Applied Project Management

This project simulation course combines lectures, hands-on activities, and individual and team assignments to let you experience managing a project from original concept to archiving the project documents. You'll walk through a complete project management life cycle, including initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing. Discover and validate a full range of PMBOK®-specific project management processes from project charter through project closure.

You will work individually and on a team to write objectives, conduct stakeholder analysis, and develop a work breakdown structure and risk management plan based on a case study provided by your instructor. Practice using estimating techniques, dependency analysis, and network diagramming. Use available progress information to determine the project's earned value. Consider various and competing expectations from stakeholders, including the customer, sponsor and team, as you develop and present plans to address expectations in ways that benefit the project.

Based on approval from the project sponsor (through role-play presentations to the instructor), you will then manage the project in a simulated environment through to completion, including the formation and management of the project team, project tracking in MS Project, and regular project status reports to management.

At the conclusion of the course, you will provide a closing presentation to the project sponsor that includes a thorough review of the results, lessons learned, and recommendations for improvements.

Students pursuing a university-recognized and/or accredited certificate in Canada or continuing education units in the US must attend at least 90% of class time, participate in class exercises and section-knowledge checks, and score at least 70% on an end-of-class, multiple-choice assessment.

What You Will Learn

• Build a business case for a project
• Develop the project charter and scope
• Obtain sign-off from sponsors and buy-in from stakeholders
• Build a successful project team
• Learn estimating techniques
• Create a project schedule that is realistic and manageable
• Track your project using Microsoft Project
• Identify, analyze, quantify, mitigate, and manage risks
• Create project management plans for quality, communication, resources, and stakeholder management
• Develop an integrated change management plan
• Manage project change
• Close a project

Hands-On Exercises

• Develop the Project Charter
• Build the Work Breakdown Structure
• Create a Network Diagram
• Identify the Critical Path
• Develop a Resource Assignment Matrix
• Evaluate Project Quality
• Assess Project Risk
• Determine Project Cost
• Plan Project Procurement
• Create Change Control Plans
• Estimate the Budget
• Prepare a Status Report for Schedule and Budget

Audience

Associate project managers, project managers, IT project managers, project coordinators, project analysts, project leaders, product managers, and program managers.

Prerequistes

Familiarity with MS Project.

Course Outline

1. Laying the Foundation

• Project Management Institute (PMI's) Framework
• Life Cycle Processes
• Knowledge Areas

2. Defining a Project

• Difference Between Projects, Programs, and Reoccurring Activities
• Build a Business Case for Your Project
• Significance of the Triple Constraints
• Develop Your Project Scope by Using a Project Charter
• Identify and Manage Stakeholder Expectations

3. Creating the Schedule

• Seven Steps of Successful Planning
• Develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Create Effective Estimates
• Diagram a Project
• Identify the Critical Path

4. Planning for Quality

• Customer Expectations
• Develop Quality Plans and Methods
• Quality Assurance and Control

5. Managing the Risks

• Identify, Assess, Quantify, and Manage Risks
• Mitigation Strategies
• Contingency Planning

6. Dealing with Vendors

• Procurement Planning
• Solicit, Select, and Manage Vendors

7. Managing the Project

• Baselining Your Project Schedule
• Effectively Track and Report Progress
• Formal Change Control Processes
• Managing Organizational Change

8. Closing the Project

• Best Practices for Formal Sign-off
• Conducting Lessons-Learned Reviews
• Archiving Project Documents

9. Case Studies

• Managing Cross-Functional Teams
• Dealing with Conflicting Expectations

Course Labs