Managing business projects successfully

A one-day workshop

This introductory project management training programme gives a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental principles and practice of project management.

It’s an ideal programme for those operating in non-technical environments. A lot of project management training programmes assume a traditional project environment. But we live in a service-based economy and most projects today fall outside the traditional model. This programme reflects that reality, using the tried-and-tested project management tools and techniques but helping participants apply them to the types of project met with more commonly in practice.

Learning objectives

This highly engaging and participative workshop will help participants:

  • Gain a solid understanding of project management principles and methodologies
  • Develop essential skills for effective project planning, including use of common software tools
  • Improve their mastery of the skills essential to project execution and control, both ‘soft’ skills and ‘technical’
  • Adopt a continuous performance improvement approach to learning lessons from every project delivered, both for themselves and for their teams

By the end of this programme, participants will have a strong foundation in project management principles and be equipped to contribute effectively to project teams, whether as team members or aspiring project managers.

Who should attend?

This motivational and practical programme is designed for those responsible for business projects, especially those being undertaken in environments where a project management approach is not necessarily traditional. No prior knowledge or experience in project management is required. Ideally, participants should also already a basic understanding of business concepts and possess good communication and teamwork skills – this is an opportunity to build on those skills, rather than starting from scratch.

Format

A very practical, interactive one-day session for a maximum group size of 12.

The style is upbeat and motivational. Short sessions from the trainer cover the key concepts, theories, and best practice. Case studies of real-world project team scenarios are used to help participants understand, through practical exercises, the practical application of project management principles. Participants are encouraged to share their insights, experiences, and challenges related to project management. Quizzes and self-assessments help participants’ understanding of the principles discussed and potential self-development issues.

Special features

This one-day programme can be delivered face-to-face or virtually – the choice is yours. If virtual, you can choose whether to retain the one-day format or have two half-day sessions instead. Either way, virtual or on-site, participants are assured of the same high-quality learning experience.

Expert trainer

Graham specialises in providing high-quality consultancy, coaching and training in project management, client relationships and stakeholder management, and personal productivity. Over the last twenty-five years he has personally trained or coached over 30,000 business professionals. He is a member of the International Institute of Coaching and a qualified NLP Master Trainer. His work has taken him all over the world and involved him in working closely with hundreds of different organisations from all business sectors, his client list including such organisations as BT, Vodafone, AT&T, Orange, Pfizer, GSK, Boots, Unilever, American Express, Thomas Cook, Apple, Sony, Motorola, Cisco, MFI, Barclays Bank, LIFFE, Abbey National, Prison Service, Home Office, Law Society, BBC, Daimler-Chrysler, Citroen, Weetabix, Nikon, Shell and many, many others.

Graham has written over twenty books, published in several different countries, including Working Smarter, Companies don’t succeed – people do!, and Customer Relationship Management.

Known internationally as both a trainer/coach and a popular motivational speaker, he believes that effective learning has to be interactive and challenging. All his learning events are built around practical exercises, role play and case studies. His training style focuses not on just explaining new ideas or developing new skills, but also on motivating people to use them and to develop themselves as individuals. This approach gets results, as the following comments from programme participants show:

‘Brilliant course, really interesting and very focused to my job role and day to day work.’

‘Took away some very good ideas that I can use every day… good examples too.’

‘Very confident in the subject, and amusing too. Made the course very interesting. A very clear model to use going forward.’

‘Extremely well presented and structured’

1 Introduction to project management

  • Understanding the concept of a project
  • Key characteristics and elements of a project
  • The role of a project manager
  • Overview of project management methodologies (Waterfall, Agile, etc)
  • Project initiation and defining project objectives
  • Identifying stakeholders and their roles

2 Project planning

  • Developing a project scope statement
  • Defining project deliverables and milestones
  • Creating a work breakdown structure (WBS)
  • Estimating project duration and resources
  • Developing a project schedule using Gantt charts
  • Risk identification and analysis
  • Introduction to project management software tools

3 Project execution and control

  • Team-building and managing project resources
  • Effective communication and stakeholder engagement
  • Monitoring project progress and performance
  • Managing project risks and issues
  • Change management and scope control
  • Quality management in projects
  • Introduction to project documentation and reporting

4 Project closure and lessons learned

  • Project closure activities and handover process
  • Conducting a project review and evaluation
  • Capturing lessons learned for future projects
  • Celebrating project success and recognising team contributions
  • Introduction to advanced project management concepts
  • Overview of project management certifications and career paths

Any questions? Please just give us a call on 01582 463463 – we’re here to help!