Project Management I
90 Hour Certification Program
Initiating, Planning, Integration and staffing
Duration
Four and a Half Days (30 Hours)
Course Description
Participants will begin their journey into project management concepts, theories, and foundational processes. The focus in this course is on scheduling, creating a work breakdown structure and planning for human resource needs. In planning for human resource needs, participants will study behavioral skills that will help motivate, equip, and keep project team members accountable and on task. This is the foundational course specifically designed to align with the Project Management Institute’s nine knowledge areas of PMBOK. Each course will utilize both new content as well as best practices which will be taught from the Best Practice Manual.
Methods: Students will use discussion, cases, and group activities to facilitate the course.
THE MATHIS GROUP CONTENT FOR PHASE I
Initiating and Planning
- Define the six step project management process
- Understand the project’s life cycle
- Determine five ways to give proper leadership within culture
- Design an agenda for the first project team meeting
- Identify the triple constraints of every project
- Define the project drivers
- Demonstrate interviewing techniques that will assist in determining project specifics
- Review constraint red flags to watch
- Show how to set, control, and monitor project scope
- Summarize major areas to brainstorm
- Classify who to place on your project team
- Label role descriptions and project responsibilities when you have no position power
- Create a modified code of conduct for running an empowered team
- Examine forms in scheduling a project and possible scheduling issues
- Formulate a WBS, work breakdown structure
- Track multiple projects
- Evaluate a real time line
- Evaluate why time calculations are wrong
- Examine characteristics of a milestone
- Analyze strengths and weaknesses of a Gantt chart
- Define the critical path
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a critical path
- Explore how to handle delays
- Discuss effects of a late start
- Examine steps in creating a project budget and developing a master budget control process
- Discuss implementation of project plan
Communication Module
- Analyze the value of project interviews
- Identify perception
- Examine what impacts project perception
- Discuss how to gain understanding
- Demonstrate what to do when you mess up
- Analyze communication styles
- Develop ways to increase understanding
- Compare kinds of project communication
- Break down what communication should be communicated upline
- Examine reasons why communicating upline is extremely difficult
- Identify questions to ask if miscommunication is common
- Predict obstacles of listening during projects
- Define project management’s role in project meetings
- Describe ingredients of effective project meetings
- Evaluate receiving feedback on performance
- Design responses to negative project feedback
- Understand techniques for disagreeing
- Discuss caution sights that a disagreement is turning into a conflict
- Describe ways to reduce intergroup conflict in project meetings
- Examine communication requirements
- Identify communication processes
- Create communication plan for standard project
Project Integration Management
- Examine the integration process in project management
- Examine integration skills needed by the project manager
- Define the three major processes in project integration
- Detail the integration process of project plan development
- Detail the integration process of project plan execution
- Detail the integration process of project change control
Project Facilitation Module
- Discuss the definition of project facilitation
- Brainstorm benefits of facilitation and how it will help your organization
- Discuss facilitation mess-ups during projects
- Examine the creation and usage of a code of conduct for the session
- Select core duties which facilitators must do before, during and after a facilitation session
- Discuss best practices for setting meeting objectives and goals
- Analyze body language and tone of voice which individuals use to communicate
- Brainstorm ways to clarify body language of others
- Discuss five useful ways for brainstorming during projects
- Analyze the proper usage of questions to engage the audience
- Formulate paraphrasing techniques for clarifying the meaning and message of others
- Compare different ways to use probing, bridging and redirecting skills
- Discuss the positives of having a devils advocate in project teams
- Examine professional ways to handle the negative participant
- Analyze assertiveness techniques to be used by facilitators
- Formulate a standard preparation plan for starting facilitation
- Brainstorm the role and functions of a recorder in project teams
- Discuss best practices for the recorder and creating minutes for determined actions
- Design rules for when using a buddy system during a facilitation session
- Analyze tactics for handling resistance in project meetings
- Evaluate the impact of conflict to the participants
- Examine best ways to be prepared for facilitation sessions
- Discuss best practices for ending a facilitation session
Project Time Management Module
- Discuss myths and realities of time management
- Examine excuses for not managing your individual time
- Define roles and responsibilities which demand time
- Examine how to balance your time to create total human wellness in your life
- Review qualities of time management
- Define guidelines of time management
- Describe ways of dealing with deadlines
- Organize to set proper deadlines
- Write goals to help budget your time
- Evaluate the four D’s in managing time more effectively
- Select ways to say “No”
- Explain how to set and establish priorities
- Identify ways to plan your work and learn how to plan
- Discuss time tips on interruptions and decisiveness
- Discuss time tips on the telephone and in meetings.
