Training/course: Understanding Project Management
This 3-day program focuses on understanding project management and business process improvement. It is specifically recommended for "seasoned" supervisors or managers who are expected to fulfill their supervisory duties of "getting work done through the efforts of others" as well as work on innovative projects that focus on improvements opportunities. They are expected to add value based on their in-depth understanding of their organization, their industry and their resources.
Learning Objectives
- Understand just what is meant by a "project".
- Develop the skills a project manager must have.
- Develop methods for keeping the team focused and motivated and the customer satisfied.
- Identify simple techniques and tools for planning and tracking your project.
- Recognize what steps must be taken to complete projects on time and on budget.
- Enhance ability to sell ideas to the sponsor, the customer and the team through meetings and presentations.
- Understand ways to add value to your organization.
Workshop Outline and Methodology
Facilitators use a variety of training methods for each workshop, including large group discussions, individual work and reflection, small group discussions and exercises, case studies and simulations for role play. Videos that are applicable will form a part of some work shops.
Customization will be based on information provided by the human resource department or the individual department prior to the workshop. These will be interactive workshops with a 40/60 split between concept/theory and practical application of skills discussed. Class size should be kept under 20, whenever possible, so each participant will have the opportunity to gain techniques for the types of situations they deal with or expect to deal with.
Introductions/Learning objectives (A large group exercise where participants get to know one another and then do an exercise to know one another better and feel comfortable in the group setting-3/4 hour)
- Pre-assigned reading (Discuss the concept that each of us do projects and how to prepare ourselves to be "accidental project manager". Discuss projects and how we find or are assigned a project –3/4 hour).
- What is a "project"?
- How "projects" fit into the 21 st century workplace.
- Projects that are worthwhile doing (Discuss how to know when projects add value to the organization and when you have the time, commitment and resources to do them -1/2 hour).
- Selling your project (How do you sell your project-1/4 hour).
- The stakeholder roles (1/4 hour).
Your Role as a Project Manager (Discuss the three types of project manager, and what your various roles will be in each of the four stages of a project, with exercises to demonstrate your4 various roles-1 hour).
- Relationship with your project sponsor
- Understanding the scope of the project
- Dealing with dual responsibilities
- Your leadership role
- Your interpersonal role
- Your informational role
- Your decision making role
(An energizer for after lunch –1/4 hour)
The Seven Traits of a Good Project Manager
- Enthusiasm
- Ability to manage change (The four room apartment 1/2 hour)
- Tolerant of ambiguity
- Team builder/negotiator (A survival exercise-1 hour)
- Customer service orientation (A checklist 1/4 hour)
- Understand priorities (an exercise on prioritizing the project tasks 1/2 hour)
- Knowledge of the industry
- Assignment-participants are given further directions for developing their own project for a presentation on day 3)
Day 2
Reconnect (1/4 hour)
(Participants work in teams to identify project activities, determine their order, how long each activity would take and then prepare a work breakdown structure-1 1/2 hours)
The Team Meeting (A large group discussion about working with your team, whether you get to choose them or they have been chosen for you-1/2 hour)
Choosing your team
Defining roles
Before the meeting
- Information gathering
- Agenda planning
During the meeting
- Goals
- Completion Date
- Budget
After the meeting
- Follow-up
- Follow through
(At the end of this discussion, you will prepare for a meeting as a small team, and role play a 15 minute segment of this for your group-1 hour)
(An after-lunch energizer-1/4 hour)
Resolving Conflict (Large group discussion on issue resolution. Group have a case study they are to resolve and then role play-1 hour)
Planning Tools (Participants discuss various tools, and have the opportunity to use each tool in an exercise-1 hour)
- Cost benefit analysis
- Dependency chart
- Milestone & Gannts
- Critical path
- Other tools
Charts, Costs and other Puzzles
- Tracking tasks
- Coping with delays
- Making adjustments
- Finding and fixing mistakes
Communication (1/4 hour)
- With the sponsor
- With the team
Controlling Costs (Participants go back to the work breakdown structure from the morning to build their budget- 1 hour)
- Building a budget
- Budget control
- Monitoring and controlling the budget
Review (1/4 hour)
Day 3
Reconnect (1/2 hour)
Exiting a Project (Large group discussion on how to let go of a project –1 hour)
- Inclusion
- Integration
- Extinction
Presentation Skills (2 hours)
(In any remaining time this morning participants work on their projects)
(Re-energizer for after lunch –1/4 hour)
The Assessment Process (Discussion of the project –1/4 hour)
- What went well
- What flopped
What is Your Next Project (1/2)
- Benchmarking
- Best practices
- Critical evaluations
Individual/team presentations (2 hours)
Review (The weakest project management link-1/2 hour)
Personal Action Plan-(1/4 hour)
Your Project
During the first day of the workshop, you will be asked to identify a project or assignment from your workplace that you can work on during the remainder of the training. On the afternoon of the third day, you will be asked to make a short presentation on your project.
