Manage projects

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to plan for, follow up on and control all aspects of an IT project.

Target audience
IT project managers, group managers and department heads.

Prerequisites
Participation in at least one IT project.

Topics covered

• Why manage projects? Key issues, success factors and lessons learned
• Roles and responsibilities of the project manager
• Principles behind project management: breakdown of work (planning and control), levels of intervention (strategic, tactical and operational), typical project structures and cycles as well as the benefits of project management
• Strategic level planning: defining the project charter (mandate)
• Tactical level planning: implementing a global plan, management by deliverables, estimating risks and costs, building a schedule
• Operational planning: detailed plan
• Operational tracking: metrics for measuring progress, earned value and individual reviews
• Tactical tracking: project committees, change requests and progress reports
• Strategic tracking: steering committees
• Case studies

Note: Even though the course includes a case study based on information technology, the same concepts and principles apply to all types of projects.

Accredited course.
18 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to improve the performance of a project team using advanced concepts in project management.

Target audience
Project managers, crew leaders and department heads.

Prerequisites
Knowledge of project management (Course GE101).

Topics covered

• The importance of the project charter and the project plan
• Logical Frame Method: requirements definition (short term and long term) in support of the project charter (mandate)
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Development: importance of the WBS, factors and challenges to consider
• Developing a schedule: evaluating the duration of activities including Function Points Analysis (FPA)
• Cost evaluation methods: parametric, detailed and analogous
• Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Schedule optimization: crashing, fast-tracking and resource leveling
• Introduction to the Critical Chain method: Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM)
• Critical Chain method vs Critical Path Method
• Advanced Earned Value
• Simulations, exercises and case studies

Accredited course.
12 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to identify, quantify and manage project risk.

Target audience
Project managers, crew leaders and department heads.

Prerequisites
Knowledge of project management (Course GE101).

Topics covered

• Fundamentals: definitions
• Project Risk Management methodology
• Risk tolerance assessment of individuals: Utility Theory
• Risk Management Plan (RMP) development
• Risk identification: logical frame, stakeholder analysis (SWOT), WBS, schedule and budget
• Qualitative analysis techniques: risk qualifiers, prioritization, risk matrix and ISO-risk diagram
• Quantitative analysis techniques: PERT, Monte-Carlo, expected monetary value (EMV) and decision trees
• Developing a Risk Response Plan (RRP): possible risk response strategies and contingency planning
• Reserves assessment: management reserves and contingency reserves
• Risk monitoring and control
• Case studies, simulations and role play

Accredited course.
12 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to describe the components of a project management office and to ensure its efficient implementation.

Target audience
Project managers, team leaders and department heads.

Prerequisites
Knowledge of project management (Course GE101).

Topics covered

• Definition of an efficient project management office
• Types of project management offices
• Roles and potential functions of a project management office
• Competency continuum
• Developing good practices
• Maturity level in project management: corporate appraisal
• Project portfolio management and mechanisms used to select projects
• Developing project life cycles and templates
• Organizing a project management office
• Charter of a project management office
• Implementation plan for a project management office
• Project reviews and audits
• Exercises and case studies

Accredited course.
12 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to implement the concepts of critical chain project management in order to reduce the costs and duration of a project.

Target audience
Project managers, team leaders and department heads.

Prerequisites
Knowledge of project management (Course GE101).

Topics covered

• Planning and control: important steps to achieving successful projects
• Evaluating the duration of activities
• Introduction to the theory of constraints (TOC) and the critical chain approach
• Principles of the critical chain methodology: avoiding multitasking and overestimating times, identifying constraints and managing buffers
• Critical path method (CPM) vs. critical chain (CCPM)
• The critical chain approach in a multiple project environment
• Implementing the critical chain methodology in a corporate environment
• Computer simulations
• Exercises and case studies

Accredited course.
12 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to establish and manage a project portfolio or a group of projects in order to efficiently track and control multiple projects.

Target audience
Project managers, team leaders and department heads.

Prerequisites
Knowledge of project management (Course GE101).

Topics covered

• Definitions: project portfolio vs. program
• Strategic alignment of projects: links between project selection and strategic planning
• Establishing a Project Life Cycle (PLC): Gating System
• The process of prioritizing projects: business-case development and selection tools
• Establishing a portfolio management process
• Portfolio planning: integrated resource management and multi-project staffing
• Portfolio tracking and control: dashboards, performance indicators and status reports
• Portfolio management tools
• Computer simulations
• Exercises and case studies

Accredited course.
12 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to describe the phases of a procurement cycle and to effectively plan, track and control a contract.

