Project Planning and Scheduling for Beginners

Name: Project Planning and Scheduling for Beginners
Rating: 4.0 (136 reviews)

Have you just been tasked to plan a new project? Are you new to Project Management? Get the basics here and apply them.

Created byBodo Frost

Last updated 6/2015

English

What you'll learn

use techniques to plan and schedule projects
choose the most likely appropriate project management methodology
create a workable project schedule
gain an overview of what is important when managing a project with regards to the project schedule
identify whether a project is ahead, on or behind schedule
have an idea which type of project scheduling tool could be appropriate to use

Course content

8 sections • 29 lectures • 1h 56m total length

Introduction3:00
Course Outline and brief introduction

Overview of Project Management Methodologies - Definitions6:42
In this first module, you will learn some definitions about Project Management, such as what is a project, what is Project Management, etc. You will need this knowledge for the following lectures
Project Management Methodologies - Part 15:19
Learn about the Waterfall and Traditional Approaches
Project Management Methodologies - Part 24:16
Learn about PRINCE2 and Critical Chain Methodology
Project Management Methodologies - Part 33:00
Let's get Agile
Project Management Methodologies - Part 46:40
Extreme Project Management

Project Planning - What is Planning?5:12
A definition about what planning means.
Project Scheduling - What is Scheduling?1:32
A definition of Scheduling - as a follow on from Planning
Reasons for planning and its perks5:43
Why would one plan a project?

What would happen if one doesn't plan?
Planning - Monitoring - Controlling1:42
After Planning a project, what does Monitoring and Controlling mean?
Scheduling and Planning - Summary0:32
A summary of what has been covered in this module

Step 1: Create a WBS and PBS1:31
Let's start building a schedule
Where do we source information for the WBS and PBS2:29
Where do we get the content for the plan and schedule?
Step 2: Estimate activities1:26
Estimate activities in your plan
Step 3: Sequence activities4:11
Arrange the activities, so they are in the right order. Which task is dependent on another?
Task Dependencies as part of Sequencing3:40
What are the most common used task dependencies?
Step 4: Define Milestones1:16
Almost done - milestones are here to grab your attention.
Step 5: Determine the Critical Path5:44
Almost done - what are the critical steps required to finish the project?
Step 6: Baseline the Schedule1:09
The final step in the creation of a schedule: the baseline.
Workable Schedule: Tips and Summary3:16
Tips on what to look for when determining the critical path; followed by the summary on what you have learned in this module.

Project Execution and the Schedule - Project Tracking2:48
What needs to be done when your schedule is done and your project is underway.
Project Performance3:37
What is Project Performance and how do you measure it?
Project Status Reporting10:14
Project Performance Reporting - what should be reported in a Project Status Report.
Project Execution - Summary0:21
Summary of what you have learned about Project Execution with regards to Project Schedule Performance

Requirements

Some basic understanding of Project Management terminology would help

Description

Project Planning and Scheduling is one of the most important activities for a Project Manager when starting and managing any type of project. Many mistakes are made during the first few weeks shaping the project scope, leading up to a plan and a schedule. During my career as Project Manager and Manager of Project Management Offices I have come across many emerging and junior Project Managers who were lacking the initial understanding of what was important for the lead up to building a schedule.

This course is written for beginners and Project Management juniors, so that you will learn what Project Planning and Scheduling is about.

After completion of this course

you will have an understanding of various Project Management methodologies;
you will be able to discuss the difference between planning and scheduling;
you will know what it takes how to create a workable schedule,
you will know what you need to do to establish good and meaningful Project Performance Reporting; and
you will learn about tools for scheduling and Project Portfolio Management on a high level.

My teams over the years have compiled a number of tips and tricks to make life of a Project Manager more predictable. I have added a number of them in this course, so you will be well prepared to start your first project and avoid doing rookie mistakes.The course takes just under 2 hours and is filled with great material for you to learn about the basics of Project Management Methodologies; how to derive a plan and schedule from the project scope and objectives, create a schedule that you can work with, what you should look out for when monitoring and controlling project performance and finally, which scheduling tool or Project Portfolio Management tool would be suitable.If you want to successfully manage your first few projects and get a head start following what seasoned Project Managers already do, this course is for you! You will no doubt grasp the concepts of Project Planning and Scheduling and apply them straight away in your career as a Project Manager.

Who this course is for:

This course is developed for beginners, newbies to Project Management, who would like to understand on a high level what project scheduling and planning encompasses during the project lifecycle
This course provides some tips on how to create a schedule that a Project Manager can work with.

Project Planning and Scheduling for Beginners

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Course content