Project Planning, Scheduling, Communicating & Implementing

3 days

Objective

The purpose of this course is to introduce delegates to the principles of planning and organising short-term and long-term schedules at personal and team level, by practising the various techniques and disciplines required to promote effective planning and scheduling.The final day of this course explores the different skills and techniques required to influence participants to a project, together with formalising and documentinginformation.

Who Should Attend?

All staff involved in estimating, planning and controlling projects

Learning Outcomes

Prepare estimates of effort and duration required for the project
Develop outlined and detailed project plans showing activities, relationships, resources and timescales.
Agree and implement procedures to monitor the project
Develop and improve listening skills
Understand and utilise voice projection and variation
Presenting technical information in a non-technical manner
Absorb and organise information succinctly

Prerequisites

No prior experience in project management is assumed

Day 1

Understanding a Project Definition
Project Characteristics

Estimating Techniques

Types of Estimates
Breakdown of Project Effort by Stage
Basic Rules for Estimating
Estimating Task Effort
Contingencies
Refining Estimates
Understanding Soft and Hard Plans
Allowances and Contingency

Outline Planning

Calculating Staff Availability
Performance Adjustment
Time Contingency

Planning Techniques

Dependency Tables
Activity Networks
Time Analysis

Practical Session

Day 2

Resourcing and Task Allocation

Task Allocation
Planning Work Programmes
Resource Planning
Time Contingency
Resource Smoothing
Resourcing Issues
An Overview of Change Control
Quality Control Overview

Progress Control

Agreeing the Monitoring Process
Collecting Performance Data
Producing Control Reports
Estimated Completion Date
Actioning Control Reports
Project Management Reports
Progress Reports

Day 3

Listening Techniques

Learning How to Listen
Interpreting Messages Said

Speaking Effectively

Using voice projection, tone and body language to communicate more convincingly
Learning how to invite and encourage dialogue
Understanding how to strategically control communication

Written Communication

Planning written communication
Identifying and targeting recipients
Outlining and structuring reports
Making written communication clear, effective and concise

Organising Information

Outlining written communication
Creating visual procedural maps
Summarising received and communicated data