Corporate & Professional Development

Practical Project Management

Video Introduction Closed Captioned

Project management is an essential skill in today’s business world. Organizations are faced with increasing pressure to complete projects within shorter time frames and with smaller budgets than in the past. Professionals need a workable method to ensure that their projects are profitable and aligned with the strategic goals of their organization.

Practical Project Management provides professionals with the essential skills they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive job market. Based on The Project Management Body of Knowledge®, this highly interactive course combines expert instruction with case studies and team exercises. In addition to technical competencies, the course covers the human and political aspects of project management by using examples from students’ own projects.

Topics

  1. The 5 phases of a project
  2. Project Management life cycles
  3. Organizational structure and its influence on projects
  4. Time and cost estimates
  5. Project budgets and calendar-based schedules
  6. Risks and Risk Management Plan
  7. Project monitoring and control
  8. Procurement planning
  9. Quality planning and control
  10. Project integration with business requirements
  11. Project reporting

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  1. Initiate, Plan, Execute, Control, and Monitor & Close a project and will be shown how to apply the nine PMBOK Guide® knowledge areas to each phase of a project.
  2. Assume the role of Project Manager in their company or organization.
  3. Develop and manage a complex project plan based on one of three case studies. This approach has the advantage of thoroughly covering each knowledge area while applying it in the context of real-world project work.
  4. Pursue learning through real world experiences and case studies. In addition to technical competencies, the course emphasizes the psychology and politics of the craft by using examples from participants’ and the instructor’s own projects.

When you complete this course, you’ll be ready to assume the role of Project Manager and you’ll receive the 35 educational contact hours (3.5 CEUs) required to apply for PMP certification. This is a non-credit course. This course is graded on a pass/fail basis; no letter grades are awarded.

Instructor

Tim Kress
timkress@timkress.net

Tim Kress has been an enterprise project manager, technical advisor and consultant for the past 16 years in the communications, banking, and software industries. He specializes in helping professionals and organizations develop their project management capabilities.

Tim is in his sixth year as a Faculty Lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Boston. He teaches the classroom as well as the online version of Practical Project Management.

Tim holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a MBA from Johnson & Wales University. He is PMP certified by the Project Management Institute.