this course should be planning to lead a project (primary audience) or serve on a project team (secondary audience).

Prerequisites:  To ensure your success, we recommend you have some working knowledge of your computer's operating system.

Delivery Method:  Instructor-led, group-paced, classroom-delivery (including “virtual” electronic classroom) learning model with structured minds-on and hands-on activities.

Benefits:  Students will learn how to use project management techniques to plan, organize, control, document, and close out their projects successfully and with minimum risk.

What's Next:  For those students wishing to become certified in Project Management, Element K also offers a five-day course titled Project Management: Professional Certification.

Hardware/Software Requirements

You will need:

• A Windows-based computer.
  • If running Windows 95 or 98, a minimum of 24 MB of RAM.
  • If running Windows 2000 or NT Workstation 4.0 or later (with Service Pack 4 or later), a minimum of 40 MB of RAM.
• A minimum of 71 MB of available hard drive space.

Performance-Based Objectives

• Discuss the phases of the Project Management Life Cycle and a project manager's role in each phase.
• List and discuss basic project success criteria and common reasons for project failure.
• Discuss techniques for setting up a strong project team.
• List and discuss elements of a Risk Management Plan.
• Discuss techniques for planning and sequencing project activities, including the Work Breakdown Structure and the Network Logic Diagram.
• Identify the Critical Path for completing a project on schedule.
• List and discuss the cost elements that should be included in a project budget.
• Discuss techniques for controlling for deviation from budgets and schedules.
• Discuss key elements of project management communications and reporting tools.
• Discuss key activities of project close-out.

Course Content

Lesson 1: The Project Management Life Cycle

Topic 1A: What is a Project?

Topic 1B: The Project Management Life Cycle

Topic 1C: The Role of the Project Manager

Lesson 2: Setting Up for Success

Topic 2A: The Meaning of Success

Topic 2B: What Happens in the Initiation Phase?

Topic 2C: Project Definition and Scope

Topic 2D: Putting Together a Statement of Work

Topic 2E: The Project Charter

Lesson 3: The Project Team

Topic 3A: The Teamwork Challenge

Topic 3B: Selecting Team Members

Topic 3C: The Team Charter

Lesson 4: Risk Management

Topic 4A: Project Risk

Lesson 5: Project Plans

Topic 5A: The Work Breakdown Structure

Topic 5B: Work Package Sequencing

Lesson 6: The Project Schedule

Topic 6A: The Scheduling Process

Topic 6B: Time Estimates

Lesson 7: The Project Budget

Topic 7A: What is a Budget?

Topic 7B: Creating a Preliminary Budget

Topic 7C: Budget and Schedule Balancing

Lesson 8: Project Tracking and Control

Topic 8A: Moving the Project Forward

Topic 8B: Monitoring for Project Progress

Topic 8C: Earned Value Analysis

Topic 8D: Getting Back on Track

Lesson 9: Project Reports

Topic 9A: Communications Overview

Topic 9B: Project Performance Reports

Topic 9C: Project Change Requests

Lesson 10: Project Close-out

Topic 10A: Elements of Close-out

Topic 10B: Evaluation of People and Projects