Managing Team Module
- Analyze job responsibilities
- Discuss a priority checklist
- Assess modern day accountability myths
- Evaluate how to coach the project team toward success
- Equip workers with new skills
- Identify vision through leadership
- Contrast different change strategies
- Classify why project teams block change
- Choose ways to reduce project team resistance
- Evaluate changes which support goals
- Develop core values
- Explore strategies for creating trust
- Define ways to equip and empower
- Describe requirements for being an overcomer on project teams
- Analyze two types of motivation within a project team
- Examine ways to align motivational techniques to workers
- Analyze the disciplining of project team members and ways for changing behavior
- Identify how to track project team members
- Discuss values of successful coaching of project teams
- Analyze common coaching mistakes of project teams
Project I Best Practices
PROJECT MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW INTRODUCTION
- Project Management Methodology Concept
- What is a Project?
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Planning Process
PROJECT INITIATING AND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
- What is Project Management Methodology?
- Project Management is an Iterative Process
- Applicability of the Methodology
- Tailoring of the Methodology to Specific Project and Specific Organizations
- Continual Improvements
WHAT IS A PROJECT?
- What is a Project?
- Temporary Process
- Well-Defined Goals
- Project Constraints
- What is Project Management?
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Who is Part of the Project Team?
- Importance of Stakeholders
- Project Manager
- Project Sponsor
- Steering Committee
- Development Team
- Change Management
- Quality Assurance
- Customer
- Project Review Team Management
- Division of Purchases
PLANNING PROCESS
- The Evolving Plan
- The Planning Process
- Planning in the Initiating Phase
- Planning in the Planning Stage
- Planning in the Project Start-up Stage
- Planning in the Project Execution Stage
- Planning in the Project Close-Out Stage
PROJECT INITIATING AND DEFINITION INTRODUCTION
- The Initiating Phase
- Elements of the Initiating Phase
- Project Management Phases
- Business Case/Project Statement
- Enterprise Projects or Programs
- Business Analysis
- Concept Review
- The Concept Atmosphere
- Problems during the Initiating Phase
BUSINESS CASE
- Elements of the Business Case/Project Statement
- Who Does What
- How Should the Business Case/Project Statement be Developed
- A Plan for Planning
- Timeframe for Completion
- Business Case Form
- Alternate Approaches to the Preparation of a Business Case
- Level of Detail
Recommended Formats for Three Levels of Business Case
- Business Case for a Mini Project
- Business Case for a Medium Sized Project
- Business Case for a Very Large Project
Project Management II
90 Hour Certification Program
Budgeting, Quality, Change, Risk and Start-up
Duration
Four and a Half Days (30 Hours)
Course Description
Participants focus on additional planning of the project while examining issues such as risk, budgeting, and how to maintain quality throughout the project. Specifically, this course will focus on conducting risk analysis, problem solving, handling conflict, and maintaining quality throughout the entire project. In Phase II, when planning the budget, quality and risk are aligned with the Project Management Institute’s nine knowledge areas of PMBOK. Each course will utilize both new content, as well as best practices which will be taught from the Best Practice Manual.
Methods: Students will use discussion, cases, and group activities.
