Project Management Essentials* - 21 PDUs

* Please note that at the University of Waterloo this course is called
  Project Management Applied Tools and Techniques

“Without a doubt the best course I have attended… very informative, exceptionally well-organized, presenter was a blast!”
 – Lori Clarke, Department of Health

A construction sector version of this course is also available*:

Project Management  Essentials for Construction - 21 PDUs + 3 SICs*

July 4 - 6 in association with the University of Toronto

* PME for Construction is part of the CCA Gold Seal Certification program.

Course Description: 

This 3-day course provides project managers and project team members with essential tools needed to deliver successful projects. The course covers the complete project lifecycle – from project initiation and definition, through project implementation, and finally to the often neglected project completion phase. With hundreds of in-house client deliveries and hundreds of public sessions (delivered in association with Universities and Colleges across Canada), the Project Management Essentials course is firmly established as one of the most popular fundamental project management courses available.

Who Should Attend

• Project Managers — both new to project management and experience project managers who have not had formal project management training 
• Project team members
• Account managers
• Anyone wishing to be more competitive in today’s job market
   

When delivered in-house, Project Management Essentials is very effective in “jump-starting” a team embarking on a medium to large-scale project.

Materials

• Course workbook containing presentation slides, course reference book, case study, exercises and sample solutions
• Sample project management templates (e.g., project charters, communication plans, etc.)
• Course reference files
• Certificate of completion (framed for participants of in-house workshops

Learning Outcomes

Through project simulation, group exercises, and discussion, participants completing this workshop will be able to…

• Identify key contributors to project failure and apply specific project management techniques to reduce those causes
• Identify options for structuring a project team, and select the most appropriate option for a given situation
• Plan specific actions to overcome key challenges of working within a Matrix Organization
• Use specific project management tools, designed to obtain high level buy-in among key project stakeholders before investing large amounts of time in detailed planning
• Identify key areas of project risk, assess their impact and identify options for responding
• Develop a work breakdown structure to break a project down into discrete, manageable activities complete with measurable deliverables
• Model the flow and timing of a project during the planning stages, and test different “what-if” scenarios to both optimize and ensure that a project is “doable” before starting
• Identify “critical path activities” in order to reduce unnecessary project delays and undertake high priority tasks first
• Recognize appropriate uses of contingency to:
• Minimize the negative effects of unknowns on the schedule
• Allow resources time within the schedule to complete non-project activities without impacting project deliverables
• Given several ways of using contingency, assess the pros and cons of each
• Assess project resource requirements, recognize resource assumptions, and evaluate resource conflicts and potential solutions
• Apply specific techniques for developing and negotiating realistic project budgets
• Apply techniques to reduce scope creep during project planning, monitoring, and control
• Use specific project management tools and techniques to improve communication with project stakeholders
• Apply specific project management tools and techniques to create and maintain a productive project team environment
• Compare current project status to an original plan to identify potential problems and make proactive decisions based on accurate data
• Recognize elements of a properly closed out project, and avoid the syndrome of the “project that never dies”

Prerequisites

• There are no prerequisites for this course.
   

Additional Information

• Available in both English and French
• Can be customized — e.g., to incorporate client project management templates
• Receive 21 Professional Development Units (PDUs) or PM learning hours
• Workshop is available in-house and publicly in association with the:

Click here for the full PDF course description and outline.

For more information or to arrange for an in-house delivery of this course, contact us at
info@wcpconsulting.com or call us toll free at 1-800-214-8096.

* At the University of Waterloo, this course is called Project Management Applied Tools and Techniques.

Participants of the Project Management Essentials course will earn credit towards a University of Waterloo Certificate in Project Management and University of Toronto Certificate in Applied Project Management.

The Project Management Essentials course may be taken as a stand-alone workshop or applied to one of the following University level project management certificates:

• University of Toronto Certificate in Applied Project Management
• University of Waterloo Project Management Certificate

Participants of this workshop may therefore also be interested in the other courses that make up these certificate:

• PM Essentials Part 2: Monitoring and Control
• PM Essentials: Part 3 - Effective Communication & Stakeholder Management
• PMP Exam Prep - The Velociteach System
• Hands-on Microsoft Project
• Juggling Multiple Projects
• Project Contracting and Procurement Management
• People Skills: The Secret Behind Project Success

For more information, email PMcertificates@wcpconsulting.com

What our clients say about
Project Management Essentials...

"I heartily recommend WCP's courses. The quality of instruction was excellent, with the technical/theoretical aspects of project management all handily illustrated with real-life examples from the course leader's experience. A truly well-rounded introduction to project management!"
 – Neil Hrab, OMERS

“Excellent!!! Presentation of topics was great! The course is a great asset to the new and old (experienced) Project Manager.”
– Robert D’Ambrosio, Bell Canada

“Skills instantly applicable; can take away and use immediately in the work environment,… made the course enjoyable… extremely informative and applicable.”
– Karen Haffey, AT&T Canada

“Did a great job of covering all basic elements of project management. Reinforced/reiterated all important points. Excellent use of real life examples to illustrate both the principles and practical utility of the techniques presented!”
– Randy Lavoie, Primus Telecommunications Inc.

“Paul is a fantastic and motivating teacher with a great sense of humour. I look forward to hopefully taking more of his classes.”
- Jennifer Jones, Online Fundraising Projects Manager, International Fun for Animal Welfare

“Paul knows the subject well.  Notes are awesome.  Space for our notes.  The course reference book not only augments class slides but expand on them.”
 - John Miller, IT consultant