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[]{#__RefHeading___Toc203462034 .anchor}Project Management
Basic/Introductory Curriculum (Level I) -- SkillSoft Curriculum

[Project Management Basic/Introductory Curriculum (Level I) -- SkillSoft
Curriculum 1](#__RefHeading___Toc203462034)

[An Introduction to Project Management
3](#an-introduction-to-project-management)

[Project Planning 5](#project-planning)

[Initiating a Project and Preparing the Project Plan
7](#initiating-a-project-and-preparing-the-project-plan)

[Essential Project Management Tools
9](#essential-project-management-tools)

[Project Integration: Executing and Completing a Project
11](#project-integration-executing-and-completing-a-project)

## An Introduction to Project Management

**Course ID:** PROJ0511

**Overview/Description**\
Imagine trying to control the unexpected and unpredictable through
processes in such a way that you meet the cost, quality, and time
expectations of all invested parties in order to accomplish a temporary
endeavor. This is the mission of project management. Challenging? Yes.
Impossible? No. All industries employ project managers to implement
processes as a way to control business. In fact, the field of project
management is rapidly expanding, as more companies become project-based
organizations. However, not all organizations and industries manage
projects well. Some continue to waste time, money, and resources even
after establishing procedures and protocols. A 1995 Standish Group
survey showed that only 16 percent of software development projects
finished on time and under budget, 31 percent were canceled, and the
remaining 53 percent overran by an average of 189 percent on cost and
222 percent on schedule. This predicament is a source of frustration for
many organizations. It\'s not impossible to fulfill the mission of
project management. Some companies are even good at it. With standards
and best practices to follow and the know-how to incorporate these,
organizations can offer \"world class\" project management. In this
course, learners will be given an overview of the project management
discipline. They\'ll be introduced to best practices outlined in the
2004 revised Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) Guide
published by the Project Management Institute (PMI®). Specifically,
learners will be introduced to the characteristics of a project, learn
to distinguish between projects and operations, and define progressive
elaboration. They\'ll identify key project management concepts and
terms, be introduced to the PMBOK® Knowledge Areas, and be given
information about the variables that can influence project outcomes.
This course provides a foundational knowledge base reflecting the most
up-to-date project management information so learners can effectively
put principles to work at their own organizations. This course will
assist in preparing the learner for the PMBOK® certification exam. This
course is aligned with \"A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge\" (PMBOK® Guide) - Third Edition, published by the Project
Management Institute (PMI®), Inc., 2004. Copyright and all rights
reserved. Material from this publication has been reproduced with the
permission of PMI®.

**Target Audience**\
Project managers, managers, and CEOs

**Expected Duration**\
2.5 hours

**Lesson Objectives**

**Defining Project Management**

 identify the benefits of using the PMBOK® Guide as a source of project
management best practices.

 identify the characteristics of a project.

 differentiate between examples of projects and operational work.

 differentiate between examples of progressive elaboration and scope
creep.

 select the best definition of project management.

 identify true statements about the relationship among the five areas
of expertise.

 match each area of expertise with a description of the type of project
information it represents.

 match the Knowledge Areas to appropriate descriptions.

 differentiate among examples of programs, portfolios, and subprojects.

**Understanding Project Influencers**

 identify the importance of recognizing how the project environment and
influencers affect projects.

 identify some of the factors that make up an organization\'s culture.

 match examples of organizations with the system they represent.

 differentiate among examples of a functional, matrix, and a
projectized organization.

 identify the advantages and disadvantages of a functional and a
projectized organizational structure.

 identify the categories of environmental issues that affect a project.

 identify examples of specific environmental issues that could
influence the project.

