Project Management

This workshop offers a practical, end-to-end introduction to project management, guiding participants through the full project life cycle from initiation to final close-out. It begins with foundational concepts - what defines a project, the role of the project manager, the characteristics of effective project work, and how projects function as tools for organizational change. Participants then learn a structured Five-Step Process for managing projects, covering visioning, scoping, planning, implementing, and closing. Core skills include building schedules, budgeting, defining roles, monitoring progress, managing communication, troubleshooting issues, and preparing final reports.

A strong focus is placed on managing the human side of projects. Participants explore team selection, leadership styles, accountability, group dynamics, conflict management, expectation setting, and strategies to maintain momentum and commitment without direct authority. The workshop concludes with tools for reviewing performance and developing a personal action plan, ensuring that participants leave with both the knowledge and confidence to apply effective project management practices in their own environments.

Duration: 2 Days

Outline

• Introduction
  • Roles and goals of the workshop; participant expectations
  • General concepts in Project Management
    • Project as a vehicle of change
    • Kinds of projects and their uses
    • Process management vs. traditional techniques of managing
    • Characteristics of a project
    • Project structure
    • The system model
    • Role of the project manager
    • Terms used in project management
• The Five Step Process for Managing a Project
  • Initiation: the vision
    • Why are we doing it?
    • Who are the stakeholders and clients?
  • Development: Scoping out the project
    • What is the magnitude and complexity of this project?
    • When do we foresee completion?
    • In what environment and organizational culture will we work
    • What is needed to ensure sponsor approval?
    • Analyzing the situation
    • Benefit/cost ratios
    • Choosing and using outside resources
  • Planning the project
    • What is the project’s purpose and what are the deliverables
    • What are our key performance measures, actions and controls?
    • Scheduling interrelated components
    • Responsibility charting: who does what, when
    • Basic display tools: Gantt, PERT, Logic Framework
    • Preparing cost projections and budgeting
    • Choosing methods to monitor and record progress
    • Choosing and training the project team
    • Completing the project charter
  • Implementation: Executing the project
    • Tracking software
    • Troubleshooting
    • Managing the white spaces: communication connections
    • Managing variances and slippage
  • Closure: Exiting the project
    • Follow-up to successful completion
    • Using data collected en route to prepare the report
    • Conducting post-completion audits
    • Writing the final project report
    • Sign-offs
    • Managing separation
    • Final closedown: project review checklist
• Managing the Project Team
  • Choosing the team leader
    • What to look for in the project team leader
    • Situational leadership
    • Negotiating terms with the project leader
    • Managing without full authority
  • Selecting and training the project team
    • Assessing available resources
    • Criteria for member involvement
    • Defining roles, authorities and accountability
    • Determining skill requirements
    • Methods of increasing member skills
    • Gaining members’ commitment to the project, its purpose and goals
  • Group Dynamics
    • Stages of group development
    • Preventing and reducing dysfunction
    • Handling conflict
• Specific Project Team Management Techniques
  • Facilitating problem solving meetings
  • Building consensus
  • Managing expectations
  • Dealing with procrastination
  • Negotiating personal milestones and reporting methods
  • Managing unexpected changes
  • Celebrating success
  • Managing team separation
• Personal Action Plan

ON-TRACK Corporate Training has a diverse and flexible schedule that can be customized to your needs. We offer group courses (both public and corporate), one-on-one training, virtual (on-line) classroom (Zoom etc.) and on-site training options. We also have easily accessible on-line training videos on OnTrackTV.