Improving Your Project Management Skills: The Basics for Success

Complete Seminar Details

Cope with the complex demands of today’s project management practice!

More than 60,000 nontechnical professionals have turned to this best-selling seminar to help them improve their project mangement skills and deliver basic project management solutions with higher quality, greater value and better accountability. You’ll cover everything, from defining scope and gathering requirements, to planning and budgeting, to utilizing scheduling and control tools. Plus, you’ll get hands-on practice, exercises and real-world examples.

You’ll return to work with all the basic project management help you need to get your projects—and your career—off the ground and running.

Who Should Attend

Individuals from nontechnical fields who are new to project management, as well as those looking for formal basic project management training.

Updated to reflect Project Management Body of Knowledge, 3rd Edition.

This Seminar Features Blended Learning

AMA Blended Learning combines instructor-led training with online pre- and post-seminar assessments, tune-up courses and other resources to maximize your training goals. Through a blend of proven instructor-led seminars and powerful online technology, AMA Blended Learning provides a compelling and more comprehensive experience for the learner—producing a greater return-on-investment for the employer and the seminar participant.

HOW YOU WILL BENEFIT:

• Set practical goals for your projects—goals you can achieve regardless of “hitches”
• Set realistic schedules that you can meet
• Develop a project plan—and get that plan implemented
• Stay on top of schedules, workloads and “people problems”
• Save time and energy by “building in flexibility” rather than “putting out fires”
• Cope with budget and time constraints
• Delegate in a fair and practical way within the project team
• Build your credibility with top management

WHAT YOU WILL COVER:

Essential Project Management Tools

• Defining project management framework and terminology
• Differentiation between operations and projects
• Process groups and the nine knowledge areas of the PMBOK

Essentials for Leading Project Teams

• Project roles and responsibilities
• Negotiation skills for project managers

Scope Management: Beginning Project Planning

• Creating the project charter
• Using the SMART model when writing objectives

Developing Project Activities

• Guidelines for creating the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Customizing the WBS

Developing a Dynamic Project Schedule

• Sequencing tasks and activities
• Building the project schedule

Project Estimating Techniques

• Using estimating tools
• Consideration of risks when estimating— three point estimating

Components of Project Planning

• Components of a project plan
• Tools and techniques for identifying and managing risks

Monitoring and Controlling Projects

• Techniques to optimal control
• Status reports… project baselines… identifying variances

How to Close a Project

• Terminating projects by integration… starvation…addition…or extinction
• Establishing a repository for project information and documentation

Extended Description

Overview of Project Management Framework

• Define Project Management Framework and Terminology
• Differentiate Between Operations and Projects
• Differentiate Between Product Life Cycle and Project Life Cycle

Essentials for Leading Project Teams

• Describe How to Lead Others By Communicating, Motivating and Solving Problems
• Differentiate Between Practitioner and Project Manager
• Compare the Characteristics of a Leader versus Those of a Manager
• Describe the Roles and Responsibilities of a Project Manager versus Those of a Project Coordinator
• Identify the Five Stages of Negotiation

Scope Management: Beginning Project Planning

• Describe the Purpose and Content of the Project Charter
• Identify the Elements of a Project Scope Statement
• Document a Project Scope Statement Using a Standard Template
• Use the SMART Model When Writing Objectives
• Describe the Purpose of the Kick-Off Meeting

Developing Project Activities

• Develop a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Define Project Activities
• Develop Project Milestones

Project Estimating Techniques

• Develop Project Resource, Time and Cost Estimates
• Demonstrate the Use of Three-Point Estimates
• State How Estimates Are Impacted By Risks

Developing a Dynamic Project Schedule

• Identify the Sequence of Activities
• Develop the Project Schedule

Components of Project Planning

• Identify the Components of a Project Plan
• Describe the Five Project Risk Management Processes in the Planning Process Group
• Identify Tools Used During Quality Control and Quality Assurance
• Describe the Individual Baselines That Make Up the Project Performance Baseline

Monitoring and Controlling Projects

• Identify Methods and Techniques for Project Control
• Describe the Concept of Comparing Status Information to Project Baselines to Identify Variances
• Use Earned Value to Analyze Project Performance

How to Close a Project

• Identify the Elements in the Project Closure Procedure
• Describe the Ways Projects Are Terminated
• Explain the Importance of a Repository

AMA Blended Learning combines instructor-led training with online pre- and post-seminar assessments, tune-up courses and other resources to maximize your training goals. Through a blend of proven instructor-led seminars and powerful online technology, AMA Blended Learning provides a compelling and more comprehensive experience for the learner—producing a greater return-on-investment for the employer and the seminar participant.

Days: 3

CEUs: 1.8

Sponsor Background:

• provide comprehensive, hands-on training that is of practical use when you return to the job
• focus on need-to-know specifics, relevant to the demands of global business today
• offer the expertise and personalized attention of top-ranking instructors
• facilitate your career development and business savvy

Whether you're looking for a solid foundation of business fundamentals or strategies to help you seize growth opportunities for your company, AMA offers expert instruction to help you:

• manage your priorities effectively
• cultivate more productive working relationships
• increase your on-the-job value
• align your skills with marketplace demands
• bring out the best in people, processes and yourself

Cancellation and Refund Policy

If you cannot attend a seminar you may contact AMA in advance to transfer to a future session, or can send someone to take your place. If you need to cancel your attendance, AMA will give you a complete refund if you cancel more than three weeks before your seminar begins. To cancel, simply call. If you cancel with less than three weeks' notice, you will be liable for the entire seminar fee, however you may request a courtesy transfer to use at any future AMA seminar of equal or lesser value. The courtesy transfer must be used within one year of the date of your originally scheduled seminar. In fairness to all attendees, if you do not attend a seminar session for which you are confirmed, and do not cancel with a minimum of three weeks’ notice as described above, you will be charged the entire seminar fee.