Plan and Monitor with Project Management Tools

Course Overview

Course Outline

• Project Management Framework

• Importance of Planning

• Project Management Tools

  • Introducing a Tool (e.g. Microsoft Project) 

  • The benefits of the Tool

  • Practical: Show the Tool

• Components of a Plan

• Product & Project Scope

• How to do Requirement Gathering 

• Project Scope

• Practical: Select A Case Study

• Practical on Tool: Create a Project Folder

• Practical on Tool: Assign holidays in Project Calendar

• What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

• Create WBS (e.g. Hierarchical or Mind Mapping)

• Practical-Create a WBS for the selected business case

• Identify Work Packages

• Perform a WBS Quality Check

• Practical on Tool - Create WBS 

• Decompose the WBS to Activity List

• Sequencing Activities

• Understanding the Early Start, Early Finish

• Estimating Durations

• Identify the critical path & Float

• Practical - Draw a network diagram

• Benefits using Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling

• Identifying Milestones

• Practical on Tool – Decompose WBS further

• Practical on Tool – Insert Predecessors and Successors

• Practical on Tool – Insert Durations

• Practical on Tool – See the Critical path and the float

• Practical on Tool – Document Tasks

• Understanding People

• RACI Matrix

• Practical - Draw a RACI Matrix

• Develop a Resource Management plan

• Practical on Tool 

  • Examining resources allocations over time

  • Create a Resource Calendar

  • Resource Levelling overall 

  • Assigning resources to tasks

  • Assigning material resources to tasks

  • Cost Time Resource (CTR)

  • Understanding Effort Driven

  • Cost Management Plan

• Plan on how and who will be managing cost

• How to estimate costs

• Estimate Costs 

• Prepare Budget 

• Practical on Tool – Assign estimates

• Practical on Tool - Budget

• Plan how to Monitor Cost through Earned Value Analysis

• Identify the project manager's role in cost control

  • What are Baselines

• Practical on Tool – Set Baselines

  • Communication 

• Schedule and Cost S-Curves

• Practical on Tool - Prepare Reports

• Create a Custom Report 

• Modify a Custom Report's Header and Footer 

• Add a Picture to a Report 

• Modify a Custom Report's Margins 

• Print a Custom Report

• Correct Plan with changes

• Practical on Tool - Finalise Baselines

• Monitoring & Controlling Project

• Importance of tracking your scope, schedules & budget

• Practical - Case Study: Scenarios introduced

• Practical on Tool – Update your schedules

• Practical on Tool – Monitor your baselines

• Practical on Tool – Check on CPI and SPI

• Schedule Compression - Fast-tracking or Crashing

• Project Close

• What is expected from Administration Closure

• What are Lessons Learnt

• Practical on Tool- Capture Lessons Learnt by comparing Actual to Baseline

Target Audience

Learning Outcome

• Project Management Life Cycle & PMI®’s knowledge areas 
• Importance of a comprehensive project plan 
• How to manage the schedule
• How to manage the budget
• How to develop an Integrated Project Plan using tools (e.g. Microsoft Project)
• How to Monitor & Control Projects Effectively
  • Tracking Progress on task and Assignments
• Project Close Activities including Lessons Learned