Project Management Essentials: Ace Your Next Project!

The "Missing" Toolkit for Truly Effective, Everyday Project Management | Project Management Basics for Everyone

What you'll learn
Learn to manage a project all on your own, regardless of your professional background
Get practical advice to troubleshoot common challenges as they emerge on your project
Confidently execute an easy-to-follow 5-step approach to guide your project from concept to completion
Use a project case study (or a real project YOU'RE working on) to practice what you learn
Receive 20+ project management templates and examples to make implementing what you learn easier
Compare your exercise responses to real examples, so you can get immediate feedback on your learning
Stay focused and organized with easy-to-follow project management checklists
Requirements
No prior experience required.
Description
Are you ready to make a BIG impact at work? Your next project could be a real opportunity for you and your team to shine!Unfortunately, too many professionals have never been given the essential toolkit needed to execute business projects successfully.Without this powerful set of skills, many otherwise talented people are left wondering:Why does working on this project feel painful and chaotic?How am I going to tell my boss that we're going to blow the deadline?What will it take to stop feeling like I'm drowning at work?Trust me, I know what this feels like. Before I became a formal project manager of multi-million dollar projects—and later, an executive—I was what people sometimes call an "Accidental Project Manager." An accidental project manager (also sometimes called an "occasional project manager" or "unofficial project manager") is someone who is not a formal project manager by title or training, but who is still asked to lead business projects in addition to their day-to-day work. In those early years of leading projects, I struggled to find training and advice that was tailored to me and my situation as a non-technical project manager. It took time, experience, and a lot of trial and error to learn to consistently deliver results. That's why I felt it was so important to put together this course…to save you time and help you get results faster.In our time together, you'll learn the 5 essential steps to leading a project from concept to completion:STEP 1: STRATEGIZE. STEP 2: PLAN. STEP 3: EXECUTE. STEP 4: TROUBLESHOOT. STEP 5: WRAP-UP. For each of these steps, you'll get:Concise, practical explanations of exactly what you need to do within each step20+ downloadable templates, examples, and teaching guides to help you apply what you're learningExternal articles, podcasts, and templates to give you even more options for your particular industryFeatured Q&A (actively updated) to address common pain pointsEmail coaching to bring the steps to life in practical terms You'll also have a chance to practice along with each of these steps by either working on a live project you have or completing a case study project throughout the course. If you're ready to ace your next project, let's get started!

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Welcome

Lecture 2 Take Action: Introduce Yourself

Lecture 3 What Qualifies as a Project?

Lecture 4 Are You a "Project Manager?"

Lecture 5 About to Start a Project? Avoid This ONE BIG MISTAKE.

Lecture 6 The Five Essential Steps (Plus Downloadable Guide)

Lecture 7 Take Action: Ask Me Anything

Lecture 8 Course Exercise

Section 2: Step 1 - Strategize

Lecture 9 Overview of Step 1

Lecture 10 What is a Project Charter?

Lecture 11 Take Action: Set Up the Charter Template

Lecture 12 Write a Project Description

Lecture 13 Craft Your Project Intent Statement

Lecture 14 Identify Who (and What) is Impacted By Your Project

Lecture 15 Agree to a High-Level Definition of Done

Lecture 16 Document High-Level Assumptions and Risks

Lecture 17 Take Action: Bullet-Proof Your Project

Lecture 18 Identify Key Constraints and Parameters

Lecture 19 Take Action: Get Your Charter Signed

Section 3: Step 2 - Plan

Lecture 20 Overview of Step 2

Lecture 21 Define the Scope of Your Project

Lecture 22 Take Action: Build Your WBS

Lecture 23 Get Clarity on Requirements

Lecture 24 Take Action: Gather Requirements Like a Pro

Lecture 25 Establish Schedule Milestones

Lecture 26 Quick Tip: Presenting Milestones to Executives Using Microsoft Timeline

Lecture 27 Establish a Budget

Lecture 28 Take Action: What Questions Do You Have?

Lecture 29 Agree to Roles and Responsibilities

Lecture 30 Decide How to Communicate as a Team

Lecture 31 Finalize Your Baseline

Section 4: Step 3 - Execute

Lecture 32 Overview of Step 3

Lecture 33 Stay Organized During Execution

Lecture 34 Take Action: Download the Project Log Template

Lecture 35 Set Up the Project Log (Milestones Tab)

Lecture 36 Set Up the Project Log (Action Items Tab)

Lecture 37 Set Up the Project Log (Changes and Decisions Tabs)

Lecture 38 Set Up the Project Log (Assumptions, Issues, and Risks Tabs)

Lecture 39 Take Action: Decide Where to Store Your Log

Lecture 40 How to Communicate Amid the Chaos

Lecture 41 Report Project Status

Lecture 42 Take Action: Write Your First Status Report

Lecture 43 Capture Lessons Learned

Lecture 44 Coaching Assignment: What Are Your Stops and Starts?

Section 5: Step 4 - Troubleshoot

Lecture 45 Overview of Step 4

Lecture 46 How to Tell if Your Project is Off-Track

Lecture 47 How to Manage Risks (So They Don't Become Issues)

Lecture 48 How to Manage Issues (So They Don't Become Show-Stoppers)

Lecture 49 How to Get Your Schedule Back On Track

Section 6: Step 5 - Wrap-up

Lecture 50 Overview of Step 5

Lecture 51 Validate Project Success Has Been Achieved

Lecture 52 Conduct an After-Action Review

Section 7: Thank You / Additional Resources

Lecture 53 Thank You / Additional Resources

Anyone who wants to get better at managing projects, regardless of professional background or career aspirations.,Busy professionals who have only a few hours to invest, but need to leave with a solid plan to get results on their next big project,Accidental project managers, occasional project managers, unofficial project managers, new project managers…,This course is NOT designed for technical project managers (e.g. IT, engineering, construction) seeking formal, academic training in the discipline, or those seeking preparation for project management certification.