The Learning Space <- Starting in Project Management
Want to know what a project manager is and whether or not it’s a career for you? Read on! We will introduce you to to the What, Why and How of project managers and project management. You will learn about the methods used to set-up a project, then how to manage it from concept through to completion.
If you have taken on responsibility for your first project and are unsure what needs to be done, this course is for you. It is suited to anyone who is interested in being a project manager, or wants to know what a project manager does.
As this is an introductory course, there are no course prerequisites beyond enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. You do not even have to be a specialist in the subject matter of your project – developing your project management skills will be your focus.
Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be better able to:
- Understand what a project is and the role of a project manager.
- Learn why projects fail and what can be done to mitigate this.
- Identify the key activities in a project life-cycle.
- Understand the processes and constraints that are at play during a project.
- Apply the elements of a project management methodology to projects.
- Develop a strong foundation for continuing to expand your project management knowledge.
Course Modules & Lessons
The following lessons are included in the Starting in Project Management course:
| Module: An Introduction to Projects This module contains three sessions. It introduces the idea of a project with an explanation of what constitutes a project and the elements that exist within it. It then demonstrates why project fail and what steps can be taken to help mitigate that failure. Lessons: |
| What is Project Management? This is the first lesson in this module. It is a lighthearted tutorial designed simply to provide you with a basic appreciation of the two key elements of our subject, by introducing you to the concept of a project and the role played by the project manager. |
| Why Projects Fail This tutorial outlines the reasons, and gives some examples, of why projects fail, then discusses actions that can be followed to improve project success. |
| Elements of a Project This session takes you through a checklist of items that indicate if an undertaking is actually a project and helps you with the steps necessary to gain an understanding of the requirement and the actions that are necessary. |
| Module: People in Projects This module contains four sessions. It identifies the various roles that are at play within a project, then sets out a formal approach to a project organisation structure and the roles and responsibilities within that structure. Lessons: |
| Project Organisation Structure This tutorial introduces the idea of a formal organisational structure, based around the control disciplines of Governance, Management and Delivery. It explains the meaning of each discipline and its function in relation to projects. |
| Roles & Responsibilities This tutorial gives a high level description of the various roles within a project organisation structure, the responsibilities associated with each role and the interrelationship between roles. |
| Authority & Delegation Expanding on roles and responsibilities, the session explores the structure of authority within a project, explains how that authority can be delegated, and shows how to use a RACI chart to reflect the distribution of that authority and delegation. |
| The Role of the Project Manager In the previous sessions, having discussed what a project is and what must be done to ensure they are successful, this tutorial outlines the role of the Project Manager in contributing to that success. |
| Module: The Process of Project Management This module contains three sessions. It introduces the need for using a formalised process to manage your projects, then outlines the structure of a project management methodology and how that can be used to apply an integrated approach to that process. Lessons: |
| How Projects Operate A project operates as, a sequence of events, or activities, which are mapped out across a time-frame, at the end of which, as we have seen, something is delivered. For this to happen, a large amount of related information must be gathered, deciphered, and put into an orderly fashion. This session shows you how. |
| Project Management Method Introduces the idea of a project management methodology, which provides the process and tools for use in managing projects. It also gives a high level introduction to the five phases that make up a project life-cycle. |
| Project Management Approach This session introduces the concept of a generic project management approach, then steps you through the five phases that this approach entails, from concept through to completion. |
