Introduction to Project Management

Purpose

Build capacity and capability to effectively participate in projects and lead small project teams.

Course Objectives

• Promote a greater understanding of the key components of Project Management

• Build and transfer ability, skills and techniques (competence) to participate in projects management and delivery.

• Enhance capacity to successfully and meaningfully contribute to projects standards

• Build skills and ability to identify and solve problems related to maintaining a project administration and documentation system
  

Critical Outcomes / Benifits

• Understanding of the key components of project management.

• Ability, skills and techniques (competence) to participate in different types of projects, with particular emphasis on participation in organizing, planning and controlling.

• Ability and skills to act as a team leader in a small project environment with few resources.

• Contribute to projects with realistic objectives being delivered on time and to the budget according to required quality
  

Competencies Developed

Knowledge gained

• Definition of projects and project management

Skills developed

• Contributing to setting realistic objectives

• Contributing to scoping a project

• Contributing to Risk Management

• Contributing to establishing the Project Organisation

• Understanding Project Planning Techniques

• Contributing to Monitoring and Controlling

• Contributing to Project Appraisal

• Contributing to Quality Control

• Contributing to Change Control

• Project Administration

Principles and Values Promoted

• Disciplined management with a focus on delivery of results

• Team working, empowerment

• Transparency and realism

Training and Development Methology

• Presentation / Lecture

• Facilitated Discussions

• Individual and Group Work

• Case Studies

• Practical Exercises

Assessment Process

• Individual and syndicate exercises during the course

• Peer review and feedback

• Action planning by participants

• Follow up visits
  

Assessment Criteria

A demonstrated ability to:

• Contribute to establishment of objectives, scoping of a project, designing an organizational structure, planning and control and ability to manage project administration.

Target Group

• Organisation members and line functionaries appointed as project team leaders, project administrators or project team members.

Footnote: There is also a full five day Project Management course “Applying Project Management to Service Delivery” which covers similar ground but from a different perspective. The “Introduction to Project Management” course is designed for those participating in project delivery and implementation and project administration day-to-day context. The “Applying Project Management to Service Delivery” course is designed for those with overall responsibility of the project management and delivery.
In addition, there is also a two day Project Director’s course which also covers similar ground but from yet another perspective. The Project Director’s course is designed for those with overall responsibility / ownership of the project and resources being deployed. The directors are sometimes referred to as Project Board members or Project Sponsors.

Duration

Four days

Programme

Day I

Introduction to Projects and Project Management

• Plenary Exercise – What is a project?

• Difference between projects and ongoing work

• Buzz group exercise – Why do projects fail? (Cause not effect)

• Project Lifecycle

• Projects versus Programmes

• When/where to use projects

• Essential components of Project Management

PRINCE & other Methodologies

Objectives

• Getting started
  
  
  • Starting a project
    
    
• Introduction to Case Study and Scoping Exercise
  
  
• Scoping exercise: Read brief and scope the “<NAME>” project
  
  
• Feedback
  
  
• The PID (Project Initiation Document)
  
  
• Identifying and Managing Risk
  
  
• Identification, Probability, Impact, Countermeasures, Contingencies and responsibility

Case Study exercise: Compile Risk Log of Project

Day 2

Organisation

• Project Organisation and Staffing

  • Getting the right project management structure

  • Directing, Managing, Supporting and Assuring

  • Team Working

  • Stakeholders / Consultation – How / Who

Case Study exercise: Organisation

Planning

• Planning Principles

  • Why plan

  • Levels and types of plan

Planning - Product Based Planning

• Product Breakdown Structures

• Case Study

• Feedback

• Product Description

Case Study Exercise: Product Description (To be QR_ed – (Quality Reviewed) by lecturers)

• Project Reporting
  

Day 3

• Project Administration requirements

• Configuration Control

• Case Study Exercise

Planning - Refference to Critical Path Analysis (CPA)

• Brief input on dependency networks

• Critical Path Analysis (CPA) and Contribution to Estimating

• Continued – Including desk exercises

• Case Study exercise: Estimating

• Demo of MS Project

• Case Study Exercise: Drafting project documentation reference register

• Project Stages

• Case Study Exercise: Finishing the Plan – Stages, Resource Plan and Graphical Summa

Day 4

Controls

• Management Controls – as a break during Case Study Exercises

• Complete Case Study Exercises

• Project Appraisal: The full Business Case

• Worked Example of Business Case.

• Change Control

• Quality Management

• Quality Review Technique

• Quality Review Exercises – Prepare for review meetings

• Procurement and sub-contractors relationships

• Plenary feedback

• Action Planning

• Assessments