Course summary

Our project management foundations course provides training in the technical aspects of project management and people management.

You will learn critical interpersonal skills for working in project teams and on projects, alongside essential project management tools and techniques.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• define projects and project management
• describe the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in project management
• initiate a project and develop a project charter
• engage stakeholders in scope definition
• create a scope statement and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• allocate work to resources
• apply scheduling tools, including defining your critical path
• apply estimation techniques to define a project budget and schedule
• prepare a project cost estimate and budget
• describe earned value management techniques to develop an integrated baseline and track progress, performance and forecast completion date and cost
• apply risk management techniques and integrate risk treatments into the project plan
• build a project team
• empower individuals and teams to get the best results including creating an environment for psychological safety
• apply different leadership styles to suit different project phases and contexts
• develop communication, facilitation and negotiation skills to more effectively engage with people
• develop an awareness of psychological models and EQ Frameworks for consideration in future professional development.

Content

Module 1: Technical skills

Overview of project management

• Define projects and project management
• Describe the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in project management

Initiating a project

• Steps involved in initiating a project
• Creating the Project Charter

Planning a project

• Engaging stakeholders in scope definition
• Creating the scope statement and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Preparing a project schedule and budget
• Estimation techniques
• Identifying, recording and evaluating risks
• Building risk treatments and contingencies into your project plan

Monitoring and controlling a project

• Measuring project performance
• Earned Value Management
• Integrated performance baseline
• Effective status reports

Even more

• Tips for project success, including what not to do
• Exploring advanced tools, beyond the course
• Content aligned to the latest project management theory including PMBOK Edition 8, and artificial intelligence (AI)

Module 2: Forming and leading teams

Forming and leading teams

• Team roles that may exist on your projects
• Building high-performing teams
• Adaptive leadership approaches
• Motivating the team
• Embracing diversity on projects

Leading others

• Personality traits, learning styles and leadership styles
• Adaptive approaches for effective stakeholder engagement
• International standards for leadership and emotional intelligence

Managing relationships

• Stakeholder analysis techniques including network thinking, stakeholder dynamics and relationships
• Tailoring communications for audience and purpose
• Facilitation techniques for running effective meetings and workshops
• Negotiation techniques and conflict resolution

Prerequisites

None

Who this course is for

This course is for professionals involved in planning, coordinating or delivering projects and business improvement initiatives in their organisation. It applies across structured and fast-moving project environments, including engineering, construction, health, education, government, commercial and non-profit sectors.

• Project managers looking to improve planning, delivery and oversight
• 'Accidental’ project managers managing projects without formal training
• Team leaders, supervisors and business leaders responsible for project outcomes
• Project coordinators, business analysts and subject matter experts
• Change leaders, managers and support staff involved in organisational initiatives
• Anyone working on projects who wants to better manage timelines, stakeholders and priorities

Delivery style

This two-day course focuses on experiential learning, including group activities that put theory into action.

A range of interactive methods will be used including:

• storytelling and the use of professional examples to illustrate key concepts
• self-reflection and group discussions
• case studies where the concepts are actively applied
• individual and team-based activities and presentations
• suggested readings to support continued learning after the course.

Materials

You will receive:

• online course materials with case study activities
• online project management tools and templates
• a course Statement of Completion.

What you need to do before the course

Please complete the Communication and Learning Styles Questionnaire using the PDF document below. The results from this questionnaire are important to parts of the course and must be completed prior to the completion of Module 2.

Communication and Learning Styles Questionnaire

Please bring your laptop to class to access the course learning materials.