Project Management Fundamentals

Project Management Fundamentals (Preparation for the Certificate IV in Project Management Assessment)

Course Overview

This workshop will provide participants with the essential knowledge and skills to both manage a project end-to-end, and / or be an effective and valuable member of the project team. It covers the fundamental steps in every project's life cycle and uses a real life case study approach in order to follow a project from conception through to completion and final review. The focus is on immediate and direct knowledge transfer to the workplace.

Project Management Background

Industry research shows that a third of all projects are delivered late. To add to this, even more come in over budget or run past the original deadline, and 28% fail altogether. How you lead a project or perform in a project team can dictate the success or failure of each initiative or project that you are involved in, regardless of its size or complexity.

Our interactive workshop provides you with proven techniques, tools and processes to deliver projects within specification, on time and on budget.

The workshop is aligned with the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), current research and best practice industry standards, as well as drawing upon the extensive experience of PM-Partners group’s extensive and continuing involvement in assisting organisations to achieve rapid results in project delivery capability. The content and principles addressed within this workshop are also aligned with the National Competency Framework Standards for Certificate IV in Project Management (BSB 41507), allowing assessment at this level for participants who wish to further formalise their skills and knowledge. See Assessment Options and Eligibility Criteria overleaf.

Course Objectives

Successful completion of this course will enable participants to:

• Assimilate essential tools and disciplines for planning and controlling projects effectively.
• Scope a project effectively.
• Create a Work Breakdown Structure and translate this into a reliable schedule for effective baselining, tracking and control.
• Estimate with a greater degree of accuracy and manage the typical pitfalls.
• Make successful cost/schedule/scope trade-offs.
• Avoid ‘scope-creep’ by identifying, managing and controlling change throughout a project.
• Deliver project outputs to appropriate quality standards.
• Contribute to the selection, engagement and management of third parties.
• Manage stakeholder expectations and communication.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed for:

• Project Managers wishing to formalise their skills and / or to revisit fundamental principles.
• Members of Project Teams who wish to broaden their understanding of the Project Management Framework and its essential disciplines.
• Technical specialists/engineers moving into a project management/team leadership role, or working for a project manager.
• Individuals wishing to progress to assessment against the National Competency Standards for Certificate IV in Project Management (optional). See Assessment Options and Eligibility Criteria below.

Course Content

What Makes Projects Succeed?

• Reviewing project successes and their inherent characteristics.
• Understanding the factors that contribute to project failure and how project management disciplines and processes target these areas to ensure repeatable delivery success.

The Essential Project Management Philosophy

• Defining a project and project management
• Exploring project management parameters – ‘Principle of Triple Constraint’ and trade-offs
• Critical skills for successful project management

The Project Life Cycle

• Examining life cycles and their significance within a project environment
• Examining phase activities, milestones and gates
• Identifying phase deliverables and their importance for ultimate project success

Project Planning

• Scoping the project – understanding and defining the scope, and obtaining key stakeholder signoff
• Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and scheduling
• Understanding the Critical Path and how a Project Manager utilises it for greater project control
• Applying estimating techniques for a more realistic and balanced estimate
• Introducing procurement planning and vendor selection
• Conducting/contributing to quality planning
• Establishing a project baseline, against which to track progress

Project Implementation and Control

• Tracking and controlling the project
• Applying a disciplined change control management method
• Managing third parties
• Managing project quality and understanding its role within continuous organisational improvement
• Reporting and communication

Closing the Project

• Conducting formal project closure
• Post implementation reviewing – gathering, documenting and assimilating lessons learnt