Top 10 Project Management Lessons Learned - Earn 2 PDU's
Take a 25 year career shortcut with the ten most important lessons learned in Project Management.
Ratings 4.59 / 5.00
What You Will Learn!
- "Outstanding course with priceless pragmatic wisdom – these are the lessons that guarantee project success." – Ken Semerkant, PMP
- How the Project Manager can use accountability to become the most powerful and relaxed person on the project.
- The magic sentence the PM can use that will maximize the chances of the organization giving you what you need.
- Why defining the Work Breakdown Structure of deliverables makes everything else in PM easy.
- How I talked a senior, reluctant, aggressive, and arrogant team into being WBS believers.
- A real example of a WBS my team developed for a $140M aerospace project.
- Mathematical proof of how powerful best practice process is.
- A real example of a Precedence Diagram my team developed for a $140M aerospace project.
- Why risk management makes the entire PM process work, with essential risk planning tips.
- Eight common risks it is always worth considering including in your project’s risk register.
- Essential tips for monitoring and controling the risk budget as you proceed through your project.
- How to defend keeping as much of your risk budget as possible when you are under pressure to give some up.
- The two big advantages of deriving the requirements from a higher level description of user workflow.
- A story about how backfitting a set of user scenarios at relatively little cost helped reduce millions of dollars of acceptance risk.
- Why closing is a separate, organized set of project activities.
- An embarrassing story about not formally closing a project procurement, and the process that would have prevented it.
- A very useful story about a PM that made all three of the most common mistakes in project management.
- The huge benefits of keeping your eye on the top three drivers of project success.
- How the PM broadcasting an optimistic and success oriented attitude to the entire team helps maximize project success.
- An example of how believing a solution existed, even though we didn’t know what it was, enabled us to shorten a schedule by six months.
- A story of how I told the truth when my boss asked me to do something impossible, even though he obviously did not want to hear it.
- The three big advantages I gained from repeatedly telling the truth, for my project, my boss, and my own reputation and career.
Description
"Wow, this is great stuff. If anyone ever asks you 'What does a Project Manager do?' direct them to this course." – Leah Henig.
Would you like to learn the most important lessons of project management, and give your career a thirty year shortcut? Based on decades of experience managing projects from just a few thousand dollars up to $55M, and working in senior roles on PM teams on projects up to $3B, this course describes the ten most important lessons that contribute to project success. If you can find two hours, this course make these learnings yours, and give you a huge career shortcut.
The Magic Of Accountability. How to leverage the power of accountability to give you the *authority* you need to ensure project success. Includes the magic sentence that will maximize the probability of the organization giving you what you need for success.
The Importance Of The WBS. How the work breakdown structure (WBS) makes everything else in PM easy. With a story of how, as a very junior lead, I once got a senior and aggressive team to become WBS believers. Includes a real WBS my team prepared for a $140M aerospace project.
The Power Of Process. The reason best practice process can solve almost any problem, no matter how complex. Specifically, why the precedence diagram is your most important PM tool, even more important than the Gantt chart. Includes a real precedence diagram for that same $140M aerospace project.
Planning The Risk Budget. How a well planned risk budget makes the entire PM life-cycle work. Eight common risks you should always consider including in your risk register. Why you should focus on managing only the top ten risks. With a download of a professional Excel risk register template.
Managing The Risk Budget. Real life tips on how to best manage the risks once underway. The rule of thumb for how much risk budget you should have as you proceed. The show-stopping sentence that enables you to keep as much risk budget as possible when under pressure to give some up.
Backfitting Scenarios When Needed. How scenario-based acceptance testing helps convince your customer the project will do what they need *and* signs off the requirements automatically at the same time. A story of how backfitting scenarios once helped ensure the success of my $20M project.
Make Friends With Procurement. An embarrassing story about why it is so important to formally close your procurements, and prevent additional spending even by mistake. And, in general, why the PM should make friends with all the supporting departments to make your job much easier.
The Top 3 Drivers Of Project Success. A true story about a PM that made all three of the most common mistakes on a single project. And how any one of the three most important drivers of project success could have saved him $400K.
Focus On The Success Path. The over-riding importance of the success mindset that leaders should broadcast to their team. With a real example of how my team was able to shorten a 3.5 year schedule to 3 years because we believed there was a solution before we knew what it was, and how we did it.
The Benefits Of Telling The Truth. Why truth is the only solid ground. With a story about how repeatedly telling the truth as a young project manager, when my boss did not want to hear it, ended up being the best thing I could do for the project, my team, and my boss, and got me promoted me to be functional manager of a 55 person organization.
Making these lessons yours will greatly increase the probability of success of your projects, and give you a 30 year career shortcut. Includes downloadable PDF's of all the key points. The course also earns you two Professional Development Units (PDU’s) in the Business Acumen (Leadership) category.
Instructor
William Stewart is a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP) who has managed projects for more than 30 years, from just a few thousand dollars to $55M, and worked in senior roles on PM teams on projects up to $3B. 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. He has delivered this course live more than 330 times to more than 3,300 people. Previously, he worked for aerospace, government, academia, and founded and led the cloud computing company Cirrus Computing. He has deep experience with project management, risk management, systems integration, software engineering, and negotiating. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science for discovery of an algorithm that builds multi-dimensional geodesic domes in optimum space and time, which to his knowledge has never been used for anything practical.
Student Feedback
"Decades of valuable project management experience." - Thibaut Lefebvre
"Project management comes to life!" - April Bly-Monnen
"Great information for all PMs both new and old, certified or not. Great use of time." - Gerald Gentle
"Full of sound advice from years of experience. Recommend to any new or experienced PM." - Peter Hungiapuko
"A great course that shares valuable experience and addresses soft skills. Loved it." - Carlos Camargo
"In every lesson there is a golden nugget." - Isaac Leal
"Actionable, real-world advice for both PMs and people interested in project management." - Alex Hadar
"Clear, rational, calm and friendly, empowering!" - Peter Courtley
"Good advice about communicating with executives." - Natalie Tangen
"Very helpful, recommend to all PMs at any level." - Matthew Webber
Who Should Attend!
- Anyone that would like to understand the mindset, responsibilities, and real life experience of the successful Project Manager in challenging environments.
