Introduction to Project Management

Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the importance of effective project management.

• Understand the principal stages of a project lifecycle.

• Recognise the importance of clearly defining a project's purpose, objectives and scope.

• Understand the roles and responsibilities of the main people involved in project delivery.

• Recognise the importance of effective project governance.

• Understand the principles of project planning and scheduling.

• Consider the resources and capacity required to deliver a project.

• Identify common project risks and understand how these can be managed.

• Recognise some of the tools available to support project planning and control.

• Understand the basic differences between Waterfall and Agile approaches.

• Consider how project management principles can be applied proportionately to different types and sizes of project.

• Recognise the importance of reviewing projects and learning from experience.

Training Methodology

The course combines tutor-led explanation with discussion, examples and practical exercises.

Examples drawn from healthcare, public services and other settings will be used to explore how project management operates in practice and some of the reasons why projects encounter difficulties. Participants will be encouraged to relate project management principles to projects they have experienced or may become involved with in the future.

The emphasis is on practical project management rather than learning a particular methodology. Techniques such as project planning, risk management and scheduling will therefore be considered in terms of the problems they help to solve rather than as documentation that has to be completed simply because a methodology requires it.

Organisational Impact

Effective project management can help organisations translate ideas into achievable change while making better use of time, people and resources.

A clearer approach to objectives, responsibilities, planning and risk can reduce some of the common problems associated with projects, including unclear scope, unrealistic expectations, poorly defined accountability and failure to recognise emerging problems.

The course also encourages a proportionate approach. A relatively small improvement project does not necessarily require the same governance and documentation as a large organisational change programme, but the underlying principles of clear objectives, responsibility, planning, monitoring and review remain important.

Personal Impact

Participants will develop greater confidence in contributing to, supporting or managing projects.

They will gain a practical understanding of the different stages of a project, what needs to be considered during planning and how different project roles fit together. This can make it easier to contribute effectively to project teams and to recognise potential problems before they become significant.

Participants will also develop familiarity with commonly used project management terminology and approaches, providing a useful foundation for subsequently undertaking more detailed project management or Agile training.

Who Should Attend?

This course is suitable for anyone who manages, supports or contributes to projects, including:

• Staff taking on project responsibilities for the first time

• Project and programme staff

• Service managers

• Team leaders

• Analysts

• Researchers

• Clinical and operational staff

• Quality and improvement teams

• Business and information professionals

• Staff involved in service redesign or organisational change

• Anyone who contributes to project teams without having formal project management training

The course is particularly suitable for participants who want a practical introduction to project management without undertaking training in a specific formal methodology.

Course Outline

The course will explore areas including:

• The principles and purpose of project management

• The project lifecycle

• Defining project objectives, scope and intended outcomes

• Project roles, responsibilities and governance

• Planning and organising projects

• Resources and timescales

• Dependencies and priorities

• Project risks and issues

• Monitoring and controlling progress

• Project management tools and techniques

• Introduction to Waterfall and Agile approaches

• Communication and stakeholder involvement

• Project closure and review

• Learning from project experience

• Practical application through examples, discussion and exercises

Duration:

 3.5 hours

Pre-requisites:

None

For participants requiring greater depth, the one-day Agile Projects course is also available. This develops the project management principles introduced here in more detail and provides greater coverage of Agile working, including approaches such as Scrum and Kanban, user stories, backlogs, iterative delivery and the comparison of Agile, Waterfall and hybrid approaches.