Project Management Fundamentals

About This Course:

Project managers are always under severe pressure to complete projects on time and within budget. However, most projects fail to meet these demands, and, as a result, many projects are terminated early. Successful project management requires knowledge and experience. This course is designed to provide you with the skills needed to be a successful project manager in today's rapidly changing world. The skills and knowledge you gain in this course will help you avoid making costly mistakes and increase your competitive edge in the project management profession. 

Course Objectives:

• Understand the basics and importance of project management

• Key terms, concepts, and life cycle phases

• Project roles and responsibilities

• Project constraints: Scope, Time, Cost, Quality

• Project initiation and business case creation

• Identifying stakeholders and defining roles

• Creating a project charter

• Setting up a project team and governance structure

• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

• Effort estimation techniques (analogous, parametric, bottom-up)

• Identifying dependencies and constraints

• Developing a project timeline

• Using Gantt charts and scheduling tools

• Defining milestones and critical path

• Resource leveling and buffers

• Identifying project costs (direct, indirect, fixed, variable)

• Creating a budget and cost baseline

• Cost estimation techniques

• Budget approval and tracking

• Risk identification and assessment

• Qualitative and quantitative risk analysis

• Risk response strategies (avoid, transfer, mitigate, accept)

• Creating a risk register

• Understanding quality management principles

• Quality planning, assurance, and control

• Compliance and regulatory considerations

• Quality tools (Pareto charts, control charts, checklists)

• Human resource planning and team development

• Conflict resolution and motivation techniques

• Physical resource planning and tracking

• RACI charts and resource calendars

• Procurement planning and sourcing strategies

• Contract types and selection criteria

• Managing vendors and procurement lifecycle

• Legal and ethical considerations

• Change control process and documentation

• Scope creep and how to manage it

• Change impact assessment

• Managing stakeholder expectations

• Tracking performance using KPIs and Earned Value Management (EVM)

• Variance analysis and corrective actions

• Re-evaluating and updating risk response plans

• Conducting audits and reviews

• Root cause analysis

• Maintaining compliance and continuous improvement

• Communicating quality performance

• Creating a communication management plan

• Effective communication tools and channels

• Engaging stakeholders and managing expectations

• Conflict management and negotiation

• Deliverable verification and final approval

• Documentation and lessons learned

• Releasing resources and closing contracts

• Post-project evaluation and celebration

Audience:

• Aspiring project managers with little or no formal experience

• Team leads or supervisors managing small to medium projects

• Professionals seeking foundational project management skills

Prerequisites:

• No formal project management experience required

• Basic understanding of business workflows is helpful