THE MATHIS GROUP CONTENT FOR PHASE II
Budgeting, Quality, Change, Risk and Start-up
- Identify quality processes which maintain high quality
- Review the Deming ideas on quality
- Evaluate ways to calculate cost
- Create a risk identification matrix
- Describe ways reduce risk
- Analyze ideas on maintaining high quality
- Identify change processes and procedures
- Examine change control systems
Quality Module
- Compare old and new philosophies in project management
- Define quality for today’s projects
- Identify a prevention mentality rather than a reactive one
- Evaluate data that must be analyzed
- Set guidelines for executing continuous quality through the project
- Examine continuous process improvement for project processes
- Break down rules for continuous improvement
- Analyze where continuous improvement can help
- Discuss symptoms of quality concerns in past and future projects
- Design a continuous improvement project team’s concern
- Judge ways to reduce resistance from organizational culture
- Compare roadblocks to continuous improvement and quality initiative
- Predict characteristics to the cost of quality in projects
- Choose techniques for involving co-workers
- Evaluate Deming’s seven deadly diseases
- Blend Juran’s six-step approach to quality
- Record steps for creating a quality action plan in projects
- Explore implementation of the quality action plan
- Examine ways of monitoring the quality action plan
- Identify the strengths and weaknesses of Gantt charting
- Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of CPM charting
Project Cost Management
- Budgeting basics
- Estimating techniques
- Pre-estimating process
- Constraint estimating
- Expert estimating
- Cost projections
- Detailing the problem
- Estimating the initial cost
- Figuring ROI on your project
- Define the processes of project cost management
- Detail the process of resource planning
- Detail the process of cost estimating
- Detail the process of cost budgeting
- Detail the process of cost control
Project Risk Management
- Definition of risk
- Sources of risk
- Risk management
- Conducting risk analysis
- Techniques to confronting risk
- Ranking
- Performance risk
- System risk
- Process risk
- Transferring risk
- Define risk management
- Define the six major processes of risk management
- Detail the process of risk management planning
- Detail the process of risk identification
- Detail the process of qualitative risk analysis
- Detail the process of quantitative risk analysis
- Detail the process of risk response planning
- Detail the process of risk monitoring and control
Problem Solving Module
- Classify who should be on the problem solving team
- Evaluate why participation helps solve the problem faster
- Discuss benefits of problem solving analysis in projects
- Review what influences the problem solving experience in projects
- Define the problem solving processes for successful projects
- Assess the resources needed to fulfill the problem solving plan
- Examine creative solutions in solving project plans
- Compare what to do if you inherit a goofy solution
- Conduct a SWOT Analysis
- Evaluate the four steps to Force Field Analysis
- Discuss the benefits of Force Field Analysis
- Define contingency planning and examine the crisis correctly
- Evaluate how to implement the solution
- Discuss 7 keys to problem solving implementation
- Identify the 7 reasons for implementation failure
Change Module
- Discuss the definition of change
- Analyze why people resist change
- Evaluate 4 types of change
- Examine 5 roles of change agents
- Explain the drivers of change
- Assess 5 new focuses from change
- Understand 6 ways fear hinders change
- Evaluate 7 qualities of a paralyzed state
- Evaluate when to create change quickly or gradually
- Formulate a checklist to help determine resistance
- Identify how to deal with setbacks
- Create a strategy for change
- Conduct a force field analysis
- Conduct a force field analysis
- Create an action plan
- Compare change control to change management
- Discuss what is included in integrated change control
- Explain tools for integrated change control
- Discuss the benefits for written change requests
- Examine schedule changes
- Examine scope change control
- Examine cost change control
- Create change management processes
- Create change due to corrective actions
- Create change due to preventative actions
- Discuss how to monitor and verify changes have been completed
- Discuss change authorization policies
- Analyze the impact of change
- Define change control board
- Discuss best practices for change control board
Project II Best Practices
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLANNING
- Responsibilities
- Terminology
PLANNING PROCESS AND PROJECT PLAN
- What is Project Planning
- The Planning Process
- Importance of the Project Plan
- Steps in the Planning Process
- Overview of Project Scheduling
ACTIVITY DEFINITION AND SEQUENCING
- Develop Project Tasks
- Define Task Relationships
- Defining Deliverables
- Development of a Project Schedule
- Define Precise and Measurable Milestones
- Steps to Creating a Project Schedule
- Estimate Task Duration
- Define Priorities
- Define Critical Path
- Document Task Relationship
- Document Assumptions
- Review the Results
BUDGETING
- Overview of Project Budgeting
- Identify Cost Factors
- Project Estimate Summary Worksheet
- Instructions for the Project Estimate Summary Worksheet
- Document Assumptions
- Review the Cost Estimates
- Estimated Cost at Completion Report
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
- Change Management
- Change Management Organization
- Change Management Plan
- Tasks During the Planning Phase
- Relationship to Quality Management
- Authority and Responsibility
- Control Items
- Change Management Procedures
- Storage of Control Items
QUALITY PLANNING
- Quality Process
- Creating the Quality Plan
- Responsibility for Quality
- Independence of the Quality Assurance Team
- Checklist
- References
REQUIREMENTS DEFINITION
- Importance of Project Requirements
- When are Requirements Defined?
