OPERATIONAL PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
(USING MS PROJECT)
3 DAY COURSE
INTRODUCTION
The principles of project management are generic and therefore can be applied to all projects regardless of business sector. Many organisations are now utilising these project management principles, along with project management software to standardise and improve their approach to managing activities and business change.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this course is to provide participants with an easy to understand pragmatic approach to project management and the use of current software scheduling tools. This course focuses largely on how the ‘hard skills’ of project management can be used alongside to support the use of software scheduling and is intended to provide participants with the knowledge and practical skills to structure a non complex project.
Upon completion of the module it is expected that participants will :
Understand definitions used within the project environment.
Define measurable project success criteria
Identify what is in scope (and what isn’t)
Structure an appropriate project schedule using MS Project
Feel confident using established project management tools and techniques
Monitor and control a project using MS Project
WHO THIS COURSE IS DESIGNED FOR:
Newly appointed project managers
Current project managers
Project leaders and senior team members
COURSE CONTENT OVERVIEW AND TIMETABLE
Day 1Time Topic
09:00 - 09:30 Course introductions
09:30 - 10:30 Fundamentals of project management
10:30 - 10:45 Break
10:45 - 11:45 Project Conception
11:45 - 12:45 Project Conception (creation of the Business Case)
12:45 - 13:30 Lunch
13:30 - 14:15 Project Definition
14:15 - 15:00 The Project Management Plan
15:00 - 15:15 Break
15:30 - 16:45 Breakdown Structures 16:45 - 17:00 Review and close
Day 2
Time Topic
09:00 - 09:30 Review of Day 1
09:30 - 10:30 Overview of MS Project
10:30 - 10:45 Break
10:45 - 11:45 Transferring the WBS to MS Project 11:45 - 12:45 Managing resources
12:45 - 13:30 Lunch
13:30 - 14:30 Resourcing with MS Project 14:30 - 15:00 Estimating
15:00 - 15:15 Break
15:30 - 16:45 Adding task durations to MS Project 16:45 - 17:00 Review and close
Day 3
Time Topic
09:00 - 09:30 Review of Day 2
09:30 - 10:30 Planning tools and techniques
10:30 - 10:45 Break
10:45 - 11:30 Applying logic to MS Project 11:30 - 12:45 Risk Management
12:45 - 13:30 Lunch
13:30 - 14:30 Change Control and Configuration Management 14:30 - 15:00 Monitoring, controlling & reporting
15:00 - 15:15 Break
15:30 - 16:00 Monitoring progress using MS Project 16:00 - 16:45 Project Handover and Closure
16:45 - 17:00 Review and close
DAY 1 IN DETAIL
1. COURSE INTRODUCTION
An introduction to the course including:
Objectives and timetable
Introduction of the participants and facilitator
Administrative arrangements.
2. FUNDAMENTALS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
This session provides participants with the essentials required to develop a better understanding of project management. This session enables all participants to have a level of understanding in areas such as:
Project lifecycle
Project Management roles and responsibilities
Programme and Portfolio Management
3. PROJECT CONCEPTION
Before were can start planning the project it is important that the project is based on a sound decision. This session looks at how projects begin life, what questions need to be answered and who is to be involved. Areas covered are:
Business cases
Aligning organisational goals to project objectives
Identifying the key project stakeholders
4. PROJECT DEFINITION
This session covers defining what will be achieved on a successful project. Clarity of definition is crucial in order to implement a comprehensive plan. Participants are taken through the essential elements of a project definition. Among the topics discussed are:
Project strategy
High level project scoping (in & out of scope)
5. THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN
This session looks at the starting point of the project life cycle. Participants are provided with a template for planning and are required to produce the project Terms of Reference and define the project scope.
6. BREAKDOWN STRUCTURES
This session covers the use of one of the cornerstone planning tools to help in the development of a successful plan. Participants are taught how to derive a realistic ‘tasklist’, which will help identify potential risks and make the estimating process easier. After this session participants will be able to breakdown a project into more manageable pieces and from a number of different perspectives. Amongst the topics covered are:
Work breakdown
Organisation breakdown
Product breakdown
Cost breakdown
DAY 2 IN DETAIL
7. OVERVIEW OF MS PROJECT
This session provides the participants with an overview of the functionality that the software can provide and sets the scene for the next session; setting the default information and preparing to enter task information.
8. TRANSFERING THE WBS TO MS PROJECT
This session provides the participants with some hands on practice in starting to work on their schedules by creating a list of tasks in the software as previously defined.
9. MANAGING RESOURCES
This session looks at the use of Responsibility Matrices within a project environment in order to:
Assign responsibility for work
Get buy in and commitment at an early stage
Keep a high level view of work undertaken by multiple resources
10. RESOURCING WITH MS PROJECT
This session enables the participants to create a resource pool, which can be assigned to the work scheduled.
11. ESTIMATING
Good, reliable estimating is not easy and there is no single guaranteed way of getting it right. However, there are specific techniques available that enable the consistent production of reliable estimates. Topics covered include:
Parametric estimates
Analogous estimates
Three point estimates
12. ADDING TASK DURATIONS TO MS PROJECT
This session enables the participants to input their task estimates either by single or three point estimates.
DAY 3 IN DETAIL
13. PLANNING TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
Building on the previous sessions participants now use the information generated during the creation of the WBS & estimating to produce the project schedule. After this session participants will be able to construct a practical and effective schedule enabling a positive start on the project. Amongst the topics covered are:
Networks & Gantt Charts
Critical Path Analysis
Resource Histograms and resource smoothing
Milestones and deliverables.
14. APPLYING LOGIC TO MS PROJECT
This session enables the participants to create a constrained network, view the critical path in the software and level the project to resolve any resource issues.
15. RISK MANAGEMENT
This session introduces a simple, yet powerful technique that can be used to identify risks.
These risks can then be managed out, by planning preventative actions instead of firefighting, to help ensure project success. Risks, which cannot be eliminated, can have contingency plans formulated to make sure that if they do occur they will have little impact.
Topics covered include:
Risk register
Identifying and prioritising risks
Risk mitigation
16. CHANGE CONTROL AND CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT
This session takes a high level approach to change control & configuration management. It focuses on the need to have a robust change control process which allows changes to be made in a controlled many and are suitably documented.
17. MONITORING, CONTROLLING & REPORTING
Close monitoring is essential to ensure that projects come to a successful completion. This session looks at monitoring, reporting progress and re-planning. Topics include:
Progress Meetings
Progress Reporting
Scope change; managing changing goal posts
18. MONITORING PROGRESS USING MS PROJECT
This final software session provides the participants with the opportunity to ‘baseline’ their projects, update the schedule with progress made, review standard MS Project reports and discover how their schedules change as time passes and progress is recorded.
19. PROJECT HANDOVER AND CLOSURE
Project completion needs to be as carefully planned as the rest of the project to avoid conflict and confusion in the business. This is also the time to learn the lessons from the project so that they can be incorporated and used to improve future project work. This session includes:
Handover preparation
Completion checklists
Post project implementation review process
Project closure
20. REVIEW AND CLOSE
The participants will review the three days and decide what action they need to take to implement their learning back at work. Participants will be encouraged to set a number of smart objectives, estimate resource / time / effort required and create their own development ‘project plan’.
