An Intro to the Technical Processes of Project Management

This course introduces and briefly explains many of the principles of the technical processes of project management (time and resource planning and management), including the five primary obstacles to successful project management and a debunking and analysis of many of the misconceptions of these methodologies.   

The five primary obstacles to successful Project Management

• Apathy – Lack of commitment; lack of buy-in

• Ego – Denial;

• Fear – The dilemma of  planning projects; fear of consequences; fear of help

• Ignorance – How smart people can also be ignorant; lot to learn;

• Project Management Software – The issues and problems with project management software tools in Time Analysis and Detail Resource Planning

The Key Technical Processes of Project Management

• An introduction to Time Analysis (Critical Path Method or CPM)

• An introduction to Resource Planning

• An introduction to performance measurement and performance management

• An introduction to the integration methodologies (Vertical, Horizontal and Cost-Schedule or EV methodologies)

• An introduction to Risk and Opportunity Management

The primary problems and issues with conducting Time Analysis in a project management software applications
(Microsoft Project, Oracle Primavera, Deltek Open Plan, Aurea Artemis, etc.)

• The proper use and abuse of Date Targets / Constraints

• The various types of relationships (task dependencies) and their proper uses

• When and where lag values on relationships are proper, and when they are improper

• Neglect of the Backward Pass (Late Start and Late Finish dates) and its consequences

• The proper ways to status project models and the impact of improper methods

Intro to Time Analysis

• The basics of CPM ( Forward and Backward Passes plus Float calculation)

• Introducing the many critical fields of Time Analysis

• Introducing some of the issues, errors and idiosyncrasies of project management software

Intro to Detail Resource Planning

• Introducing the two primary methods of Detail Resource Planning

• Exposing the myths and misconceptions of Resource Planning in existing project management software

• Introducing the key Detail Resource Planning Variables:  [Estimated work to accomplish each task (labor-hours); Schedule of each task (time); and time-phased resource availability]

Intro to Performance Measurement and Management

• Introducing the principles of Performance Measurement (Effects of Change and Status)

• Introducing the principles of Performance Management

• Introducing the key Integration Methodologies (Vertical; Horizontal; and Cost-Schedule or EV)

• Introducing Risk and Opportunity measurement, analysis and management

Debunking:

• The misconceptions of how the CPM process works or should work

• What Total Float / Total Slack really are

• The reality of negative float / slack

• The resource planning capabilities of ALL project management software