- Requirements Specifications
- Who Defines Requirements?
- Approvals
- Managing Requirements Changes
RESOURCE PLANNING
- Overview of Resource Planning
- Determining the Size of the Team
- Determining Required Skills
- Identifying Required Non-Labor Assets
- Define Resource Profiles
- Forming the Team
- Support Functions
- Define Assumptions
RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN
- Identify Risks
- Risk Management Process
- Responsibility for Risk Identification
- Risk Management Worksheet Instructions
- Contingency Planning
- Risk Management Worksheet Sample
- Suggested Preventive and Contingency Measures
- Risk Identification Summary (Top Five Risk)
PROJECT PLAN FORMAT
- The Project Plan Template
- Plan Approval
- Project Summary
- Project Charter
- Project Trade Off Matrix and Status Summary
- Project Organization
- Activity List / Work Breakdown Structure
- Work Product Identification
- Project Schedule
- Estimated Cost at Completion
- Resource Loading Profiles
- Requirements
- Risk Management Plan
- Change Management Plan
- Quality Plan
- Top Five Issues
- Issue Item Status
- Action Item Status
Project Management III
90 Hour Certification Program
Project Execution, Monitoring, and Close Down
Duration
Four and a Half Days (30 Hours)
Course Description
Participants will focus on monitoring and executing the project while moving into the close down phase of the project. Additional focus will be on delivering quality customer service and value, regardless if the customer is internal or external. Participants will discuss and participate in analysis of measuring the individual performance of team members. This section also focuses on how to properly hand the project off to the customer for effective transition. Phase III is aligned with the Project Management Institute’s nine knowledge areas of PMBOK. Each course will utilize both new content, as well as best practices which will be taught from the Best Practice Manual.
Students will take the Project Management Certifictation test on the last day of class.
Methods: Students will use discussion, cases, and group activities.
THE MATHIS GROUP CONTENT FOR PHASE III
- Describe ways to execution and monitor the project process
- Classify how to manage the project and negotiate various agreements
- Summarize execution dangers to consider
- Design performance methods for tracking and monitoring
- Examine high conflict considerations
- Assess how to procure vendors for a project
- Implement close down checklists and handoff procedures
- Conduct a postmortem and lessons learned
Execution Module
- Discuss the benefits of execution
- Analyze a project execution methodology
- Identify the 7 executing processes
- Assess the influences of managing in execution
- Review the hindrances to project execution
- Analyze escalation processes and policies
Negotiation Module
- Analyze the benefits of negotiations
- Examine killer mistakes in negotiations
- Evaluate 3 ways of bargaining
- Discuss the 3 views of preparation
- Identify techniques for personal preparation
- Assess preparation techniques to counter your opponent
- Design and arrange the first session
- Review how and why to set parameters in project negotiations
- Classify techniques for handling emotionally charged issues
- Identify standard negotiation funneling practices
- Design questions that benefit your position while working on projects
- Discuss words to use in the questions for greater impact
- Analyze barriers to overcome during negotiations
- Identify guidelines for examining the opponent’s position
- Evaluate research techniques for checking out the opponent
- Examine ways to overcome price objections in project resources
- Discuss the benefits of reinforcing price before negotiations
- Analyze standard negotiation strategies
- Identify techniques to use to follow up after the deal is made
Customer Service Module
- Compare customer expectations to customer deliverables
- Define customer service for both internal and external customers in projects
- Evaluate customer expectations for projects
- Break down top customer complaints
- Identify how to build credibility with customers
- Assess how to bond with customers
- Choose distinct connections every customer must receive
- Understand unspoken signals which distort communication
- Understand how to put active listening to work
- Select ways for handling problem customers
