Project Management is the discipline of carefully projecting or planning, organizing,
motivating and controlling resources to achieve specific goals and meet specific
success criteria. A project is a temporary endeavor designed to produce a unique
product, service or result with a defined beginning and end (usually time-constrained,
and often constrained by funding or deliverables) undertaken to meet unique goals and
objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value.
What do the following scenarios have in common?
- Installing a new subway system
- Training 10,000 employees in Six Sigma
- Developing a new product or service
- Putting together an SCM conference
- Planning a holiday dinner party
They all have sequential activities, are unique, have a beginning and end, are
constrained by limited resources, result in an end product or service and have a
contingency plan.
Prior to the stages below, any potential project (that will be funded by your company)
must pass the “litmus” test. This test includes factors such a compelling business case,
stakeholder buy-in, a contingency plan and a Charter (the document that “green-lights”
it). If managed properly all projects will ultimately go through key phases or stages.
The first phase is: planning - which will involve a WBS – Work Breakdown Structure, a
Responsibility Matrix – who does what and a Network Diagram – that shows the Critical
Path.
The second phase is execution - which includes properly managing the team, rolling out
change management and resolving conflicts. The third phase is monitoring (reviewing
progress)-controlling (make changes to bring the project back on course – which
primary involves measuring and reporting performance. The final phase is close-out -
which ensures that the deliverables are met and “lessons-learned” are documented.
The back-bone of any project is a good team and a good team leader. Key players in
the project team include the sponsor – who prepares the Charter (from above) and gets
senior management approval, the director who sanctions the project, the manager who
leads the project and the members who participate and contribute. All of above is
deployed properly and lead to good 21st Century Project Management.
To support all of the above, this course will be featured in SCE’s virtual classroom with
all of the functionality featured in our DEMO and based on our teams working with major
corporations in BIC-Best-In-Class practices. It will be a blend of educational topics,
pertinent case studies, and practical stories based on past practices. You will learn vital
skill sets but also have fun!
Session Objectives
Upon completion of the 21st Century Project Management course, the participant will:
• compare and contrast the key project characteristics as noted above
• review the pre-project factors including the use of a SWOT Analysis, a feasibility
study (why management should fund this project), stakeholder buy-in and a
contingency plan
• understand the planning phase which includes the SOW – Statement of Work, the
WBS – Work Breakdown Structure (with key “milestones”), the Responsibility Matrix
(who does what) and the CPM – Critical Path Method (the activities that are
sequential)
• utilize the “slack-time” – PERT approach in compliment to CPM above
• understand the execution phase which includes optimizing the team and going
through the four stages of change management
• understand the monitoring-controlling phase which includes as a part of
measurement the EVMS – Earned Value Management System which is also called
the theory of Triple Constraints where cost, schedule and performance must be
managed
• understand the close-out phase where the close-out meeting is conducted, a closing
report is prepared and lessons-learned are document so that in the future, we don’t
repeat the “mistakes of the past”
• interrelate the Six Sigma methodology with project management, including the
DMAIC approach
• incorporate key project management tools created from the advent of TQM – Total
Quality Management
• compare and contrast the key team participants including the sponsor, director,
manager and member
• show the correlation between these representatives and the “belt” status in Six
Sigma
• Look at the characteristics of both a strong team leader and a strong performing
team
• Interweave the “Kaizen” – continuous improvement philosophy into project
management
• Review key process improvement areas such as “Value-Stream Mapping” and
“Lean”
For a small additional fee you can receive your certificate of completion from Missouri State University.
