Description
Why You Should Attend This 2-Day Workshop
A project is a temporary endeavor, having a defined beginning and a defined end, usually constrained by date, but can be by funding or deliverables. It is performed to meet unique goals and objectives, usually designed to bring about beneficial change or added value. The temporary nature of projects stands in contrast to ongoing business operations which are repetitive, permanent or semi-permanent functional work designed to produce products or services. In practice, the management processes involved in these two work-based systems are often found to be substantially different, requiring the development of distinctly different technical skills and the adoption of separate management capabilities.
Project Management is the discipline of planning, of pursuing and executing a project. It requires skills in planning, organizing, securing of resources and execution of pre-defined activities to bring about the successful completion of specific project objectives. Project Management is sometimes confused with Program Management which is a higher level construct that consists of a group of related and somehow interdependent projects.
The primary challenge of Project Management is to achieve all of the project goals and objectives while honoring the predefined project constraints of scope, time and budget. A secondary and more ambitious challenge of Project Management is to optimize the allocation and integration of inputs and resources necessary to meet predefined project goals.
This Manufacturing Executive Institute 2-day workshop from our “Project & Change Management Series” of workshops addresses project management fundamentals. This training program provides participants with an understanding of the basic rules, roles, techniques and processes to successfully manage any project. Though this training program is fairly technical in its presentation of basic project management tools, it also addresses work content, organization challenges and behavioral aspects of project management. Specifically, this 2-day project management workshop addresses the following learning points:
- How to define a project endeavor.
- Differentiating Project Management from Program Management.
- The basic phases of any project.
- Identification and execution of the operational phases of managing projects, including presentation of “templates” that will assist the new Project Manager to successfully organize, plan, execute, control, measure and conclude a project.
- Non-negotiable principles of Project Management.
- How to organize effective project teams.
- How to effectively plan and schedule a project.
- How to build and execute effective project communication processes.
- The difference between Project “Management” and Project “Leadership.”
- How to be an effective Project Leader and change agent.
- How to identify and manage project risks.
Through a unique training process that includes lecture, numerous individual and group exercises, and an innovative
“threaded project role-playing” simulation, this workshop provides participants with a solid understanding of all Project Management fundamentals. Participants will also receive a substantial number of “templates” and other valuable tools that can remove most technical impediments participants may encounter when they return to their respective companies to run projects.
Upon completion of this workshop, participants should be able to effectively begin managing most technical, organizational and behavioral aspects of most projects. With the combination of knowledge received from the lectures and exercises, experience received in this program’s unique role-playing simulation, and the numerous practical “templates” provided at the end of the program; each participant will have all the skills and tools necessary to successfully define and execute most projects.
The specific outline of learning subjects addressed in this 2-day Project Management Fundamentals workshop is as follows:
Section 1… What is a “Project?”
- Work elements that distinguish a “Project” from normal work
- Key purposes of a project
- Importance of projects to get things done
- Projects in the modern enterprise
- Project Role Playing Simulation – “Clean-Up of Radioactive Popcorn” – without project management tools
- FIVE elements of every project
- “Iron Triangle” of Project Management… the “Triple Constraints” of every project
- Project life cycle phases
- Abundance of projects… is everything a project?
Section 2… What is “Project Management?”
- “Project Management” defined
- “Big THREE” elements of project initiatives
- Project Management challenges:
- Project planning challenges
- Project execution challenges
- Project control challenges
- Project change challenges
- Project constituents challenges
- Expectation of project management vs. line management
- Work organization challenges:
- Project decision rights & information flows
- Motivators… functional vs. project
- Structure… functional vs. project
- Why would anyone want to be a Project Manager?
- Expectations of Project Managers
- Major determinants of successful & unsuccessful projects
Section 3… What is a “Program?”
- Definition of a “Program”
- THREE types of programs
- “Projects” vs. “Programs”
- What does a Program Manager really do?
Section 4… Overview of EIGHTEEN Operational Phases of Any Project
- Project strategy vs. project operations
- Taming the “Project Serpent”
- The importance of operationalizing projects:
- Project Operational Phase 1: Define Project Need
- How projects really get identified
- Different sources of projects
- Why some projects should NEVER be undertaken
- Project Operational Phase 2: Assemble Exploratory Resources
- Exploratory resource nature
- Get what you fund!
