Intro to Project Management Course

Lesson 1 • What Is a Project

Defines a project by its unique characteristics: temporary, goal-driven, and resource-constrained. Anchors all subsequent concepts in a shared definition.

Lesson 2 • The Project Lifecycle

Maps the five standard phases from initiation to closure. Students recognize phase gates and understand how work flows across the lifecycle.

Lesson 3 • Roles and Responsibilities

Identifies the project manager, sponsor, team, and stakeholders. Students map each role to its accountability within the lifecycle.

Lesson 4 • Key Project Management Frameworks

Surveys predictive, agile, and hybrid approaches. Students select the appropriate framework based on project type and organizational context.

Lesson 1 • Developing the Project Charter

Covers every element of a project charter and its authorization function. Students draft a charter that grants the project manager formal authority.

Lesson 2 • Defining High-Level Requirements

Captures initial stakeholder needs before detailed planning begins. Students distinguish business requirements from technical specifications.

Lesson 3 • Identifying the Business Need

Connects project origin to organizational strategy and problem statements. Students write a clear problem or opportunity statement that justifies the project.

Lesson 1 • Building the Work Breakdown Structure

Introduces WBS decomposition from deliverables to work packages. Students construct a WBS that covers 100% of project scope.

Lesson 2 • Scope Baseline and Control

Establishes the approved scope baseline and change control triggers. Students apply a formal process to evaluate and approve scope changes.

Lesson 3 • Requirements Management

Tracks requirements from elicitation through validation using a traceability matrix. Students link each requirement to a deliverable and acceptance test.

Lesson 1 • Critical Path Method

Calculates early/late start and finish dates to identify the critical path. Students determine float and prioritize monitoring of critical activities.

Lesson 2 • Defining and Sequencing Activities

Breaks work packages into schedule activities and establishes logical dependencies. Students create a network diagram showing activity relationships.

Lesson 3 • Estimating Activity Durations

Applies analogous, parametric, and three-point estimation techniques. Students produce duration estimates with documented assumptions and confidence ranges.

Lesson 4 • Schedule Monitoring and Control

Tracks schedule performance using variance analysis and earned value metrics. Students take corrective action when schedule deviations occur.

Lesson 1 • Earned Value Management Basics

Introduces planned value, earned value, and actual cost metrics. Students calculate cost and schedule variances to assess project health.

Lesson 2 • Forecasting and Cost Control

Uses EVM forecasting formulas to project final cost at completion. Students identify cost overruns early and apply corrective spending controls.

Lesson 3 • Cost Estimation Techniques

Covers bottom-up, analogous, and parametric cost estimation methods. Students select and apply the appropriate technique based on available information.

Lesson 1 • Risk Identification Techniques

Applies brainstorming, checklists, and assumption analysis to surface risks. Students populate a risk register with clearly stated risk events.

Lesson 2 • Qualitative Risk Analysis

Scores risks by probability and impact to prioritize the risk register. Students use a probability-impact matrix to focus response planning efforts.

Lesson 3 • Quantitative Risk Analysis

Applies numerical techniques to model overall project risk exposure. Students interpret Monte Carlo simulation outputs and decision tree results.

Lesson 4 • Risk Response Planning

Selects avoid, transfer, mitigate, or accept strategies for each risk. Students assign risk owners and document trigger conditions in the risk register.

Lesson 1 • Conflict Resolution and Negotiation

Identifies sources of project conflict and applies resolution techniques. Students practice negotiation strategies to reach win-win outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Communication Management

Creates a communications management plan aligned to stakeholder needs. Students select channels, frequency, and format for each audience.

Lesson 3 • Directing Project Work

Covers work authorization, task assignment, and daily execution management. Students use a work authorization system to control when work begins.

Lesson 4 • Building and Developing the Team

Applies Tuckman's stages and motivational theories to team development. Students design onboarding and team-building activities that accelerate performance.

Lesson 1 • Project Closure Report

Summarizes performance against baselines and documents final outcomes. Students write a closure report that satisfies sponsor and organizational requirements.

Lesson 2 • Lessons Learned Process

Facilitates a structured retrospective to capture successes and improvement areas. Students document lessons in a format reusable by future project teams.

Lesson 3 • Verifying and Accepting Deliverables

Confirms each deliverable meets acceptance criteria before formal handover. Students conduct a structured acceptance review with the project sponsor.