What are the course objectives?

The purpose of this course is to aid project managers and business analysts with a clear and practical approach to the management of projects. Where establishing the requirements and managing the scope (especially in a technically complex environment) has a major influence on the successful outcome of the projects they run.

What content is covered?

Complex technology, often information technology, is frequently central to the delivery of a business vision. However the most common cause of failure in technology intensive projects remains the lack of alignment with the business goals and the unrealistic evaluation of the scope and impact of the changes required. This course focuses on requirements management – how the project manager ensures that the requirements are met and that the acceptance criteria of the products delivered are aligned to the project success criteria, even when they may alter. Defining the problem clearly, developing options and selecting an appropriate solution are fundamental to projects where the product development process forms a major part of the project activity.

What are the key topics?

• establishing the requirements
• functional and non-functional requirements
• reviewing a specification
• product development lifecycles
• managing changing requirements
• acceptance criteria and constraints
• testing requirements, testing designs
• structuring a specification.

What are the course objectives?

This workshop will help you to develop the vital soft skills required by project managers or those working in a project setting. It also introduces you to leadership principles within the context of project management.

What content is covered?

This master class exposes you to the complex people aspects of managing projects. It examines how you should manage, influence, lead and direct each of the major stakeholder groups and make the most effective use of the people involved with your project through their active engagement in achieving project goals.

This highly interactive and practical learning event addresses the key people-related obstacles encountered by project managers and provides best-practice strategies and tactics for dealing with stakeholders and project teams. It is the development and application of these critical people skills that make the difference between ‘management by process’ and successful, value-focused and professional project management.

Participants reflect on current behaviours and approaches and then explore and apply strategies and practical tools to enhance personal leadership capabilities and leverage the strengths of others to improve project performance.

What are the key topics?

• Leadership vs. management
• Self-assessment – leadership inventory
• Emotional intelligence
• Coaching and mentoring
• Managing conflict
• Effective project communications
• Influencing strategies
• Persuasion and negotiation
• Conflict management
• Leadership styles and motivation
• Team dynamics
• Managing virtual / remote teams.

What are the course objectives?

Participants leave the course confident that they understand the concept and practise of conducting health checks. Additionally they will have been equipped with a variety of tools and techniques that will allow them to conduct effective health checks.

What content is covered?

The course breaks into five components, covered under the topics area.

What are the key topics?

• the purpose and philosophy supporting health checks, this includes the attitude and rationales that support the delivery of successful health checks
• communications, how to translate the under-pinning models into the health-check environment and how to overcome the barriers that arise
• techniques, including a detailed explanation of the critical models and hints on their application
• outputs of the health check process and how to provoke effective actions as a result of the report/feedback given to the recipient/s
• consolidation of the lessons learned.

What are the course objectives?

Engaging stakeholders is frequently cited as a common reason for the success or failure of projects or programmes. This course will help you apply real discipline and focus to this cornerstone of project and programme success. It will help you to place the objective identification, evaluation, engagement and management of key stakeholders at the centre of your plans.

What content is covered?

This one day master class provides a radical and illuminating assessment of all key issues in the politics of projects and several practical techniques for identifying and engaging stakeholders. Exercises are based around your own experiences: you are encouraged to identify your own stakeholder issues and develop action plans to address them in your current project or programme.

At the end of this one-day master class you will be armed with a set of detailed next steps to take into your current project environment.

What are the key topics?

• Systematic analysis of the concept of ‘stakeholder’
• Identifying the role and relevance of various stakeholders
• Understanding the importance of stakeholder perspective
• Identifying and using different communication styles
• Getting stakeholders ‘on board’
• Using the hierarchies of power and influence within organisations
• Meeting stakeholders’ definitions of success

What are the course objectives?

The course provides the additional disciplines and experiences necessary to successfully run contractual projects. To examine the whole project lifecycle and understand where contracting is appropriate and how it may be developed from project inception to close-out. In particular delegates will gain an understanding of the commercial and contractual issues that often sit awkwardly with the traditional time, cost and quality focus of the project manager, and how they can best work with the legal and procurement functions to ensure project success.

What content is covered?

Managing contracts within projects brings additional elements of management complexity. The project manager has to address two sets of success criteria – the project and the contract. Managing these, particularly when the project environment contains either heavy political influences or multiple supplier concerns, and often considerable regulatory or statutory constraints, requires a level of knowledge that few project managers inherently possess. This course specifically addresses the concerns associated with delivery and implementation of change using contractually based projects. It ensures a sound understanding of the critical need to incorporate contractual requirements at the project’s inception, then to define and agree successful terms of engagement with the other party, establish effective ‘incentive’ schemes and then monitor and manage the contractual relationship to ensure the project can be delivered successfully.

What are the key topics?

• internal and external contracting implications
• defining the requirements sufficiently to contract the work
• contractual vehicles and their effect on the project
• relationship management and the link to contracts
• the procurement lifecycle and best practices based on European Procurement Directive guideline
• the project and contractual lifecycle from strategy to close out
• partitioning the work – the risks and reward syndrome
• contract management, behaviours and success factors
• the communication conundrum – clarity in written and oral interchanges
• contracting language and its true meanings.

What are the course objectives?

The course provides a comprehensive introduction and practical application of earned value analysis and management. Delegates will learn to understand the project mission and translate it into products, outcomes and benefits and the need for measurement. They will explore product breakdown structures and how they relate to the project mission and EVA.

What content is covered?

Typically the content will be customised to the clients need. However, in general our clients choose to cover a selection of the following modules.

What are the key topics?

• understanding the project mission
• designing appropriate measurement frameworks
• charting progress – using milestone charts
• practical issues in collecting and interpreting data
• understanding products, outcomes and benefits
• product breakdown structures
• building your EVA from the ground up
• how to make it work in your environment.