Teach on Udemy

Turn what you know into an opportunity and reach millions around the world.

Learn More

Your cart is empty.

Keep shopping

Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 2/4

Name: Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 2/4
Rating: 4.6 (50 reviews)

Start a career in Project Management. Be confident to deliver great results. Be seen as a respected leader by your team.

Created byMarko Radović

Last updated 2/2023

English

What you'll learn

Communication Strategy in Project Management
Meeting organization
Set up audio conference
Set up video conference
Set up screen sharing conference
Set up face-to-face meeting
Use e-mail and chat communication properly
Plan work to be done (Work Breakdown Structure, Backlog)
Schedule tasks
Manage project costs
Manage project risks
Manage project issues
Execute project work
Generate lessons learned
Get feedback on everything you do in Project Management
Learn how to behave properly in multi-cultural environment
Overcome troubles of working in second language
Learn how to listen and praise your team
Provide positive and negative feedback
Talk with Customer with confidence
Learn the value of Trust
Learn the value of Openess
Learn the value of Empathy
Learn the value of Courage
Learn the value of Respect
Learn the value of a Servant Leader

Course content

1 section • 8 lectures • 1h 37m total length

Introduction to Module P - Planning1:50
Welcome to the Module P or “Plan Module”!
As already stated, this module takes you to the heart of the real-life Project Management and sets you up for success from day one in your work!
In Module P we will cover huge number of topics and in order, you will learn how to:
Orient yourself immediately in a Project Management area.
Set yourself for success.
Learn by doing!
Use this knowledge in a daily work and your private life.
Come across as professional, organized, knowledgeable.
Organize work to be done (WHAT has to be done).
Schedule tasks (WHEN tasks have to be done).
Manage costs of a project.
Execute plan and GET IT DONE.
Perform Risk Management. Use it as a communication tool.
Perform Issue Management. Use it as communication tool.
Generate Lessons Learnt. Incorporate them into your system.
Perform exciting work as a Project Manager immediately!
Work to be done (Work Breakdown Structure)15:54
Let’s start this module with probably the most important lesson and that is: how to plan the work that we need to do in our project. Essentially, every planning action that will come later, such as work scheduling, analyzing risks, understanding costs and so on, would not have a firm foundation or make much sense if we didn’t know what the work that has to be done actually is.
Our first and the most important task is to analyze what we have to do and to get as good specification off work as possible. The work that has to be done is often referred to as work breakdown structure or backlog, and it is often also graphically represented to increase understanding and structure of our work.
With the notion we are starting a very important module and that we are in a significant place in our training, let's go step by step and learn how we can effectively split the work into manageable chunks.
Scheduling33:19
It is now time to move on to the second most important step in our planning, and that step is scheduling. In the previous module, we learned how to plan WHAT we have to do, what kind of ACTIONS we need to take. At this moment, it is time to understand and analyze WHEN we can perform those very activities.
It goes without saying that we cannot build a house roof before the foundations, or that we can not bake bread before we make the dough. We, humans, understand those relations in real life, of course, and based on those very principles, it is very important to understand dependencies and task durations in each of our projects.
So, let’s move forward, starting from schedule definitions and going through practical steps and templates that can help you plan your activities right after you complete this module.
Cost Management13:23
It is time now to analyze the bottom line or, in other words, project finances. At the end of the day, we deliver our projects to get a profit and to support our company, ourselves and to provide for our family.
The project finances is a very wide topic and, generally, entire courses are made based on this very subject. However, right now our question is: “What do I need to know now, as a beginner in the Project Management world, so that I will fully grasp the basic concepts and survive through the beginning itself?”
This is why this module is designed to cover only the absolutely necessary parts of the Project Finances and to provide you with the tools that will give you a simple but effective way to track your project baseline.
Risk Management11:31
Now, we are approaching one of the most crucial elements in PM, which is risk management. In order to simplify this, let’s just try to answer the question “What can go wrong in our PM implementation?”
As mentioned previously, risk management is merely answering the question as to what can go wrong during the project life cycle. We need to analyze everything that we have planned so far and with the help of our team, we will easily be able to identify the points where something can go wrong.
Throughout these analyses, every single thing that can make an impact on our project should be considered. Those impacts can be positive, also referred to as opportunities, or negative, what we refer to as risks.
Once these analyses are done, probably the most important part is to carefully plan what we will do in the moment when some of those risks actually occur or what plan we have if it becomes certain that a risk will become real.
Issue Management5:29
Now, in this section, we will learn to analyze what happens when a problem actually arises, when an issue actually occurs. Simply put, now we have reached the area of the issue management where we will answer the question on what to do when things go wrong.
Needless to say, during the project execution, things can and often do go wrong. Normally, in such situations, we do not have a lot of time, and if we are not prepared, things can even become worse, so our main job is to prepare beforehand, so that we know what to do in the case of an incident.
At those times, our prior preparation and our team members are the best resources we have.
So how to prepare for action?
How to prepare for the times when an issue happens?
The most important thing is to possess all the necessary documents and contacts so that we are able to act swiftly.
Project Execution9:42
Finally, we are nearing the phase when we execute, when we perform the job and get things done.
First of all, we should use our WBS and schedule to understand what and when should be done first.
Based on that, we should understand which team members will perform that chunk of work.
The next step is to use our stakeholder map to understand who needs to be informed about the preparation and execution of that part of the work.
All of these things, all of these documents have already been created in advance. Now, we simply start utilizing them.
Lessons Learned4:36
Now we come to the important moment in time where we have to prepare our future projects to be better than our previous ones - that can always be the case.
And this is the place where we will try to answer the question: "How do I learn from experience and how do the lessons learned help me throughout that process?"
Module P - Practice Time!

