Stakeholder assessment & management |
From the reading and lectures, learn the techniques for assessing project situations in terms of the stakeholders’ hot button issues and constraints in the business situation. Then apply what you have learned by watching a movie of a project manager meeting with stakeholders and assess what the PM did right and wrong. Send your assessment to your instructor for feedback. |
High-level project planning |
Read the textbook and listen to the lectures about advanced techniques for transforming stakeholder wants into a cohesive project plan. Then apply these same techniques to your first project case study, which involves multiple stakeholders and conflicting objectives. Assess the project situation and send your assessment to your instructor. In addition, arrange a convenient time for your first live simulation where you will meet with these stakeholders (role-played by your instructor) and negotiate the business outcome the project should deliver. You’ll get live feedback on your techniques and on the scope and achievement network you develop based on this meeting. |
Project charter |
Learn about accountability, authority and change control from the readings and lecture. Then apply those techniques to the project case study and your live online meeting with the executives where you negotiate the scope and resolve the conflicts between them. Based on that meeting, you’ll write a charter with resource requirements, authority and accountability recommendations. You’ll also recommend a change control procedure for the project. Submit the final scope and charter to your instructor and receive written feedback and coaching. |
Estimating |
From the reading and lectures, learn three estimating techniques for duration and budget. Then apply what you have learned to the second project case study and develop order of magnitude estimates for the president of the company. Submit your work to your instructor for feedback and coaching and arrange a mutually convenient time for your mid-course phone call. |
Building dynamic project schedules with work estimates |
Learn to build dynamic project schedules using resource driven scheduling with work estimates and resource capacities in the reading and lectures. Then apply these techniques to the second project case study to build a dynamic model of the project schedule, budget and resource allocation. Send it to your instructor for feedback and coaching. |
Modeling Trade-offs between scope, cost and duration |
Learn the techniques for developing and presenting alternative project outcomes to executives in the reading and lectures. Then apply those techniques to the MS Project® schedule and budget you developed in the previous assignment. Send your instructor your presentation of the quantified tradeoffs for feedback and coaching |
Risk Management |
In the reading and lectures, learn practical techniques for analyzing project risks and crafting responses to reduce or eliminate their impact on the project. Then apply these techniques to the second project case study. You will identify and quantify the risks the project faces, using a bit of statistics we'll teach you. Submit your risk management plan to your instructor for feedback. |
Work estimating and crafting team member assignments |
In the reading and lectures, learn techniques for estimating with project team members and using our work package template. Then apply the ideas to one assignment and team member in your second project case study. Send your completed work package with requirements to your instructor for feedback and personal coaching. |
Approval presentation |
Use the estimates, trade-offs and risk information from the preceding three assignments in a live simulation of a project presentation where your cost and duration exceed the sponsor’s expectation by a significant margin. Present the trade-offs and options using the techniques covered in the readings and lectures and receive personal feedback and coaching from your instructor. |
Team development & performance problems |
In the readings and lectures, learn techniques for effectively coping with team member performance problems and variance to the plan. Then apply what you have learned by watching and critiquing a movie of a project manager dealing with a team member who has performance problems. Submit your assessment to your instructor for feedback. |
Tracking, problems and solutions |
From reading assignments and lectures, learn advanced techniques for identifying and solving project problems, as well as accurately forecasting completion dates and costs. You will also learn techniques for making effective status reports. Then apply what you have learned by watching a movie of a status report to stakeholders and identifying the good and bad elements of a project manager’s performance. Last, track actual results and change requests on the third and most complex project case study. You will mange this project through two cycles of status and change requests and use the earned value and variance techniques you have read about. Last, present the status report and answer questions in a live simulated status meeting online with your instructor. |