## Project Planning

**Course ID:** PROJ0514

**Overview/Description**\
In the early planning phases, project managers and team members have the
most potential influence on the outcomes of a project. Yet, lots of
planning does not guarantee successful planning. Just as project success
can be planned, project disasters can be predestined if team members are
not careful about the assumptions they make. A project management team
that can balance the need for predictability with the inevitability of
change will be the most prepared. According to the PMBOK® Guide - Third
Edition, the Planning Process Group consists of the most processes\--21
to be exact. The range of processes includes everything from developing
a Project Management Plan, defining scope, and developing the schedule
to planning for quality and identifying risks. All of these processes
need to be skillfully handled with the understanding that the outcomes
are not set in stone and that planning is an ongoing activity.
Experienced project managers learn that meeting customer expectations is
ultimately more important than having a project go \"according to
plan.\" In this course, learners will be introduced to the purpose of
the Planning Process Group and its associated processes. They will learn
how to answer such questions as, \"what must be done, how should it be
done, who will do it, how much will it cost, and how good does it have
to be?\" Each planning process will be briefly described so that the
learner has a global understanding of the depth and breadth of this
process group. With the knowledge gained from this course, learners can
develop a repertoire of planning best practices to be used on the job.
This course will assist in preparing the learner for the PMI® Project
Management Professional (PMP) certification exam.. This course is
aligned with \"A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge\"
(PMBOK® Guide) - Third Edition, published by the Project Management
Institute (PMI®), Inc., 2004. Copyright and all rights reserved.
Material from this publication has been reproduced with the permission
of PMI®.

**Target Audience**\
Project managers, managers, CEOs

**Expected Duration**\
2.5 hours

**Lesson Objectives**

**Introduction to the Planning Process Group**

 recognize the benefits of understanding the role of, and interactions
among, the processes of the Planning Process Group.

 identify statements that describe the role of the Planning Process
Group.

 identify correct statements about the Planning Process Group\'s
relationships with the other four Process Groups.

 match PMBOK® Guide Knowledge Areas with their associated project
management planning processes.

 identify statements that describe the interactions among the processes
in the Planning Process Group.

**Planning Project Scope, Schedule, and Budget**

 recognize the value of understanding the planning processes that deal
with planning the scope of the project, the project schedule, and the
budget for the project.

 identify the role of the Project Management Plan in the context of
project planning.

 match scoping processes with appropriate descriptions.

 match time management planning processes with descriptions.

 match cost management processes with descriptions.

**Planning Processes: Quality, HR, Communications, Risk, and
Procurement**

 recognize the value of understanding the planning processes that deal
with project quality, human resources, project communications, risk, and
procurement.

 match quality, human resource, and communications planning processes
with descriptions.

 match risk processes with descriptions.

 match plan purchases and acquisitions and plan contracting processes
with descriptions.

## Initiating a Project and Preparing the Project Plan

**Course ID:** PROJ0521

**Overview/Description**\
Project integration management is concerned with ensuring the proper
coordination of project processes so project objectives are achieved.
Successful project managers use project integration management to
integrate project processes, maximize performance, and meet project
goals throughout the life cycle of a project. This course will highlight
the importance of project integration management to project performance.
It will cover the project inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs of
the following processes in the Project Integration Management knowledge
area: Develop Project Charter, Develop Preliminary Project Scope
Statement, and Develop Project Management Plan. Through interactive
learning strategies and real-life scenarios, the learner will explore
these concepts and gain a better understanding of the project
integrative processes in action. This course is aligned with \"A Guide
to the Project Management Body of Knowledge\" (PMBOK® Guide) - Third
Edition, published by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), Inc.,
2004. Copyright and all rights reserved. Material from this publication
has been reproduced with the permission of PMI®.

**Target Audience**\
Project managers who are seeking to further their project management
skills to more advanced levels

**Expected Duration**\
2.5 hours

**Lesson Objectives**

**The Importance of Project Integration Management**

 identify the primary reason why it\'s important for project managers
to understand project integration management.

 match each process in the Project Integration Management knowledge
area with its description.

 match the Project Process Groups to the processes in the Project
Integration Management knowledge area that occur within them.

**Developing the Project Charter**

 identify the reasons why it\'s important to develop a Project Charter.

 identify examples of the inputs for developing a Project Charter.

 match the tools and techniques used to develop a Project Charter with
their examples.

 determine which elements are missing from a Project Charter.

**Developing the Preliminary Project Scope Statement**

 identify the reasons why it\'s important for project managers to
develop a preliminary Project Scope Statement.

 match each input for developing a preliminary Project Scope Statement
to its description.

 match each tool and technique used in developing a preliminary Project
Scope Statement to its description.

 determine which components are missing from a preliminary Project
Scope Statement.

**Developing the Project Management Plan**

 identify the reasons why it\'s important for project managers to
develop a Project Management Plan.

 match the inputs for developing a Project Management Plan with
examples.

 match the tools and techniques used in developing a Project Management
Plan with examples.

 recognize the components identified in a Project Management Plan.

 recognize the subsidiary plans that a Project Management Plan can be
composed of.

