Project Management Essentials: what every PM needs to know

"Great course for new project managers who want to learn the basics of project management, and for existing PMs who would like to refresh themselves with the fundamentals.  Clear, concise, and very informative." – Jade Mercado

This course teaches you the most important concepts in project management in under two hours.  The course gives you the essential information you need to understand what project management does, how it flows across the life-cycle, and the key steps you need to take to make a project successful.  If you want to understand project management quickly, this course will tell you the most important things you need to know.  The course covers the following essentials:

1.  Overview:   The big picture:

• An overview of what project management does. 

• The five stages of the PM life-cycle.

• The most important concept in PM: the triple constraint. 

• The critically important role of the Project Manager.

2.  Initiation:  Setting up your project for success.

• The purpose of Initiation.

• The first definition of project scope: the Objective.

• Documenting the Project Charter.

3.  Planning:  Figuring out the scope, schedule, budget, and risks before you start:

• A one-page flowchart of the entire Planning process. 

• The scope baseline - the work breakdown structure.

• The project logic - the precedence diagram.

• The project schedule - the Gantt chart.

• The budget - the cost breakdown.

• Being ready for surprises - risk management.

• Documenting the Project Plan.

4.  Execution:  The team gets it done.

• The purpose of Execution. 

• Building the best project team.

5.  Monitoring & Control:  Keeping your project on track.

• The purpose of Monitoring & Control.

• How to manage scope, schedule, cost, and risk.

• How to best handle the monthly project review.

6.  Closing.  Finishing in an organized fashion.

• The purpose of Closing.

• Wrapping up the project with a targeted final report.

This course will give you the essentials of project management very quickly.  If after taking this course you want to dig deeper, please check out the next level course Deeply Practical Project Management, which explains *how* to implement project management in-depth. 

Instructor

William Stewart is President of The Institute For Practical Project Management (IFPPM), and has managed projects for more than 30 years, from just a handful of people to $55M, and worked in senior roles on PM teams for projects up to $3B.  He is a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP), an IFPPM certified Deeply Practical Project Manager (DPPM), and has taught more than 330 project management live courses to more than 3,300 people.  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.  Previously, he worked for aerospace, government, academia, and founded the cloud computing company Cirrus Computing.  He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science for discovery of an algorithm that builds geodesic domes in multiple dimensions in optimum space and time.

Student Feedback

"This is the best quick refresher project management course there is out there.  Highly recommend!" – Adity Das Gupta

"I think I learned almost as much here as in my PMP bootcamp, a very good refresher before I take the test.  Thank you." – John Franklin

"A must have course as a ready reference for a new or even a seasoned PM." – Jignesh Jani

"The best course in the Udemy portal that I have come across.  Concepts are crisp and neatly explained!  I strongly recommend!" – Suresh Raju

"Working with project managers for a long time, brings a clearer understanding of what they were doing and why.  A good overview for anyone working on a project, not just for project managers." – Dave Uebele

"Cuts through the noise and delivers tangible and practical lessons." – Harold Floyd

"Would have been very useful to learn this earlier, but better late than never!" – Tibor Kocsis

"Great, succinct overview covering all the major points of project management in an easy-to-follow format." – Kathleen Adams

"Concentrated the PM theories into less than two hours - that is a very great job!" – Samuel Song

"Great course.  I'm not a project manager, but it has made me realize I definitely undertake some of the key elements of the role already." – Rachel Horne

"Awesome refresher course on Project Management.  I would recommend this course to any new Project Manager." – Manjunath Maller

"It was a great course.  Excellent course for people who are planning to become a PM." – Adolph Robinson

"The course instructor is an expert and has managed very large projects successfully. That is why I have taken this course, to learn practical skills from someone that has actual experience in managing large complex projects.  I recommend this course to anyone wanting to understand project management and how to get started in the field." – Stefan du Plooy