Technical Project Manager Course

Lesson 1 • Project Lifecycle in Technical Contexts

Maps standard lifecycle phases to technical project realities. Provides the structural framework students apply throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Organizational Structures and TPM Fit

Examines functional, matrix, and projectized structures and their impact on TPM authority. Prepares students to navigate real organizational constraints.

Lesson 3 • Defining the Technical PM Role

Clarifies how technical PMs differ from general PMs and engineering leads. Sets the role's scope as the baseline for all subsequent skill-building.

Lesson 1 • Scope Definition and Work Breakdown Structure

Guides creation of a WBS that decomposes technical deliverables into manageable work packages. Establishes the planning baseline used in scheduling chapters.

Lesson 2 • Writing Technical Specifications

Teaches how to translate requirements into actionable technical specs. Ensures engineering teams receive unambiguous direction.

Lesson 3 • Gathering Technical Requirements

Covers elicitation techniques tailored to engineering and software contexts. Directly feeds the scope definition process introduced in Chapter 1.

Lesson 1 • Baseline Management and Schedule Control

Establishes how to set, monitor, and update schedule baselines throughout execution. Connects scheduling theory to ongoing project control practices.

Lesson 2 • Estimation Techniques for Technical Work

Covers story points, planning poker, analogous, and parametric estimation. Accurate estimates underpin every schedule built in this chapter.

Lesson 3 • Dependency Mapping and Network Diagrams

Teaches activity sequencing using precedence diagramming. Dependency clarity is prerequisite to critical path and float calculations.

Lesson 4 • Agile Sprint Planning and Roadmapping

Translates Agile ceremonies into structured planning artifacts for technical teams. Complements the Waterfall scheduling skills with iterative planning methods.

Lesson 1 • Budget Development and Approval

Structures cost estimates into a formal project budget with funding milestones. Prepares students to present and defend budgets to sponsors.

Lesson 2 • Cost Estimation for Technical Projects

Applies bottom-up, analogous, and parametric methods to technical cost structures. Accurate estimates form the budget baseline used throughout this chapter.

Lesson 3 • Cost Control and Financial Reporting

Establishes monitoring cadence, variance thresholds, and corrective action workflows. Connects EVM analysis to actionable financial decisions.

Lesson 1 • Risk Response Planning

Develops avoid, transfer, mitigate, and accept strategies for prioritized risks. Directly applies the prioritized risk register from the analysis section.

Lesson 2 • Risk Monitoring and Control

Establishes ongoing risk review cadence, trigger monitoring, and register updates. Closes the risk management loop throughout project execution.

Lesson 3 • Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Analysis

Prioritizes risks using probability-impact matrices and Monte Carlo simulation concepts. Enables focused response planning on highest-priority threats.

Lesson 1 • Situational Leadership for Technical Managers

Applies situational leadership models to engineers at varying competence levels. Enables TPMs to flex their style to individual team member needs.

Lesson 2 • Remote and Distributed Team Management

Adapts leadership and collaboration practices for geographically dispersed technical teams. Addresses time zone, communication, and culture challenges.

Lesson 3 • Conflict Resolution in Technical Environments

Addresses technical disagreements, priority conflicts, and interpersonal friction. Equips TPMs to resolve disputes without derailing delivery.

Lesson 1 • Developing a Communication Plan

Defines communication frequency, format, and ownership for each stakeholder group. A formal plan prevents information gaps that stall technical projects.

Lesson 2 • Translating Technical Content for Executives

Teaches simplification, visualization, and narrative techniques for non-technical audiences. Bridges the gap between engineering detail and executive decision-making.

Lesson 3 • Stakeholder Identification and Analysis

Maps stakeholders by power, interest, and influence using structured analysis tools. Accurate stakeholder maps drive targeted engagement strategies.

Lesson 1 • Quality Assurance Processes

Applies process audits, peer reviews, and code review practices to prevent defects. Proactive assurance reduces costly rework during testing phases.

Lesson 2 • Project Closure and Knowledge Transfer

Formalises project closure activities, lessons learned documentation, and handoff procedures. Ensures organisational knowledge is captured and reused on future projects.

Lesson 3 • Retrospectives and Continuous Improvement

Facilitates structured retrospectives and applies improvement frameworks to project processes. Embeds a learning culture that compounds team performance across projects.

Lesson 4 • Quality Control and Testing Oversight

Covers TPM oversight of testing cycles, defect tracking, and release readiness gates. Connects quality planning outputs to measurable delivery outcomes.