- Exploration template
- Project Operational Phase 3: Define Project Objectives
- What a good objective looks like
- Project objective requirements
- Importance of thinking in terms of “deliverables”
- What will project do for shareholder value… the ultimate arbiter
- The language of project objective
- Project Operational Phase 4: Determine Project Feasibility & Risks
- Why feasibility analysis should be performed before funding projects
- Using the “2242 Decision Matrix” to select the right projects
- Cost-Benefits Analysis
- How to document an unbiased feasibility study for any project
- The value of saying no when the benefits don’t outweigh the total cost
- Project Operational Phase 5: Define Project Scope
- Know your stakeholders
- Identify key project goals
- Build a “Project Requirements” document
- Getting approval of requirements before starting the project
- Project Operational Phase 6: Construct Initial Project Plan
- Build a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
- Build a Project Precedence Chart (PPC)
- Develop project milestones
- Project Operational Phase 7: Build Project Charters
- Essential elements of a project charter
- Charter constituents
- Sample charter format
- Project Operational Phase 8: Obtain Initial Stakeholder Buy-In
- Buy-In techniques
- Tradeoffs between project value & momentum
- Using economic & behavioral tradeoff tools
- Project Operational Phase 9: Identify Project Resources
- The search for skilled participants
- Building a talent requirements document
- Projects – usually no time for trainees
- Project Manager’s “right” to have the final say on team member selection
- Project Operational Phase 10: Build Project Budget
- Project budgeting approaches
- Budgeting for project planning activities
- Specific task budgeting
- How to roll-up a project milestone budget
- Budgeting for variables & unknowns
- Sample project budget template
- Keeping the project budget updated
- Project Operational Phase 11: Acquire Project Approval & Funding
- Methods for seeking approval
- What do you do if approval is withheld?
- Project approval as authorization to begin spending money
- Phased funding
- High-level funding necessity… avoid detail
- Project Operational Phase 12: Acquire Project Resources
- Develop Project Resource Requirements (PRR)
- Identify required resources & source of resources
- Negotiating for acquisition of resources
- Subcontract vs. native resources
- Addressing lack of resource availability
- Compromising on resources… how to know the cost of compromise?
- Project Operational Phase 13: Complete Project Plans & Schedules
- Understand the critical chain of tasks
- Clearly specify & explain project tasks
- Identify project Critical Path(s)
- Balancing Project Priorities
- Defining project Deliverables
- Application of “phase-gate” planning techniques
- Project planning software… how to make it “sing"
- Project Operational Phase 14: Publish Project Plan & Train as Needed
- Where to publish the project plan
- Forms the project plan can take
- High-level vs. detailed plan
- Project tracking tools
- GANTT Charts
- Standard PERT charts
- Time-Phased PERT charts
- Estimating task & milestone completion levels
- Earned-value evaluation techniques
- Time tracking techniques for recurring & non-recurring tasks
- Project Operational Phase 15: Continue Seeking Shareholder Buy-In
- Extended buy-in… does it ever end?
- Ongoing stakeholder communications requirements
- How to deliver bad news
- “Killers” of stakeholder trust
- “Enhancers” of stakeholder trust
- Project Operational Phase 16: Execute Project Tasks
- How to clearly present a project task
- The need for Project Manager attention to detail
- Using daily “Benefits & Concerns” sessions
- Project Operational Phase 17: Measure Performance, Risks & Re-Plan as Needed
- Importance of regular task progress feedback
- Watch out for bad estimates & even worse updates!
