What you'll learn:
- "Outstanding course with priceless pragmatic wisdom – these are the lessons that guarantee project success." – Ken Semerkant, PMP
- How the Project Manager can use accountability to become the most powerful and relaxed person on the project.
- The magic sentence the PM can use that will maximize the chances of the organization giving you what you need.
- Why defining the Work Breakdown Structure of deliverables makes everything else in PM easy.
- How I talked a senior, reluctant, aggressive, and arrogant team into being WBS believers.
- A real example of a WBS my team developed for a $140M aerospace project.
- Mathematical proof of how powerful best practice process is.
- A real example of a Precedence Diagram my team developed for a $140M aerospace project.
- Why risk management makes the entire PM process work, with essential risk planning tips.
- Eight common risks it is always worth considering including in your project’s risk register.
- Essential tips for monitoring and controling the risk budget as you proceed through your project.
- How to defend keeping as much of your risk budget as possible when you are under pressure to give some up.
- The two big advantages of deriving the requirements from a higher level description of user workflow.
- A story about how backfitting a set of user scenarios at relatively little cost helped reduce millions of dollars of acceptance risk.
- Why closing is a separate, organized set of project activities.
- An embarrassing story about not formally closing a project procurement, and the process that would have prevented it.
- A very useful story about a PM that made all three of the most common mistakes in project management.
- The huge benefits of keeping your eye on the top three drivers of project success.
- How the PM broadcasting an optimistic and success oriented attitude to the entire team helps maximize project success.
- An example of how believing a solution existed, even though we didn’t know what it was, enabled us to shorten a schedule by six months.
- A story of how I told the truth when my boss asked me to do something impossible, even though he obviously did not want to hear it.
- The three big advantages I gained from repeatedly telling the truth, for my project, my boss, and my own reputation and career.
"Wow, this is great stuff. If anyone ever asks you 'What does a Project Manager do?' direct them to this course." – Leah Henig.
This course gives you the top ten most important lessons to be the most effective possible project manager and leader of teams, saving you decades. Presented by the President of the Institute For Practical Project Management (IFPPM), the instructor has managed projects for more than 30 years, from just a few thousand dollars to $55M, and worked in senior roles on projects up to $3B. He repeatedly found these ten factors to be the most important keys to project success. Includes several real life stories of how to handle difficult situations with teams and management, and a real WBS and precedence diagram for a $140M aerospace project. Includes PDF downloads of all the key points, and a professional risk register template. The ten lessons are:
The Magic Of Accountability. Accountability is a good thing! Honestly! Because you can leverage the power of accountability to give you the *authority* you need to ensure project success. Includes the magic sentence that maximizes the probability the organization will help when you need it.
The Importance Of The WBS. How the work breakdown structure makes *everything* else in project management easy. Includes a real life story of how, as a very junior lead, I once got a senior and arrogant team to become WBS believers. Includes a real WBS we then prepared for a $140M aerospace project.
The Power Of Process. The deep, mathematical reason the best processes can solve almost any problem, no matter how complex. An example of why the precedence diagram is more important than the Gantt chart. Includes the real precedence diagram for the same $140M aerospace project.
Planning The Risk Budget. How a sufficient risk budget makes the entire PM life-cycle work. Eight common risks you should *always* consider including in your risk register. Why you should focus on only the top ten largest risks. And a download of a professional risk register template in Excel.
Managing The Risk Budget. How to best manage the risks once underway. The rule of thumb for how much risk budget you need as your project proceeds. And the magic sentence that helps you keep as much risk budget as possible when under pressure to give some up.
Backfitting Scenarios When Needed. How scenario-based acceptance testing helps convince your customer the project will do what they need *and* signs off the requirements at the exact same time. A real-life story of how backfitting scenarios helped ensure the success of a $20M system integration project.
Make Friends With Procurement. A real and embarrassing story about why it is so important to formally close your procurements to prevent additional spending, even by mistake. And generally, why the PM should make friends with all the supporting departments so their job becomes much easier.
The Top 3 Drivers Of Project Success. A true story about a PM that made all three of the most common mistakes on a single project. And how the three most important drivers of project success could have saved him, or any of us.
Focus On The Success Path. The over-riding importance of the success oriented mindset leaders should broadcast to their teams. A famous story that illustrates why. And a real example of how my team was able to shorten a schedule by six months because we believed there was a solution before we had any idea of what it was.
The Benefits Of Telling The Truth. Why telling the truth, especially when your project has problems, is very solid ground. A real story about how telling the truth as a young project manager, when my boss obviously did not want to hear it, ended up being the best thing I could do for the project, my team, and my boss. And got me promoted me to be functional manager of a 55 person organization.
Making these lessons yours will greatly increase the probability of success of your projects, and give you a multi-decade career shortcut. Includes PDF downloads of all the key points. The course also earns you two Professional Development Units (PDU’s) in the Business Acumen (Leadership) category.
Instructor
William Stewart is President of the Institute For Practical Project Management (IFPPM), and a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP) who has managed projects for more than 30 years, from just a few thousand dollars to $55M, and worked in senior roles on PM teams on projects up to $3B. He has managed projects in the domains of system integration, software development, business process, construction, real estate, and others. Internationally recognized, he has spoken twice as a keynote speaker at International Project Management Association (IPMA) conferences. He has delivered this course live more than 330 times to more than 3,300 people. Previously, he worked for aerospace, government, academia, and founded and led the cloud computing company Cirrus Computing. He has deep experience with project management, risk management, systems integration, software engineering, and negotiating. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science for discovery of an algorithm that builds multi-dimensional geodesic domes in optimum space and time, which to his knowledge has never been used for anything practical.
Student Feedback
"Decades of valuable project management experience." - Thibaut Lefebvre
"Project management comes to life!" - April Bly-Monnen
"Great information for all PMs both new and old, certified or not. Great use of time." - Gerald Gentle
"Full of sound advice from years of experience. Recommend to any new or experienced PM." - Peter Hungiapuko
"A great course that shares valuable experience and addresses soft skills. Loved it." - Carlos Camargo
"In every lesson there is a golden nugget." - Isaac Leal
"Actionable, real-world advice for both PMs and people interested in project management." - Alex Hadar
"Clear, rational, calm and friendly, empowering!" - Peter Courtley
"Good advice about communicating with executives." - Natalie Tangen
"Very helpful, recommend to all PMs at any level." - Matthew Webber
