Project Management: Advancing your Skills (3 day)

Course Overview

This course explores how a project integrates with other departments within the organisation; the extra responsibilities that can fall under the role of the project manager and the people skills needed to support the project management process.

As organisations mature and adopt project management as a formal discipline, there is an increasing need for project managers to understand how a project relates to other areas of the business.

Audience

Suitable for individuals who are:

• Existing project managers who already have a working knowledge or basic understanding of project management theories.
• Managing a project support office.
• Project managers wishing to move into programme management.
• On the next step of achieving APMP accreditation.

Skills Gained

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Build on existing knowledge and understanding of the role of the project manager.
• View a project in the context of 'the bigger picture' by analysing the internal and external environment.
• Understand how projects integrate with other areas of the business.
• Explore how the project tools can be used together to enhance the project managers' capability.
• Manage and lead a project team successfully.
• Effectively manage and control changes to a project.

Examinations

The language and principles used throughout this course are designed to support individuals who wish to further their career by gaining the APMP qualification.

Course Outline

Project Management in Context

• Identify the concepts and differences between project, programme and portfolio management
• Appreciate who is involved with each of the above processes and what responsibilities they have
• Organisational structures used in managing a project
• An overview of the purpose of project governance, formal methodologies and procedures

Business and Commercial

• How to put a business case together
• Assessing the financial and non-financial measures used to appraise projects so only viable projects are undertaken
• Understanding procurement and how it relates to the project management lifecycle
• Exploring different types of contracts used in project management

Planning the Strategy

• Focus on how quality can be incorporated 'as standard' within a project to reduce rework and improve internal processes
• Understand the relationship between configuration management and change management
• Recognise both quantitative and qualitative tools that can be applied in the identification and assessment of risk
• Identify what health and safety legislation a project manager should be aware of to ensure compliance and avoid liability on a project

Executing the Strategy

• Using milestones to measure progress and performance
• How to apply Earned Value Analysis to a project
• Resource management using 'S' curves and histograms

People in the Profession

• Understand the fundamental theories of managing an effective project team
• What leadership style to adopt when leading a project
• Identifying areas of conflict in a project and how to resolve it successfully
• Stakeholder management and its value in managing a project
• Setting team objectives and maintaining motivation to ensure they are achieved
• How to delegate to help reduce the project manager's workload
• The balance between the technical skills and soft skills used in project management

Project Management: Advancing your Skills (3 day) / PMAS-3