Project Management Essentials

Program overview

Project Management Essentials covers the full life of a project, from the first scope conversation to the closing review. You learn the planning tools used in most workplaces and practise them on a case study and a project from your own job.

Who it is for

• Team members who are about to lead their first project
• Operations and administrative staff who coordinate work across teams
• Professionals preparing for a project coordinator or manager role

Learning outcomes

By the end of the program you will be able to:

• Write a clear project scope and set of deliverables
• Build a realistic schedule and budget
• Identify, rate and manage risks
• Run effective status meetings and keep stakeholders informed
• Close a project and capture lessons learned

Curriculum

1. Module 1Projects and projects-in-disguise. What counts as a project and how to start one well.
2. Module 2Scope and requirements. Agree what is in and out before work begins.
3. Module 3Work breakdown and scheduling. Break work into tasks, dependencies and milestones.
4. Module 4Budgeting and resources. Estimate costs and plan who does what.
5. Module 5Risk and change. Spot problems early and handle changes in scope.
6. Module 6Communication and stakeholders. Keep sponsors, teams and customers aligned.
7. Module 7Agile and traditional approaches. When to plan up front and when to iterate.
8. Module 8Closing and review. Hand over, evaluate and learn.

Schedule and format

Wednesday evenings on campus, 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm, plus about 3 hours a week of online study.

Lead instructor

Marcus Ellery

Head of Business Programs

Marcus worked as an operations director for 15 years before moving into teaching. He runs the Project Management and Leadership programs.

Frequently asked questions