Project Management Foundations

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Identify and manage project assumptions and risks early to align teams and reveal unspoken expectations. Use this information to support go/no-go decisions about investing in the project.

Create and distribute a project charter to officially authorize and publicize the project, guiding planning with a name, purpose, scope, acceptance criteria, risks, milestones, costs, stakeholders, and project manager’s authority.

Sequence tasks, link finish-to-start dependencies, estimate durations, and assign team members to create a schedule that reflects deadlines and resource availability to determine project duration and staffing needs.

Develop and manage a realistic project budget by estimating labor, materials, travel, and other costs, including contingency, and monitor cash flow to adjust when costs exceed allocations.

Identify and plan purchases, documenting procurement processes and contract management. Make or buy decisions by evaluating needs, constraints, and vendor criteria to smartly procure products and services.

Understand the critical path as the longest task sequence with no slack that determines the project finish date, and learn how shortening it can accelerate schedules.

Form and guide teams through forming, storming, norming, and performing to deliver high-quality results. Lead with clear goals, address power struggles, and foster communication to build a productive team.

Lead virtual teams across distances by prioritizing clear communication, confirming understanding, and using phone or video conferences to resolve misunderstandings and cultural differences.

Design acceptance tests to demonstrate that the deliverables meet clear success criteria and perform as intended. Document procedures, run test batches on the pet hospital scheduling project, and secure sign-off.

Prepare a closeout report that summarizes project results, highlights on-time delivery and budget performance, and documents scope delivered, changes, risks, and lessons learned.