Set your project up for success through strong project initiation. Learn to determine benefits and costs, set measurable goals, manage scope, and define success criteria. You will gain skills in stakeholder analysis, RACI charts, and developing a project charter. This is the second course in the Google Project Management Certificate, a series designed to prepare you for an introductory-level project manager role.

Syllabus

Fundamentals of project initiation

Introduction to Course 2
Course 2 overview
Why is project initiation essential?
Key components of project initiation
Practice Quiz: Reflection: Project initiation and key components
Afsheen: Listening to learn
Performing a cost-benefit analysis
Wrap-up
Graded Quiz: Module 1 Challenge

Defining project goals, scope, and success criteria

Introduction: Defining project goals, scope, and success criteria
Determining project goals and deliverables
How to set SMART goals
SMART goals: Making goals meaningful
Practice Quiz: Activity: Define and determine SMART project goals
Activity Exemplar: Define and determine SMART project goals
Introduction to OKRs
Creating OKRs for your project
Practice Quiz: Optional Activity: Create OKRs for your project
Optional Activity Exemplar: Create OKRs for your project
Practice Quiz: Test your knowledge: Identifying project goals
Determining a project's scope
Gathering information to define scope
Monitoring and maintaining a project's scope
Strategies for controlling scope creep
Practice Quiz: Test your knowledge: Defining project scope
Managing changes to a project's scope
Torie: The importance of staying within scope
Optional: Reviewing the Triple Constraint
Practice Quiz: Reflection: Applying the Triple Constraint
Launching and landing a project
Don't forget to land: Measuring project success
Defining success criteria
Tracking and communicating success criteria
Using OKRs to evaluate progress
Wrap-up
Graded Quiz: Module 2 Challenge

Working effectively with stakeholders

Introduction: Working effectively with stakeholders
Accessibility for project managers
Choosing a project team
Review: The building blocks of a project dream team
Defining project roles
Essential project roles
John: The importance of a project team
Completing a stakeholder analysis
Prioritizing stakeholders and generating their buy-in
Practice Quiz: Activity: Complete a stakeholder analysis and power grid
Activity Exemplar: Complete a stakeholder analysis and power grid
Practice Quiz: Test your knowledge: Evaluating stakeholders
Elements of a RACI chart
Building out a RACI chart
Practice Quiz: Activity: Set project roles and responsibilities in a RACI chart
Exemplar: Set project roles and responsibilities in a RACI chart
Getting the most out of a RACI chart
Graded Quiz: Activity: Assign project roles and responsibilities in a RACI chart
Activity Exemplar: Assign project roles and responsibilities in a RACI chart
Why projects fail: Initiation missteps
Wrap-up
Graded Quiz: Module 3 Challenge