Project management (3-days)
Target Audience
This workshop is designed for everyone who has a proactive role in projects.
Objectives
The workshop explores the entire lifecycle of a project, from the initiation (project proposal) till the hand-over of the project result (close out report). It includes the structural and methodological aspects of project management, the so called ‘hard skills’, as well as the soft skills such as leadership and communication. For a more in-depth training on these soft skills, we gladly bring you in contact with other colleagues in our network.
Duration
This workshop takes three days of 6 hours of training
Day 1: Understanding the structure and process-based approach of projects
Day 2: Specific attention to the techniques of scheduling and follow-up
Day 3: Principles of transversal organisation and people management
Day 1 : A process-based approach
Already at the end of this first day, the participants will have an overview of the project 'life cycle' and understand the most important structural elements to shape the project approach. In an interactive way, the participants are urged to identify these elements in their own projects.
Definitions
- Differences and similarities between 'projects' and 'processes'
- What do 'project' and 'methodology' mean really ?
- Project, programme, and portfolio management
A process-based approach
- The respective importance of project 'initiation' and 'close-out' in particular
- Sponsor and other stakeholders
- Active listening, a basic skill !
- Life cycle, phasing in, scope, issue & change management
Keep your project under control
- The 'devil's' triangle and the 'Bermuda' triangle
- The Project Execution Plan (template)
- Progress reporting (dashboard)
Day 2 : Scheduling and Follow-up
Today we specifically examine the scheduling methods you can use to keep control over the project. The secret ? A realistic planning (including risk-analysis) and a regular progress reporting based on the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure). At the end of the day we will introduce the iterative approach of Agile & Scrum (see also our specific workshop on this).
Planning techniques
- Work Breakdown Structure => concrete tips & tricks for the definition and follow-up of assignments
- Exercise on planning => network planning AoN Gantt chart, milestones, critical path, critical chain
- Budgeting and cash-flow management
- Exercise on risk-analysis, applied to the participants' own project
Agile & Scrum
- The origin and importance (Agile Manifesto)
- Introduction to the main concepts by stepping through the iterative approach
- Discussion: how does that fit (or not) in my project ?
Day 3 : The project organisation
In day 3 we explore the roles and responsibilities within a transversal, client centred organization and the therefore required social skills.
‘Tilting’ the organization
- The ‘client oriented’ organization
- From hierarchical thinking to 'self-steering teams'
A structured approach
- The position of the project team within the organization
- Project communication
- Roles and responsibilities
- Dysfunctional roles
Social skills
- Leadership vs. Management
- The 4 stages of team building
- Handling conflicts
- Colour test: discover your personal interaction profile