Mastering Project Management

Introduction

Projects are delivered by people and their attitudes and soft skills can make a massive difference to the success of project. The major difference between a project manager, and a ‘Master’ project manager lies in the ability to understand that successful Project Management is about 20% Hard Skills and about 80% Soft Skills. It goes without saying that ‘what’ you do as a project manager is important, but ‘how’ you do it is absolutely critical.

Project management is an art and your success in mastering this art is dependent upon your ability to swiftly navigate the project challenges of working with others.

This seminar demonstrates the practice of project management soft skills. It provides a range of soft skills tools and techniques that project managers can use to reduce people-related risks and overcome interpersonal hurdles. The seminar presents a number of ‘critical’ habits related to how you manage projects through, and with, people. Issues such as time management, personality types, how to understand and develop your team members, developing your leadership skills, conflict management, negotiation skills, building and motivating your team are comprehensively covered.

Seminar Objectives

Seminar attendees will fully understand:

• What makes a person a ‘Master’ of Project Management
• The 8 Habits of ‘Master’ Project Managers
• The importance of knowing your outcome before you start a project
• The importance of planning and how to manage the Planning Process
• The importance of gaining commitment
• The importance of and how to take massive action
• How to keep the team focused on the delivery goal
• How to set up and operate disciplines required to monitor and control projects
• How to ensure that the Project Team are working on the project not just because they have to but because they want to

Who Should Attend?

This seminar is intended for project professionals, team leaders and team members who are engaged in project work from simple to complex. Because of the universality of the principles and techniques covered, the seminar will also be of value to anyone managing or involved in projects regardless of their professional background or industry they operate within.

Consequently, the seminar suits:

• Newly appointed Project Professionals who want to have a better understanding of what it takes to be a ‘Master’ Project Professional early on in their career; and
• Experienced Project Professionals who understand that we never stop learning

Competencies Emphasised

• Preparing and executing a project plan
• Identifying and analysing project risk
• Selecting and leading project teams
• Determining project health
• Personal effectiveness
• Ability to influence and persuade
• Effective personal time utilisation
• Responding to project change
• Measuring and presenting results against initial goals

Personal Impact

This seminar examines a wide range of soft skills necessary for mastering the art of project management. It helps participants to develop a more effective approach to interacting with project stakeholders in a way that is driven by realising outcomes.

Organisational Impact

This seminar has been designed for project managers who aspire to master their inter-personal skills in the context of managing projects in the best way possible to meet project objectives. The organization will benefit by having its project managers’ personal effectiveness tuned towards producing project outcomes. Mastering project management soft skills is a key to achieve project goals and enhance performance.

Training Methodology

The seminar is designed to be taught interactively with syndicate and personal exercises, questionnaires, facilitation of group discussions, training videos, and discussions of real life examples.

Seminar Outline

Day 1 – Introduction to Projects

• What is a project?
• Benefits of project management
• Why some projects fail?
• What makes you a ‘Master’ of project management
• Project team and leadership
• What is the team approach
• Roles in and around projects
• The 8 habits of ‘Master’ project manager

Day 2 – Identify Your Outcomes and Plan for Achievement

• The importance of knowing your outcomes
• Project planning
• Handling uncertainty
• Decision analysis under risk
• Your own risk profile
• Defining project success criteria
• Planning issues
• Elements of a great project plan

Day 3 – Organise for Success and Gain & Maintain Commitment

• Personal attitudes and human behaviours
• Gaining and maintaining commitment
• The keys to effective influence and persuasion
• Understanding interpersonal project team dynamics
• Empowerment
• The project board
• The project support office
• Effective delegation

Day 4 – Take Massive Action and Stay Focused

• Action vs. Achievements
• Influences on decision making
• Problem solving styles
• Engaging the project team
• Staying focused
• Avoiding distractions
• Effective time utilization
• Plan updating and changes handling

Day 5 – Monitor and Control Achievements

• Data, information and knowledge management
• Integrating project scope, time and cost
• Performance measures and indicators to monitor performance
• Achieving practical conflict management
• Determinants of project success
• Lessons learned and creating learning culture
• Enhancing personal effectiveness

Oxford Management Centre
John Eccles House
Robert Robinson Ave
Oxford Science Park
Oxford
OX4 4GP
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 1865 338088

Fax: +44 1865 338100

email info@oxford-management.com