## Essential Project Management Tools

**Course ID:** PROJ0022

**Overview/Description**\
Any project can easily be broken into two distinct parts: planning and
doing. The common denominator that marks most successful projects is
that a vast majority of the time and effort of the project team is spent
on planning. This may seem to defy common sense at first, but
experienced project managers know that the planning phase is most
critical in bringing projects to a successful conclusion. The discipline
of Project Management has developed and evolved many tools over the
years to help you get the most out of your planning. These tools are
standard throughout all industries and they cut across many disciplines,
including financial analysis, budgeting, production and team building.
In this course you will learn to get behind the complex fronts that face
many of these tools, such as the Work Breakdown Structure, the Critical
Path Method, and the Task Analysis Sheet and put them to work for you.

**Target Audience**\
Anyone who works on a project team, including managers, supervisors,
project managers, and team leaders.

**Expected Duration**\
2.5 hours

**Lesson Objectives**

**Level Two Terminology**

 match the definitions with correct project management terms.

 recognize the meaning of the terms \"tasks\" and \"sub-tasks\" as they
pertain to project management.

 recognize the meaning and usage of the terms \"relationship\" and
\"dependencies\" as they pertain to project management.

 recognize the meaning of the terms \"slack time\" and \"milestones\"
as they pertain to project management.

**The Work Breakdown Structure**

 construct a valid Work Breakdown Structure using the information
provided.

 recognize the uses of brainstorming, including how to run a
brainstorming session that works.

 recognize the key steps to creating an outline version of the WBS.

 recognize how to create a flexible WBS.

 identify the tasks in order to build a preliminary Network Chart.

**The Task Analysis Sheet**

 construct a task analysis sheet utilizing the information that is
provided.

 recognize the uses and benefits of the Task Analysis Sheet.

 use the weighted average technique to calculate time estimates for the
project.

**The Critical Path Method**

 calculate the critical path through a series of tasks in a network
chart.

 expand the Network Chart based on the information provided.

 calculate the Critical Path through a project pathway.

 recognize and apply advanced relationship notation to the Critical
Path.

 calculate Must Start/Must Finish Dates for project tasks.

## Project Integration: Executing and Completing a Project

**Course ID:** PROJ0522

**Overview/Description**\
Project managers regularly face tough decisions about where to
concentrate project resources when met with competing priorities and
demands. Project integration management helps with these decisions by
ensuring the proper coordination of project processes during project
plan development and execution. Successful project managers use project
integration management throughout the project life cycle to integrate
project processes, maximize performance, and meet project goals. This
course highlights the importance of project integration management to
project performance. It covers the inputs, tools and technologies, and
outputs of the following integrative processes in project management:
directing and managing project execution, monitoring and controlling
project work, initiating integrated change control, and closing the
project or project phase. Through interactive learning strategies and
real-life scenarios, the learner explores these concepts and gains a
better understanding of the project integrative processes in action.
This course is aligned with \"A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge\" (PMBOK® Guide) - Third Edition, published by the Project
Management Institute (PMI®), Inc., 2004. Copyright and all rights
reserved. Material from this publication has been reproduced with the
permission of PMI®.

**Target Audience**\
Project managers who are seeking to further their project management
skills to more advanced levels

**Expected Duration**\
2.0 hours

**Lesson Objectives**

**Directing and Managing Project Execution**

 recognize why it\'s important for project managers to understand how
to direct and manage project execution.

 match the inputs used to direct and manage project execution with
their descriptions.

 distinguish between the ways a project management information system
and a project management methodology can help a project manager direct
and manage project execution.

 match the outputs for directing and managing project execution to
examples.

**Monitoring and Controlling Project Work**

 identify the primary reasons why it\'s important for project managers
to monitor and control project work.

 match the inputs for monitoring and controlling project work to their
descriptions.

 match the tools and techniques used in monitoring and controlling
project work with their descriptions.

 match the outputs from monitoring and controlling project work with
their examples.

**Integrated Change Control**

 identify the reasons why it\'s important for project managers to use
the Integrated Change Control process during project work.

 select the inputs for the Integrated Change Control process

 match the tools and techniques used in the Integrated Change Control
process to their examples.

 identify the outputs of the Integrated Change Control process.

**Closing a Project**

 identify the reasons why it\'s important for project managers to close
a project correctly.

 identify correct descriptions of how inputs are used in closing a
project.

 match the tools and techniques used in closing a project with their
examples.

 match the outputs from closing a project with examples.