Introduction to Project Management

Course Code

PJI1 (day 1), PJI2 (days 1 and 2), PJI3 (all 3 days) 

Overview

The world as a whole spends (2010) nearly USD10 trillion of its USD40.7 trillion gross product on projects of all kinds.  Worldwide, more than sixteen million people regard project management as their profession, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that at least three times as many people use project management disciplines in their regular work practices.  Project management skills are becoming a mandatory element in the toolkit of many people.

The need for project management is driven by businesses that realise the benefits of organising work around projects and the critical need to communicate and co-ordinate work across departments and professions. Project management reduces risk and increases the chance of achieving organisational objectives.

The role of the project manager is one of great responsibility. It is the project manager's job to direct, supervise and control the project from beginning to end. Project managers should not carry out project work, managing the project is enough. Here are some of the activities that must be undertaken:

• The project manager must define the project, reduce it to a set of manageable tasks, obtain appropriate resources and build a team to perform the work.
• The project manager must clarify the final goal of the project and motivate his/her team to complete the project on time, and within budget.
• The project manager must inform all stakeholders of progress on a regular basis.
• The project manager must assess and monitor risks to the project and mitigate them.
• No project ever goes exactly as planned, so project managers must learn to adapt to and manage issues and change.

A good project management discipline will not eliminate all risks, issues and surprises, but will provide standard processes and procedures to deal with them and help prevent the following:

• Projects finishing late, exceeding budget or not meeting customer expectations.
• Inconsistency between the processes and procedures used by projects managers, leading to some being favoured more than others.
• Successful projects, despite a lack of planning, achieved through high stress levels, goodwill and significant amounts of overtime.
• Project management seen as not adding value and as a waste of time and money.
• Unforeseen internal and/or external events impacting the project.

Project management is about creating an environment and conditions in which a defined goal or objective can be achieved in a controlled manner by a team of people.

Course Objectives

Introduction to Project Management is designed for individuals new to Project Management. The course is intended to provide participants with a swift introduction to core principles of Project Management. It covers the concepts, terminology and core disciplines of effective Project Management. At the end of the course participants should be sufficiently confident to progress their own project and to consider pursuing a career in Project Management.

At the end of this briefing delegates will:

• Be familiar with common project management terminology
• Understand the key characteristics of all projects
• Know what makes a good project manager
• Be able to describe the key knowledge applicable to all projects
• Be able to describe typical project lifecycles
• Understand the types of roles and responsibilities of project team members

Who Should Attend

This series of short courses is designed to give you the understanding of the language, principles and practice of project management. If you need to hit the ground running in managing effective projects or working in a project team then this course is ideal for you.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this briefing.

Course Content

The course is presented as three modules, which will cover the following topics:

• Day 1 (PJI1) - The principles of project management, the key knowledge areas, roles and lifecycles
  • An explanation of why project management is so important today, and will only increase in importance as organisations seek to deliver more value with fewer resources
  • A discussion of available project management standards
  • The 6 key project performance parameters
  • The knowledge areas of project management
  • Roles and responsibilities in a project environment
  • The project lifecycle
• Day 2 (PJI2) - The processes in the project lifecycle, key project documents, and typical challenges
  • Defining
  • Initiating
  • Planning
  • Executing
  • Monitoring and Controlling
  • Closing
• Day 3 (PJI3) - Practical Workshop
  • Participants will be given a realisting project scenario and, as a group, will work through an entire project lifecycle.  This will ensure that delegates develop a practical, hands-on experience of project management.

Exam

There is no exam associated with this briefing.

Included with this Course

• Briefing Workbook

Duration

1, 2 or 3 day options are available.

Delivery modes

We run this briefing only when there is sufficient demand. We keep track of people with particular needs, and contact them when we are able to meet their need. If this is you, please register your interest in this briefing and we will add you to the waiting list. Alternatively, you can request a quote for an in-house course.

If you're after something a little different to the briefing described on this page, we may be able to assist. All of our offerings can be tailored to meet your specific needs. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Continuing Professional Development

The following PDU/CPD credits apply per day of the course.

Institute	Points	Reference
AIPM	4 CPD points	Check
PMI	4 PDU points	Check

 

 

 

Follow-on Courses

We recommend that participants who need a robust framework for project management, or an accreditation in project management, should consider our Combined PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner course.

PRINCE2^® is a Registered Trade Mark of the Office of AXELOS Limited.

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