Target audience
Project managers, team leaders, department heads and contract administrators.

Prerequisites
None.

Topics covered

• Contractual obligations and legal aspects
• Types of agreements: outsourcing and Service Level Agreements (SLA)
• Procurement planning: the link with risk management, make-or-buy analysis and scope of work (SOW)
• Solicitation planning: types of specifications, types of solicitation documents, contractual forms, evaluation criteria and implementation of a qualified suppliers list
• Solicitation: forms of solicitation
• Selecting a vendor: evaluation of proposals and negotiation techniques
• Contracts management: monitoring compliance and performance indicators, quality assurance and control, change requests management
• Closing out contracts: evaluation of vendors and contract renewals

Accredited course.
12 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to evaluate the best long-term investment opportunities for anticipated or currently held funds.

Target audience
Managers, controllers and project leaders.

Prerequisites
Experience in management and finance.

Topics covered

• The risk-reward relationship
• Financial mathematics
• The notion of weighted average cost of capital (WACC)
• Separating the investment decision and financing
• Marginal analysis
• Investment selection criteria
• Payback period (PBP)
• Net Asset Value (NAV)
• Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
• The influence of Canadian fiscal policies on investment choices
• Investment decisions and inflation
• Capital structure and optimal financing decisions

Accredited course.
12 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to use the main features of Microsoft Project to manage projects in information technology or in any other field.

Target audience
Corporate managers, project managers and anyone else involved in project management.

Prerequisites
Knowledge of Windows.

Topics covered

• Microsoft Project features
• Defining and planning tasks
• Linking tasks to activities: different types of interdependence, prerequisites and delays, multiple links
• Constraint dates
• Defining, assigning and managing resources
• Critical path
• Monitoring progress: registering the initial plan, and update techniques
• Performing budget analysis and cost control
• Optimizing the project plan
• Analyzing results: using tables and filters, posting information
• Producing management reports

Note: Although the course is presented using Project 2003 or 2007, the functionality described is equally available in Project 2000 and 2002.

Accredited course.
12 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to use the advanced planning capabilities of MS Project 2002/2003/2007.

Target audience
Corporate managers, project managers and anyone else involved in project management.

Prerequisites
Practical experience with MS Project 2000/2002/2003/2007 (Course GE102).

Topics covered

• Sharing resources within multiple projects: resource audits, connecting and disconnecting
• Managing multiple projects: the master project, inter-project links, and protection of resources
• Work hours vs. elapsed time
• The work profile of resources, audit and calendar
• Creating and customizing views, tables, filters, reports and templates
• Use of multiple planning bases
• Managing work groups with Outlook
• Creating calculated fields and indicators
• Creating and using entry formulas
• Added value features: extracting data and creating graphics
• Use of PERT analysis functions
• Exchanging information with other applications: importing, exporting, HTML format
• Customization options

Note: Although the course is presented using Project 2003 or 2007, the functionality described is also available in Project 2000 and 2002.

Accredited course.
12 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to effectively manage all steps of Website design, from establishing needs to managing the site.

Target audience
Anyone in charge of managing a Website or intranet development project.

Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of the Internet.

Topics covered

• Characteristics of the medium
• Logistics and design
• Development phases: planning, functional specifications, architecture, modeling, interface design and scenario creation, dummy layout, programming of interactive components and output
• Content inventory
• Deployment, quality control, launch, training, documentation, promotion, evaluation and maintenance
• Basic rules of design for easy-to-manage Websites and intranets
• Various types of contracts
• Personnel involved in the process
• Costs to consider
• Characteristics of Web content management
• Case study

Accredited course.
12 PDU

Objective
To provide the knowledge and skills required to describe the concepts involved in the management of an E-Learning project, and to define the policies and procedures needed to analyze, design, develop, manage and evaluate such projects.

Target audience
Anyone responsible for evaluating the feasibility and requirements for an E-Learning project, or for managing its development.

Prerequisites
Familiarity with the principles of E-Learning (Course WE 141).

Topics covered

• The policies and procedures used in managing an E-Learning project
• Systematic analysis of requirements
• Project management applications
• Transferring training elements (classroom, work teams, coaching) to the E-Learning environment
• Aligning E-Learning strategies with the corporate vision
• Portal technologies: LMS, LCMS, CMS, etc.
• Training objectives and evaluation
• Scenario guides and templates
• Media resources: images, graphics, text, videos, animations
• International norms and standards: Scorm and Normetic
• Development phases, testing prototypes
• Planning and coordinating the delivery of training
• Procedures and schedules for updating E-Learning material

Accredited course.
12 PDU