- Checklist for project measurements
- Efficient re-planning techniques
- Project Operational Phase 18: Terminate Project & Finalize
- Summarizing project costs & deliverables
- Assessing performance of projects
- Assessing goal achievement
- Techniques for reporting project performance to sponsor
- Comparing project actual costs with expectations
- Expectations of a well-constructed project effort
- Why projects must be formal undertakings
Section 5… Non-Negotiable Principles of Successful Project Management
- Principle #1: Project Manager as a “Mini-CEO”
- Principle #2: Selection of project participants
- Principle #3: Project disaggregation
- Principle #4: Sponsor Management vs. Project Team Management
- Principle #5: Loose-Tight Leadership
- Principle #6: Plan your work – work your plan
- Principle #7: Bad news & good news is all GREAT news
- Principle #8: All Delays should be anticipated
- Principle #9: Your project plan is obsolete when published
- Principle #10: Chaos & Ambiguity exists on ALL projects
Section 6… Fundamental Project Management Tools, Techniques, Templates & Methods
- Phase-by-phase review of SPECIFIC tools, techniques, templates & methods required to organize, plan, execute, control, measure and conclude a project
- Presentation of manual templates for each of the EIGHTEEN Operational Phases
- Demonstration of project planning software and scheduling methods, including:
- Network scheduling methods
- PERT methods
- GANTT chart methods
- Critical path demonstration
- User demonstration of computer tools for project planning, scheduling, communications, feedback & control
- Innovative tools & techniques utilized by seasoned Project Managers in each of the EIGHTEEN Operational Phases
Section 7… Project Team Organization
- Expanded role of the Project Manager
- Project organization alternatives
- Planning and execution phases require different talent
- EIGHT essential elements of project organization
- Project customers and sponsors have roles too
- Techniques for selecting the best project team members
- Categorize project-centric people into FOUR categories:
- Project Analysts
- Project Participants
- Project “Impacts”
- Project Leaders & Champions
- Skills, matrices and the role they play
- The care & feeding of project personnel
- Balancing workloads & expectations
Section 8… Project Communications
- Project communication challenges:
- Upward communication
- Downward communication
- Lateral communication
- Project communications tactics:
- Techniques for communicating progress
- “Virtual” tools for communicating with geographically dispersed project team members
- Techniques for communicating problems
- Techniques for communicating new opportunities
- Importance of “trust” in communications
- Specific demonstrations of weekly project communication tools
Section 9… Project Leadership & Change Management
- The Project Manager “dominion”
- The Project Manager as a Change Agent
- Project Managers KNOW their stakeholders & project team members:
- Creating & using Stakeholder Analysis
- Creating & using Influence Maps
- Using RACI & DACI charts
- Project Manager’s change management responsibilities
- Project Manager’s change management tools & techniques:
- Using Lewin’s Change Management Model to provide a useable framework for understanding change impediments
- Using Gleicher, Beckhard & Harris’ Change Equation to understand resistance to change
- Using the Change Curve to understand the process of change
- Using Leavitt’s Diamond to understand the necessary ingredients of change
- Using the Burke-Litwin Change Model to further understand why the need for change often meets resistance
- Using Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model to operationalize behavioral change
- Project leader responsibilities, authorities and success factor
- Project resource equality
- Project leader’s required strengths
- Fatal flaws of unsuccessful project leaders
- Understanding project & sponsor politics
- Delegation of work issues
- Participants loyalty to project
Section 10… Project Risk Management
- Risk management triangle:
- Assessment
- Communications
- Management
- Risk assessment at beginning of project:
- Assessing technical risks
- Assessing organizational risks
- Assessing behavioral risks
- Project Role Playing Simulation – “Clean-Up of Radioactive Popcorn” – with project management tools
- Techniques for assessing economic impacts of risks
- Point-of-no-return (PNR) assessments & decision points
- Identifying downstream rewards and consequences
- Unintended consequence thinking
Technical, organizational and behavioral impediments to successful and rapid deployment of these techniques will also be addressed so that participants can return to their respective companies and begin implementation of these techniques the following Monday.
Workshop Instructor: Alan G. Dunn, President of GDI Consulting & Training Company
Come to this "Project & Change Management Series" live workshop and learn specific techniques that will improve the way you manage projects. Learn how to use modern Project Managment tools, techniques and methodologies to better lead projects to successful completion.
All learning materials, breaks and lunch are included in the single low price. See the side bar for pricing and group discount information.
The
Manufacturing Executive Institute presents numerous workshops and webinars each month. To see listings and schedule of upcoming programs, go to
www.mfgexecutive.com or call (951) 736-2114.
About MEI's "Project & Change Management Series" Workshops
MEI presents several valuable workshops that focus on executing projects and changing behaviors
. These training programs are specific to manufacturing and distribution companies, and provide participants with unique learning experiences not available anywhere else. Most of these programs are multi-day training programs and are designed to present detailed solutions AND detailed implementation strategies.
Click here to view a list of upcoming
"Project & Change Management Series" Workshops