- Review methods for calming down irate customers
- Discuss feedback systems that work in projects
- Measure warning signals that customer service is dying
- Identify 5 ways to improve your customer service in every project
Performance Module
- Discuss advantages of performance management
- Identify performance needs
- Match performance to project directives
- Classify benchmarking techniques of present performance
- Discuss training and the performance gap
- Examine questions to ask in determining project performance
- Explore how to break down project performance into understandable steps
- Review monitoring of project performance indicators
- Show how to link operational goals to project performance
- Analyze mentoring roles in advancing project performance
- Examine the impact of incorporating best practices in project performance
- Evaluate how to create a project performance results matrix
- Establish a project performance development plan to transition team members toward peak performance
Conflict Module
- Discuss the positive side of conflict
- Define conflict
- Analyze 8 most common times for conflict
- Identify 6 reasons for conflict among workers
- Utilize rules for handling anger
- Create action plans for quick resolution
- Analyze hostility and how it surfaces
- Examine how to handle personal and professional hostility
- Compare levels of group conflict
- Discuss hedge words people use to distort communication
- Analyze techniques people use to avoid issues
- Create a code of conduct for controlling a resolution meeting
- Compare ways to confront others while helping them save face
- Examine confrontation techniques
Procurement Module
- Contracting process
- Methods of contracting
- Contracting types
- Evaluating and awarding contracts
- Conducting a search for contract source
- Price and budgeting requirements
- Interpreting changes
- Termination of contracts
- Handling appeals, disagreements in contract
- Contract closeout planning
Project III Best Practices
INTRODUCTION TO EXECUTION
- What Happens During Project Execution?
- Project Control Process
- Preventing Problems is Better than Fixing Them
APPROVAL PROCESS
- What is the Approval Process?
- Contractor Payments
CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT:
CHANGE, VERSION AND ISSUE MANAGEMENT
- What Happens During Project Execution?
- You Can't Manage What You Don't Control
- The Change Control Form
- Phase 1 - Requester Information
- Phase 2 - Initial Review of the Change Request
- Phase 3: Initial Impact Analysis
- Phase 4: Final Review Results and Change Priority
- What is Issue Management
- The Issue Resolution Form
- Phase 1 - Requester Information
- Phase 2 - Initial Review of the Issues
- Phase 3: Tracking
- Phase 4: Final Review Results and Change Priority
CORRECTIVE ACTIONS
- The Best of Plans can go Wrong
- Where Problems Come From
- Fix the Problem with a Recovery Plan
PROJECT REVIEWING
- Review Process
- Informal Review Process
- The Status Review
- Team Meetings
- Executive Meeting
- Link to Change, Issue and Quality Management
RISK MONITORING AND MITIGATION
- Preventing Problems
- What is After Risk Assessment?
- The Evolution of Risk Control
- Risk Monitoring is an Iterative Process
- Risk Manager
- Risk Meetings
- Ongoing Risk Identification
- Focus on Key Risk
- Risk Resolution
- Historical Record
TRACKING AND MONITORING PROJECT PERFORMANCE
- Introduction to Project Tracking and Monitoring
- The Project Plan as the Road Map
- The Project Plan as the Baseline
- Why Tracking and Monitoring?
- How and What is to be Tracked
- When Should Tracking be Done?
- Activity and Schedule Tracking
- Monitoring
- Planned Versus Actual Costs
- Cost
- Update the Cost Model
- Document Assumptions
- Tracking and Monitoring Costs
- Estimate at Completion (EAC) Summary Report
- Financial Metrics
- Resource Loading Updates
- Steering Committee
- Independent Reviews
- Periodic Updates
- Managing External Project Managers
PROJECT CLOSE-OUT INTRODUCTION
- Overview
POST IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION REPORT AND ARCHIVING
- What is a Post Implementation Evaluation Report?
- Identifying and Addressing Success
- Who Prepares the Report?
- Collecting Project Data
- Where is the Archive Maintained
- How is the Archived Material Used?
RECOGNITION AND CELEBRATION OF SUCCESS
- Recognition of Success
- What is Success?
- Conduct a Lessons Learned Session
- Document Lessons Learned