Requirements

Undergraduate / College Graduate Education level recommended but not mandatory.
Be interested in how to organize team work effectively.
Be interested in how to work with a team and treat people properly.
Willingness to start a new career in one of the most exciting areas (Project Management).
Willingness to develop hard and soft skills and see impact in professional and private life.

Description

This course is part one of four-course series:

Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 1/4

Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 2/4

Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 3/4

Project Management Career Start - the SPARK Method - 4/4

There is a new, practical method in Project Management that I am going to tell you about in just a minute. The very essence of the method is to answer on a question:

“How do I begin a career in Project Management in a fast, practical manner and have a successful career start?”

For centuries, ancient painters and architects used a golden ratio between dimensions inside their master pieces. They tried to find a perfect balance between them and to create the most pleasing pieces for the human eye.

Transferring that ancient approach to Project Management, we try to find:

a perfect balance between management and leadership,
between control and trust to your team members,

so that you can have a perfect Project Management career start and excel even as a beginner!

You absolutely need to know about this as, once implemented into your working system, you can be confident that you are beginning your career in Project Management by delivering great results and being respected as a leader by your team members.

The reason why this method is different from everything else is that finally, we truly concentrate on cooperation between team members and leadership and not on processes and procedures, like most of the courses and official guides do.

By concentrating on cooperation and communication, the most important part of Project Management, you are resolving majority of challenges immediately.

The power is in simplicity and in using knowledge that your team already has, so that you can:

deliver projects on time,
in budget and
with high quality.

As a beginner in Project Manager, you will not know everything, but guess what, you do not need to know everything! It is enough to know how to cooperate with people and create environment in which they are willing to share knowledge.

With that, you can begin and make the next step in your career!

And you are making a great choice!

According to PMI’s “Project Management Salary Survey”, only in the US, the demand for Project Management Professionals will grow, by 2020, for more than 12% or 700 000 jobs! That strong demand leads to:

a higher average salary and
salary growth worldwide!

For more than a decade I teach, lead projects and cooperate with people around the globe. I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP® #1702088), Agile Champion and recipient of several Service Excellence Awards and Manager Choice Awards.

It is my pleasure to present to you, the balanced approach that allowed me to be seen as a great mentor, a leader and a colleague wherever I worked, and to give you the tool that is a result of years spent in mentoring and Project Management.

When I have begun my career in Project Management, I needed to discover tips and tricks on my own, I was thrown “into the fire” immediately and needed to orient myself in a completely new area, full of procedures, processes, does and don’ts. As a beginner, I made missteps, I had setbacks, worked with angry customers, but eventually I grew out of it with a vast experience.

Now, I want to share this knowledge with you so that you do not need to go through the same pains I did.

For that purpose, I’ve created approach that is now called the SPARK Method that finds a perfect balance between control and trust and between management and leadership, necessary for a great career start.

Our first task is to reduce complexity, to remove pressure of having to know everything and to start from basics. We are moving together step by step through our method, so you can come to work and be excited while building new relationships and delivering great results!

Moreover, by going back to basics and using the knowledge of the whole team, you save a lot of time, avoid misunderstandings and build trust between team members!

The reason our approach works so well is that we take a step back and teach WHY we communicate as we communicate and then we show HOW you can do it by providing you with the practical tooling set.

By cooperating effectively and treating your team members well, you are guaranteed to have more success in your projects. PMI simply states in their paper that: “Organizations that communicate effectively have more successful projects.”

Normally, you do not receive a guide how to start in Project Management without stress, with knowledge how to communicate, cooperate and be confident that you will manage. Often, without that kind of help, people resign from a wonderful career. I don’t want that to happen to you. We will help you to understand that Project Management is not too complex, that it is fun and that you can do it too.

That is what our SPARK method is all about.

A method that focuses on cooperation and finds a perfect balance, a golden ratio, between control and trust and making sure that you will succeed in your Project Management career.

From the cooperation centric point of view, the SPARK Method introduces:

communication strategy,
how to plan job to be done,
need for constant improvement,
soft skills and
leadership necessary to lead your team.

There is nothing more gratifying than, while implementing this approach, you get feedback from your team members like the one you will see below.

That being said, let’s move forward step by step...

---- Colleagues and students feedback reffered to in the text above ----

"...you’ve been an inspiration and positively influenced me to

learn and work and I will never forget that...", J.

“... a great human, manager, leader, PM in one body. I had a chance to

observe his team transformation

and the outcome was bigger than anyone could imagine. People have started

communicating and talking openly, he builds a situation in this way that people don't have to do something...

they just want to do something...”, M.

“...leaping off the page on a regular basis by being a mentor,

by leading internal knowledge sessions within his Department & Unit,

by receiving approbations for his outstanding PM performance.

It is very hard to be a manager but also a coach and mentor

at the same time but Marko succeeds...”, K.

“...very unique example of balance between recognition

of human in each employee and business results,

so important in big corporation...”, T.

“ ...I could numerate several different merits

which Marko is holding to, which from my perspective

are the ones each good Manager should follow:

trust, loyalty, open and honest communication, positive attitude to people and changes, respect, good listening.

Such working environment is the one which I, as an employee

was searching for to be efficient and satisfied in...”, K.

Who this course is for:

A person wanting to start a career in Project Management regardless of the previous experience.
A person curious about team leadership and values necessary.
A person curious about Project Management Career.
A person curious about team management and soft skills necessary.
Undergraduates / College Graduates in Project Management or related area.
A person wanting to organize any type of events / projects where multiple people are involved.
A person curious how to organize and structure the work at hand and make a proper plan how to implement it.