Mastering Methodologies: Enhanced Competencies for the Project Manager (Virtual Learning Series)

PM College’s Virtual Learning Series focuses on both leadership and technical skills – two areas where project managers need to excel to support their team and achieve overall objectives of their projects.  The Developing the Adaptive Leader Series and the Mastering Methodologies Series consist of highly engaging and interactive Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) modules to support the growth of your project managers.  Your team can attend this training together, no matter where they are located.

Each module within the series is three hours in length, awards three PDUs or Contact Hours, and is virtually facilitated by one of our experienced instructors at a time that works best for the participants.  Select modules from each series to build a tailored program that includes the most relevant technical and leadership skills that fit your audience.

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How It Works

These modules are Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) sessions are led by one of our talented facilitators during a scheduled time using the AdobeConnect platform. Session materials, including certificate of completions, are distributed to participants using PM College’s learning management system (LMS). Participants achieve three PDUs or Contact Hours for each module they successfully complete. 

Mastering Methodologies: Enhanced Competencies for the Project Manager Series

PM College’s Mastering Methodologies Series allows leaders to choose what skills they want to further build across multiple project management approaches.  Each 3-hour module focuses on a different topic to support the success of both the leader and the organization.  These modules can be scheduled individually or combined with other modules to build a more comprehensive program.

Adaptive Project Management

Today’s projects need to be responsive to customers’ needs at the speed of business.  Changes to requirements, markets, and regulatory environments that affect the project are becoming more common; and adaptive project management is a major part of delivering value in this fluid environment.  This module offers an overview of adaptive project management approaches including incremental, iterative, agile, and hybrid.

• Define adaptive project management
• Describe when to use adaptive project management
• Overview the types of adaptive project management approaches
• Discuss the Lean tools commonly used in adaptive project management activities
• Facilitated discussion
  • Advantages and disadvantages of adaptive project management approaches
  • Experiences with Lean tools

Defining the Project Scope

Poorly defined scope is a frequent cause of troubled projects.  This module provides tools and techniques to better define project scope.

• Define product scope
• Define project scope
• Describe the elements of a scope statement
• Describe rolling wave planning
• Identify characteristics of a work package/product backlog items
• Facilitated discussions/ exercises
  • Develop a project scope statement
  • Develop a high level WBS/ roadmap

Developing the Project Schedule in the Predictive (Waterfall) Environment

While many organizations are pushing to go “agile,” predictive project management (and the waterfall approach) is still superior for certain types of projects and in some phases of hybrid projects.  This module overviews an approach to use the work packages to develop the project schedule, which can result in better schedule management.

• Describe schedule terminology
• Identify the relationship between the WBS and the schedule
• Describe techniques for time estimation
• Identify how to construct a precedence diagram method (PDM) network diagram
• Identify the critical path and its uses
• Facilitated discussions/ exercises
  • Estimate time for WBS work packages for a portion of the WBS
  • Construct a precedence diagram method (PDM) network diagram

Estimating the Schedule in Adaptive and Hybrid Environments

Adaptive project management and hybrid project management require different approaches to scheduling than traditional project management.  This module provides an overview of a variety of approaches to use in multiple environments.

• Identify the difference in scheduling in an adaptive project management compared to predictive project management
• Describe scheduling techniques in adaptive approaches
• Explain what estimating and scheduling techniques are used in hybrid project management
• Facilitated discussions/ exercises
  • Contrast the strengths and weaknesses of the various estimating techniques in adaptive project management

Risk Management

Risk management is an integral part of successfully managing projects. This module reviews the steps in the risk management process and identifies tools, techniques, and methods to implement an effective risk management process.

• Describe the seven steps of the risk management process
• Identify tools and techniques used for developing a list of risks
• Describe how to relate each risk to the WBS
• Define the process for prioritizing risks
• Describe the risk responses for both positive and negative risks
• Facilitated discussions/ exercises
  • Risk identification
  • Prioritizing risks and developing strategies for dealing with the top risks

At-a-glance

Course Length: Three hours per module

Professional Development Units (PDUs): 3 per module

Benefits: Support the growth of project managers by building a tailored learning program.