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Learn the fundamentals and best practices of project management methodology as applied to IT initiatives, and practice and master the skills you need to deliver IT projects on time, within budget, and to specification. Examine all aspects of IT projects, including hardware, software, vendor relationships, communicating with different audiences, and working with local and remote teams. Learn to determine project scope, set and manage stakeholder expectations, identify and manage IT risks, and meet quality standards. Learn how to overcome the most common pitfalls of IT project success.

Students pursuing college credit recommendation or continuing education units must attend at least 90% of class time, participate in class exercises and section-knowledge checks, and score at least 70% on an end of-class, multiple-choice assessment.

Hands-On Exercises

• Create Business Case
• Establish Project Mini-Charter
• Develop Work Breakdown Structure
• Create Network Diagram and Critical Path
• Estimate Schedule and Budget
• Establish Risk Management Plan and Matrix
• Manage Change Control
• Create Final Project Report

Highlights

• Examine the IT project life cycle
• Understand project management methodologies
• Build an IT project business case, schedule, and budget
• Estimate IT project costs
• Procure human and capital resources
• Understand typical risks for IT projects
• Identify, assess, and manage risk
• Establish quality metrics
• Monitor project progress

Hands-On Exercises

• Create Business Case
• Identify the Stakeholders
• Establish Project Mini-Charter
• Develop Work Breakdown Structure
• Create Network Diagram and Critical Path
• Estimate Schedule and Budget
• Identifying Resource Requirements
• Creating Resource Calendar
• Establish Risk Management Plan and Matrix
• Create Risk Response Strategies
• Create Communication Plan
• Inform Stakeholders through Status Reports
• Using a Decision Tree to Select Vendors
• Analyze Contract Types for Deliverables
• Manage Change Control
• Create Final Project Report

Course Outline

1. IT Project Failure and Success

• Reasons for IT Project Failure
• Reasons for IT Project Success
• How to Plan for IT Project Success
• IT Projects: What Makes Them Different?

2. Project Management Foundation

• Project Management Institute's (PMI) framework
• Project Management Basics
• Project Management Life Cycle
• Project Management Knowledge Areas
• Triple Constraints of Project Management
• Types of Project Organizations

3. Project Initiation

• Project Selection and Prioritization
• Business Case Development
• Stakeholder Analysis
• Project Charter
• Project Objectives
• Constraints and Assumptions

4. Project Scope Definition

• Scope Statement
• Requirements: Defining and Gathering
  • Identifying requirements
  • Approaches to elicit requirements
  • Functional vs. technical requirements
  • Requirements traceability
• Work Breakdown Structure
  • Identifying tasks and activities
  • WBS dictionary

5. Time Management and Scheduling

• Activity Definition
• Activity Sequencing
• Estimating Activity Duration
• PERT
• Network Diagramming
• Critical Path
• Float and Lag

6. Resource Planning

• Identify Required Project Resources
• Roles and Responsibilities
• Resource Assignment Matrix
• Staffing Management
• Resource Constraints

7. Cost Management and Control

• Cost Estimating Techniques
• Types of Estimates
• Contingency and Management Reserves
• Typical IT Expenditures
• Controlling and Managing Costs
• Earned Value Analysis

8. Communications Management

• Manage Stakeholder Expectations
• Considerations for Effective Communication
• Communication Management Plan
• Project Status Report

9. Project Risk Management

• Risk Sources for the IT Project
• Stakeholder Risk Tolerance
• Risk Identification
• Risk Ranking
• Risk Triggers
• Risk Response Strategies

10. Procurement and Sourcing

• Role of the Project Manager in Procurement
• Build or Buy
• Build or Buy
• Sourcing Management
• Procurement Life Cycle
• Procurement Documents
• Contract Requirements and Legal Terms
• Contract Types

11. Project Management Methodologies

• Stage-Gate
• Organizational Project Management Maturity Model
• Critical Chain
• IT Project Management Methodologies
  • Extreme Project Management
  • Waterfall
  • Rapid Application Development
  • Rational Unified Model
  • Capability Maturity Model Integrated

12. Controlling and Managing Change

• Causes of Change
• Change Control Framework
• Integrated Change Control
• Change Control Process
• Change Control Tools

13. Quality Assurance and Control

• Creating Project Quality
• Quality Management Theories
• Quality Tools and Techniques
• IT Project Testing

14. Phase and Project Closure

• Contract Closeout
• Administrative Closure
• Lessons Learned
• Phase and Project Reports

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