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PRACTICAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Software projects represent one of the main change agents in an organization. Their success or failure often has a direct impact on the success or failure of an organization as a whole. If a project is well planned and executed, success is the only logical result. Otherwise, the outcome is left up to chance at best.

One of the most challenging aspects of a project is to bring together the well-balanced mix of business, technical, and management expertise that is needed. Each team member must understand the clear objectives of the project, its purpose, and their role in accomplishing it. This requires a project approach and techniques that are practical, interdependent, and ensure success.

This course provides a practical approach for project management and execution based on proven techniques and industry-standard best practices. It includes the objective and subjective skills that each team member needs effectively contribute towards a successful project.

Course Benefits
  • Learn objective and multi-faceted techniques to scope a project and estimate resources and costs
  • Learn how to define and resolve critical project risks through specific controls
  • Learn how to build (or accept) your project team and cultivate a mutually enforcing performance-based mentality
  • Understand how your project management life cycle ties into your systems development life cycle
  • Learn how to manage the expectations of your project stakeholders
Course Outline
  1. Introduction
    • Discover practical solutions to the 4 most common reasons for project failure
    • Learn the impact of different project types
    • Align your project with each Business, IT, and Management group

  2. Project Definition
    • Define a business case for your project
    • Define an objective project scope
    • Identify the 5 types of project risk
    • Learn how to “market” your project
    • Exercises and Case Study

  3. Project Resources
    • Build (or accept) your overall project team
    • Establish sub-project teams
    • Overcome team conflict
    • Achieve team consensus and build momentum
    • Exercises and Case Study

  4. Project Planning and Initiation
    • Define deliverables and milestones
    • Create a practical work-breakdown structure
    • Understand the 4 types of task dependencies
    • Set objective planning metrics
    • Exercises and Case Study

  5. Project Execution
    • Integrate a project management methodology with a systems development methodology
    • Establish 5 types of project controls
    • Utilize effective change management techniques
    • Communicate “push” and “pull” project content
    • Exercises and Case Study

  6. Moving forward
    • Project Sign-off
    • The Project Management Office
    • Improving Best Practices
Intended Audience

Everyone involved in a project needs to understand the overall project and their specific role in it. Therefore, this course is designed for project managers, project sponsors, product managers, business analysts, systems analysts, business managers, and other stakeholders.

Frequently Asked Questions

How practical are the concepts presented in this course?
As consultants, we have successfully used our approach on many different projects and have adapted it to each of their unique project needs. Only concepts that have specific and tangible benefit for a team role or the overall project are included in this course.

On what type of projects is this approach useful?
We will specifically cover how each requirement technique is useful for given types of projects including custom software development, off-the-shelf implementation, maintenance releases, etc.

Can we use our project examples in the class?
Yes. Each chapter covers how the presented techniques can be applied for your organization in general and for your specific project(s).

Is this class for beginners or for those with more experience in project management?
This course is for anyone involved in a software project. Individual experience is helpful, but everyone on a project team must use the same approach, terminology, and techniques to work effectively as a team. This course will form that foundation.

Will we get to practice the techniques that we learn in class?
Yes. We will practice every technique presented in class in individual exercises and group case studies. We will practice the techniques using generic business examples to help reinforce the concepts and using your specific examples to help apply the concepts.

How much experience does the instructor have?
All our instructors are senior-level professionals that spend most of their time on actual project work for clients throughout the country. All our instructors have worked on many different types of projects for organizations of different sizes and in different industries. Your instructor will use this experience to help you apply the concepts and techniques to your specific organization and project.

Do you use any software in class?
We will discuss several leading software tools and how they support project activities. If your organization currently uses a specific software tool, we can discuss its impact as well. However, the main focus of this course is to learn an approach and techniques that are not limited to a specific software tool and can be supported in a variety of ways.

Course Quick Facts

Course Length: 2 days
Location: On Site / Public
Prerequisites: None


Course Details
Benefits Outline
Audience FAQ

With this course, you will receive:

  • A Certificate of Completion that demonstrates your fulfillment of the course objectives

  • A comprehensive workbook for use during the class that is also designed as an invaluable reference guide

  • Participation in exercises and case studies specifically designed to reinforce the skills that you'll learn

  • Understanding of how to apply each technique at your organization and on your project



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