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A Project Management Framework -

Organizing, Planning and Controlling Projects

Objective

A Project Management Framework examines project management in theory and practice and the roles and responsibilities of the project manager.  The course provides a view of the SEI Capability Maturity Model of IT development processes as a guide to putting current project management practices in context.  The course then offers a practical approach to managing projects, focusing on organizing, planning, and controlling the efforts of the project.  The course is based on the best and most current thinking in the field, particularly the Project Management Institute’s (PMI^®) approach described in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide). Case studies, active participation in team exercises, and practical information reinforce learning.  At the end of the course, attendees will understand why project management requires a high degree of professionalism, and how to achieve that end in future projects.

Who Should Attend?

The course is intended for first time or new project managers, business managers and project team members with little or no formal project management training.  It is also appropriate for experienced project managers, or managers of project managers, who lack knowledge of the structured processes outlined in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide).

DAY 1 

Introduction

• Participant introductions

• What is management?  What is project management?

• Where do projects come from?  What are they?  How good are we at them?

• The challenges faced by the project manager

Project Management Framework

• Lifecycles.  Standards.  Methodologies

• The difference between the business and technical management of the project process

• PMI, the PMBOK® Guide, and the ANSI Standard

• SEI Capability Maturity Model

• Phases, Process Groups, and Knowledge Areas

• Project Initiation

• PM Process Flow.  The Management components: Organize, Plan, Control

Project Organization

• The project management organization model

• The Project Board and the project manager

• The PMO (Program Management Office).  PMO models, what each does

• The project team.

• Organizational causes of failure

• Workshop 1 – organizing for the case study project.

Project Planning Introduction

• Why plan?  Planning and its linkage to failure. 

• Types of plans.  Product oriented planning versus project management planning

• Product/technical oriented plans

  • Scope, Time, Cost, and Quality plans

• Project management plans:

  • Risk, Communications, Procurement, and Organization and Human Resources

Project Technical Planning

• Scope planning and definition

  • Product decomposition

  • The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

• Workshop 2 – The case study WBS

DAY 2

Project Technical Planning (continued)

• Time planning:

  • Activity definition.  The activity list

  • Activity sequencing

  • Duration estimating

  • Scheduling – resource planning, schedule development

  • The critical path

• Cost estimating.  Budgeting

• Quality planning

• Workshop 3 – The case study technical plan

Project Management Planning – the subsidiary plans

• Risk Management Plan

  • Identifying risks and triggers

  • Risk response plan

  • Managing project issues

• Human Resource Management Plan

  • Identifying specific resources

  • Resource calendars

  • Acquiring resources

• Procurement Management Plan

  • Planning and executing a procurement plan

  • Going outside for people

• Communication Management Plan

  • Identifying key stakeholders

  • Defining information needs and mechanisms

• Workshop 4 – the case study subsidiary plans

DAY 3

Project Planning (conclusion)

• Pulling the plans together

• The Project Plan

• Integrated Change Control

• Workshop 5 – pull together the project plan

Executing the Project

• Team development

• Procure outside resources

• Quality Assurance

• Information distribution

Controlling the Project

• What is control?

• Life cycles – end stage assessments – Controlling the big picture

• Levels of responsibility for control – Business and product quality controls

• Integrated change control during the life of the project

• Performance reporting – monitoring and control

• Exceptions – technical and management

  • Technical:

    • Scope verification and deviation from specification – acceptance

    • Change requests and scope change control

    • Errors (defects) and quality control

• Business:

  • Schedule control

  • Cost control

  • Earned Value analysis

• Risk monitoring and control, including issues

• Project failures related to controls

• Workshop 6 – case study exception evaluation for potential action

Closing the Project

• Contract close-out

• Administrative close-out

• Lessons learned

• Archiving project information

Course Wrap-up

• Workshop 7 – Lessons learned in the case study

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Revised: 05/08/07.