Print this page Basic Project Management
William J. Scott, P.E.
Course Overview
Today, industry
is embracing a bold, new view of the process of management. Change, driven by
the desire and pressure to improve, creates short-term objectives. These short-term
objectives require us to improve upon all aspects of operations, including our
traditional management techniques. These objectives, which we call "projects",
define unique, one time tasks requiring workers from many disciplines. Projects
are usually too large and complex to be executed, effectively within the traditional,
functional management organization. Therefore, a new organizational form, called
project management, has emerged. This results-oriented, roll up your sleeves,
course is designed for project managers, functional managers and key project
team members. In other words, this course is for the very people who are accountable
and responsible for achieving predetermined multi-disciplinary project performance
objectives on schedule, within allocated cost while delighting customers! Personnel,
who support projects, either directly or indirectly, should also take this course.
This course
includes a multiple choice quiz at the end.
Intended Audience
This course is addressed to:
- Project Managers
- Project Managers in Training
- Project Engineers
- Project Team Members
- Functional Managers
- Support Personnel
Course Introduction
I would like to start off by telling you about some advice my wife gave me a long time ago.
When I first starting giving presentations some twenty years ago, my wife offered me some advice. She told me that in order to keep the audience's attention; the most important thing was to talk about an interesting subject. This seemed like good advice, so I took it. I have tried to keep my topics interesting.
Well some time later, as I was still giving presentations, my wife offered me some more advice. This time she told me that in addition to having an interesting subject, it was really important to keep it short and to the point. This also seemed like good advice, so I took it. I have tried to keep my presentations short and to the point.
Well now that I've
been at this presentation stuff for over twenty years, my wife now gives me
different advice. She tells me now that the subject matter is still important,
that yes, keeping it short is also important, but the most important thing is
to keep my belly sucked in." This is probably the best advice of all!
The Project Management System
It is your basic
forming, storming, and performing way of getting things accomplished on budget,
on time and with customer satisfaction.
You are lucky to have the opportunity to experience it. I guarantee that before
you finish this course, you will have experienced it and be able to apply it
to your daily work.
MY Five Rules of Project Management
Before we go any further, I want to establish my five rules of project management:
1. There can be
no cost management without using the earned value technique.
2. There can be
no schedule management without managing the critical path.
3. A real work
breakdown structure (WBS) has the following four elements:
A. A specific beginning and ending date.
B. A budget assigned to it.
C. A defined scope.
D. One person who is single focal point accountable for each task completion.
4. Comparing actuals
to budgets is close to meaningless.
For example, if you have spent less than you budgeted at any point in the project,
does this mean you are:
A. Behind schedule?
B. Under budget?
C. You don't know?
5. No one but you
can control (manage) your project!
To Gain the Most Value and Return on Investment for the Time You Spend on this Course You Must:
1. Think about
your own experiences.
2. Read carefully.
3. Be patient.
4. Stay on the topic.
5. Rise above your experience bias.
6. Be receptive to new ideas.
This course consists of the following seven course modules.
Course Modules
Module #1: The Business Case for the Project
Management Process and it's Fundamental Concepts
Module #3: Profile of an Effective Project Manager
Module #4: The Project Management Process
Module #5: Successful Techniques for Project Planning
Module #6: Techniques for Measurement and Reporting of Project Progress
The course content is in PDF format in each module. You need to open or download those documents to study this course.
Once you finish studying the above course content you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDHonline.com or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
