CAPM and Project Management Fundamentals Course

Lesson 1 • Project Management as a Profession

Explores the role of the project manager and the value of structured management. Connects professional practice to organizational outcomes and career paths.

Lesson 2 • Key Project Management Terminology

Introduces the standard lexicon used across all PMI frameworks. Precise terminology is essential for exam success and professional communication.

Lesson 3 • Introduction to PMI and CAPM

Covers PMI's mission, the PMBOK Guide's role, and CAPM eligibility requirements. Provides the credential roadmap students will follow throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Project Governance and the PMO

Explains how governance frameworks and the Project Management Office oversee projects. Clarifies escalation paths and portfolio alignment.

Lesson 2 • Project Life Cycle Phases

Defines the four generic phases: initiating, planning, executing, and closing. Establishes the phase-gate logic that governs project progression.

Lesson 3 • Organizational Structures and PM Authority

Examines functional, matrix, and projectized structures and their effect on PM authority. Directly impacts resource access and decision-making power.

Lesson 4 • Predictive vs. Adaptive Life Cycles

Contrasts waterfall, iterative, incremental, and agile approaches. Guides students in matching life cycle type to project characteristics.

Lesson 1 • Closing the Project or Phase

Covers formal closure activities including final acceptance and lessons learned. Ensures organizational knowledge is captured for future projects.

Lesson 2 • Developing the Project Management Plan

Explains how subsidiary plans integrate into one governing document. Establishes the baseline against which all performance is measured.

Lesson 3 • Developing the Project Charter

Covers inputs, tools, and outputs for formally authorizing a project. The charter is the first deliverable students will produce in practice exercises.

Lesson 4 • Integrated Change Control

Details the change control board process and impact analysis. Prevents scope creep by ensuring all changes are evaluated before approval.

Lesson 1 • Creating the Work Breakdown Structure

Teaches decomposition of deliverables into manageable work packages. The WBS is the foundation for schedule, cost, and resource planning.

Lesson 2 • Collecting and Documenting Requirements

Introduces elicitation techniques and the requirements traceability matrix. Accurate requirements prevent costly rework during execution.

Lesson 3 • Defining Project Scope

Covers the project scope statement and its role in setting boundaries. Distinguishes product scope from project scope for exam accuracy.

Lesson 1 • Estimating Activity Durations

Covers analogous, parametric, three-point, and bottom-up estimation methods. Accurate estimates reduce schedule risk and improve stakeholder confidence.

Lesson 2 • Schedule Compression Techniques

Explains crashing and fast-tracking to recover schedule slippage. Connects compression decisions to cost and risk trade-offs.

Lesson 3 • Developing the Project Schedule

Applies network analysis to produce a schedule baseline with milestones. Introduces Gantt charts and schedule compression techniques.

Lesson 4 • Controlling the Schedule

Monitors schedule performance using earned value metrics and variance analysis. Feeds corrective actions back into the integrated change control process.

Lesson 1 • Cost Estimation Techniques

Covers analogous, parametric, bottom-up, and three-point cost estimates. Estimation accuracy directly determines budget reliability and stakeholder trust.

Lesson 2 • Variance and Performance Index Analysis

Calculates CV, SV, CPI, and SPI to assess project health. Connects EVM results to corrective action decisions and stakeholder reporting.

Lesson 3 • Forecasting and Cost Control

Applies EAC, ETC, and TCPI formulas to predict final project cost. Ensures students can recommend corrective actions when costs deviate from baseline.

Lesson 4 • Determining the Budget

Aggregates activity estimates into a cost baseline with contingency reserves. The cost baseline is the approved spending plan against which actuals are tracked.

Lesson 1 • Risk Identification and the Risk Register

Uses brainstorming, checklists, and SWOT to identify project risks. The risk register is the central artifact for all subsequent risk processes.

Lesson 2 • Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Analysis

Applies probability-impact matrices and EMV to prioritize and quantify risks. Prioritization focuses limited response resources on the highest-impact threats.

Lesson 3 • Procurement Planning and Contract Types

Explains make-or-buy decisions, contract types, and the procurement process. Procurement decisions directly affect project cost, risk, and schedule.

Lesson 4 • Quality Planning and Assurance

Defines quality standards, metrics, and the cost of quality model. Assurance activities confirm processes are followed before defects occur.

Lesson 1 • Team Development and Performance

Applies Tuckman's model and motivation theories to build high-performing teams. Links team performance to project outcomes and stakeholder satisfaction.

Lesson 2 • Communications Management Planning

Designs the communications plan covering format, frequency, and audience. Effective communication is the most cited factor in project success.

Lesson 3 • Resource Planning and Team Acquisition

Covers the resource management plan, RACI matrix, and team acquisition. Proper resource planning prevents bottlenecks and role confusion during execution.

Lesson 4 • Stakeholder Engagement Planning

Maps current vs. desired engagement levels and plans targeted interventions. Proactive engagement reduces resistance and improves project outcomes.