Practical Project Management Course

Lesson 1 • Defining Projects and Project Management

Clarifies the unique characteristics of a project versus routine work. Establishes vocabulary used throughout the entire course.

Lesson 2 • Project Management Frameworks and Standards

Surveys major globally recognised frameworks and their core philosophies. Helps students choose the right approach for different contexts.

Lesson 3 • Organisational Context and Project Fit

Examines how organisational structure affects project authority and resources. Connects project work to strategic business objectives.

Lesson 4 • The Project Life Cycle Overview

Introduces the standard phases a project moves through from start to close. Provides the structural framework for all subsequent chapters.

Lesson 1 • Designing the Stakeholder Engagement Plan

Translates analysis into a structured plan specifying engagement levels and methods. Directly supports communication planning covered later.

Lesson 2 • Stakeholder Analysis Techniques

Applies power-interest grids and influence mapping to prioritise stakeholders. Enables targeted engagement strategies based on analysis results.

Lesson 3 • Managing Stakeholder Expectations

Covers techniques for aligning stakeholder expectations with project realities. Reduces conflict and scope creep caused by misaligned assumptions.

Lesson 1 • Collecting and Documenting Requirements

Introduces elicitation techniques to capture stakeholder needs accurately. Produces the requirements baseline used in scope and planning activities.

Lesson 2 • Writing the Project Scope Statement

Guides students through drafting a formal scope statement with inclusions and exclusions. Prevents scope creep by establishing a clear agreed boundary.

Lesson 3 • Scope Validation and Control

Establishes processes for formally accepting deliverables and managing change. Connects scope control to integrated change control introduced later.

Lesson 1 • Defining and Sequencing Activities

Breaks work packages into activities and establishes logical dependencies between them. Creates the network diagram used in critical path analysis.

Lesson 2 • Monitoring and Controlling the Schedule

Introduces earned value metrics and variance analysis to track schedule performance. Equips students to detect and respond to schedule deviations early.

Lesson 3 • Estimating Activity Durations

Applies multiple estimation techniques to assign realistic durations to activities. Addresses uncertainty through range-based and expert-based methods.

Lesson 1 • Cost Estimation Techniques

Covers bottom-up, analogous, and parametric methods for estimating project costs. Accuracy of estimates directly determines budget reliability.

Lesson 2 • Cost Control and Reporting

Establishes processes for authorising expenditures and communicating financial status. Connects cost control to integrated change control and stakeholder reporting.

Lesson 3 • Earned Value Management Fundamentals

Introduces EVM metrics to measure cost and schedule performance simultaneously. Provides an objective basis for forecasting project completion.

Lesson 1 • Risk Monitoring and Control

Establishes ongoing processes to track risks, trigger responses, and identify new risks. Keeps the risk register current throughout project execution.

Lesson 2 • Qualitative Risk Analysis

Prioritises risks using probability-impact assessment without requiring numerical data. Focuses limited response resources on the highest-priority risks.

Lesson 3 • Risk Identification Methods

Applies structured techniques to surface threats and opportunities across all project areas. A comprehensive risk list is the input to all subsequent risk processes.

Lesson 4 • Risk Response Planning and Implementation

Selects and documents appropriate response strategies for each prioritised risk. Assigns ownership and integrates responses into the project plan.

Lesson 1 • Effective Status Reporting

Teaches how to structure and deliver concise, accurate project status reports. Connects reporting to earned value data and risk updates from prior chapters.

Lesson 2 • Meetings and Information Distribution

Covers planning and facilitating productive project meetings and distributing information efficiently. Reduces communication waste and meeting fatigue.

Lesson 3 • Managing Communication Challenges

Addresses barriers, noise, and cultural factors that distort project communication. Equips students to adapt communication strategies to diverse teams.

Lesson 1 • Pre-Kick-Off Readiness Assessment

Provides a structured checklist to confirm all conditions are met before launching the project. Prevents common early-stage failures caused by incomplete preparation.

Lesson 2 • Developing the Project Management Plan

Consolidates scope, schedule, cost, risk, and communication plans into one integrated document. The project management plan is the authoritative guide for execution.

Lesson 3 • Transitioning from Planning to Execution

Covers the handoff from planning mode to active delivery and the mindset shift required. Establishes monitoring routines and early warning systems for execution.

Lesson 4 • Designing and Facilitating the Kick-Off Meeting

Guides students through planning and running an effective project kick-off meeting. The kick-off aligns the team, sets expectations, and formally starts execution.