Agile Project Management

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Duration 5 days

Brief Description

This program has been developed on a "basics + advanced modules" approach. It offers you the opportunity to gain all necessary knowledge to begin operating effectively as a project manager in an I.T. context, and to build additional advanced skills in a modular format as you gain experience and specific topics become pertinent to your needs. You choose which modules you need and when. Presented by agile practitioners who have survived many years of project management

What Differentiates this Course?

Knowledge gained on this course is principle based and methodology independent – it can be used as a complete light-weight but thorough approach, or it can add richness and depth to the quality of your project management skills within your existing methodology.

Intended Audience

Especially suitable for:

• System developers / analysts / I.T. personnel moving into project management
• Line managers of a business area who need a comprehensive understanding of or capability in I.T. project management
• Project administration staff who need to understand the context and implications of the project environment and who wish to move into project management

Delegates will normally have had exposure to I.T. projects in some form, typically as line managers of a business area, developers within IS projects, or staff on I.T. roll-out projects. 

Course Overview

The primary course is a full 5-day course, covering all the basic knowledge areas you will need to begin project management work, plus:

• Hands on experience of project management techniques through exercises based on a contemporary case study
• The context of how project management integrates with:
  • Systems Development Lifecycles (SDLC)
  • Architecture
  • Organizational Change Management
  • Program Management
• An overview of advanced techniques including
  • Theory of Constraints and Critical Chain
  • Quality Management
  • Process Improvement
• Tips and techniques for making your project work - project success factors

The course covers all key Project Management Institute (PMI) Body of Knowledge areas (PMBOK) as they relate to I.T. projects. 

Typical Coverage

Monday

• Project Basics
• Program Management Overview
• Concepts
• Project Initiation & Business Case Basics
• Project Prioritization
• Project Definition - Scoping
  • Business
  • Functional
  • Technical

Tuesday

• Project Definition – Product Charter
• Process and Product Architecture
• System Architecture
• Context
  • Interfaces
  • Technology Environment
  • Project impact on existing and planned Architecture
• Project Definition – Project Charter
• Risk Assessment  

Wednesday

• Project Definition – Project Charter (cont.)
  • Estimating: Size, Effort, Duration
  • Product & Work Breakdown
  • Project Design
• Behaviour of Software Projects
• Life-cycle Options and Choice
• Team Selection and Structure
• Minimising Risk
• Sub-Contractors
• Project Planning Techniques including
  • Gantt and Network charts
  • Critical Path
  • Critical Chain
• PM Software Tools – Basics
• Create new Project
  • Set up Calendar(s)
  • Define Tasks and Dependencies
  • Define Resources
  • Allocate Resources to Tasks

Thursday

• People Management
• People Interaction 101
• Productivity
• Cross Functional Teams
• Leadership
• Conflict Management
• Organizational Change Management

Friday

• Making the Project Happen
• Setup
• Execution
• Quality Management
• Risk Management
• Scope Change Management
• Tracking and Reporting
• Replanning and Keeping on Track
• Project Management Tools in Project Execution
• Recording actuals
• Assessing progress
• Taking corrective action
• Project Critical Success Factors

Provided Materials

Students receive:

• Textbook "Managing Information Technology Projects" by Graham McLeod and Derek Smith (Inspired Press, 2001, 385 pages), which uniquely covers these types of project and is widely used as a university level prescribed work
• Copies of Lecture Material (Approx 300 slides)
• CD with reference material, including the Project Management Institute (PMI) Body of Knowledge areas (PMBOK), current enrichment articles and sample project plans

Students will be exposed to relevant case studies during lectures and discussion. 

Location, Costs and Dates

The course is offered in Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Netherlands, United Kingdom) and South Africa (Cape Town, Johannesburg). It can be conducted onsite in other locations on request. Please consult the latest schedule for dates and pricing in local currency.