Course Description

There are loads of Project Managers who are truly not masters of their trade. Why do I say that? Well, surveys show that almost 70% of all projects are not successful in the areas of cost, schedule and expectation which tells me that these projects could have been run better. They could have been run by Project Managers that truly are masters of their trade. Masters of Project Management are those Project Managers that understand that successful Project Management is about 20% Hard Skills and about 80% Soft Skills. It truly is not just ‘what’ you do but more importantly ‘how’ you do it. This Programme shows attendees both what to do and how to do it. It includes information on tools, techniques, guidelines, processes, procedures, etc. that have been gathered from over 40 years of experience of working on both successful and unsuccessful Projects. The information included in this interactive programme will help you become a ‘Master’ Project Manager.

Course Objective

·         Programme attendees will understand:

§  What makes a person a ‘Master’ of Project Management

§  The 8 Habits of ‘Master’ Project Managers

§  The ‘Master’ Project Management Foundation Stones

§  The importance of the Team Approach to delivering projects

§  The importance of knowing your outcome before you start a project and how to define the outcome

§  The importance of planning and how to manage the 7-Step Planning Process

§  How to organise to the plan and how to build the project team

§  How to establish and use a Project Board

§  The importance of gaining commitment

§  The importance of and how to take massive action

§  How to keep the team focused on the delivery goal

§  How to set up and operate the disciplines required to monitor and control projects

§  How to ensure that the Project Team are working on the project not just because they have to but because they want to

Who Should attend?

·         Newly appointed Project Managers who want to have a better understanding of what it takes to be a ‘Master’ Project Manager early on in their career

·         Experienced Project Managers who understand that we never stop learning and want to take advantage of over 40 years of experience

·         Project Support Office consultants who will be supporting ‘Master’ Project Managers

·         Project Directors and other potential members of Project Boards

·         Others who wish to have a better understanding of Project Management

Course Outline

Introduction to Projects
o What is a Project
o What is the criteria for a successful Project
o What does Mastering Project Management mean
o What does a Project Manager have to do to become a master at Project Management
o What are the 8 Habits of Master Project Managers
o What are the Master Project Management Foundation stones

 ·The Team Approach to Running Projects
o What is the Team Approach and why does it work
o What makes a great team
o Selecting and motivating team members

 ·Know Your Outcome
o Importance of knowing your outcome
o Methods for defining the outcome
o Handling unknowns
o Documenting the outcome
o Defining the Acceptance Criteria
o Getting agreement 
o Baselining and controlling the Requirement
o Managing ‘scope creep’

 ·Planning the Achievement
o The Importance of Planning
o Planning issues and how to handle them
o What makes a great plan
o Multiple ways to use the plan
o Criteria to be used for Planning
o Planning with the team
o The 7-Step Master Planning Process
o Maintaining the plan

 ·Organising for Success
o Organising to the plan
o Organising and using a Project Board
o The ‘Management Trio’
o The Project Support Office
o Quality Management
o Delivering benefits

 ·Gaining and Maintaining Commitment
o Commitment vs. Involvement
o The Importance of Commitment
o What made the difference
o How to gain Commitment
o How to maintain Commitment

 ·Taking Massive Action and Staying Focused
o Action does not equal achievement
o Knowledge is not power
o Hiving off great ideas
o Keeping the project Team focussed
o How to be responsive to the customer and stay focussed

 ·Monitoring and Controlling Achievement
o How to monitor and control achievement
o Disciplines that assist in ensuring Project Success
o Establishing and Operating Project Monitoring and Control
o Identifying and controlling risks
o Establishing and operating a Change Control process
o Setting up and maintaining a Visibility Room

 ·The Secret Habit
o The final foundation stone in Mastering Project Management