Bruce Gay Principal Consultant| Astrevo LabsPittsburgh, Pa, United States
I have been asked to present 45 minutes on the topic of "project management" to an operational department next week. Most of the analysts in this department conduct some level of project management, but are not well-versed in the traditional PMP methods. What topics should I cover with them within 45 minutes?
So far, I am thinking about:
• Spend time up front to Identify stakeholders
• Communication is key - keep everyone informed and how often
• Issue versus risk definition
• Planning – set milestone and understand dependencies, and communicate those often to the team
• Ask the right questions during planning to avoid surprises
• Make sure everyone on the team has a clear definition of the project (Scope)
*Use scope/charter documents (template)
• Make sure everything has an owner, do not end meeting with action items w/o owners
• Someone needs to be in charge of over-all project and "big picture"
• Spend time to identify risks and spend time managing risks
Any recommendations on topics for the intro to PM would be appreciated.
Hmm, that is too much for 45 min. Think basics and keep it simple. Ask yourself, what do they need to know (basic), key takeaways and call to action. Do you have a 1 page handout? Leave room for questions. Talk 30 min; 15 minute questions. Good luck Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
It is indeed a lot for 45 minutes unless you are planning to talk briefly about each topic as an introduction then that is great but if you need to concentrate on certain things then do the Stakeholders, Communication and Risks. Good Luck ! Saving Changes...
Also, the changes that are going to come with new version of PMBOK Saving Changes...
Wafa Al MeerIT Program Manager| BorougeAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Hi,
I think 45 minutes for the points mentioned will be too short. A lot of discussion will start on challenges the team is facing specially that you have mentioned that they are conducting some PM level. If you need to be precise on most important topics for PM. You can briefly focus on the below basic topics:
1. Basic understanding of Project Management Life Cycle
2. Importance of project planning specially project schedule
3. Stakeholder identification and alignment to manage expectation
4. Change Management process to control scope/ time/ cost changes
5. Communication approach to establish alignment and ensure status is shared and common understanding of project progress is unified
I think you can also suggest to have another session to touch upon other importance topics, which will be of great support in managing projects. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
One of my duties is to do that inside the organization where I am working right now. About time, usually you have to estimate 3 minutes for each slide. Try to put few words inside the slide because people will try to read insted to hear you. About the content, what I do is to demostrate to people that they perform project management activties in their daily life from the time they wake up. I use a simple example taked from people life. After that I have an slide explaining why the process contained inside the PMBOK (if you will use the PMI way to perform project management) has been created (for example why you have to consider risk for each initiative). Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
45 minutes will go quick, especially when you factor in the audience engagements. Maybe take a different approach, away from a typical lecture format, to a more shared experiences format.
Why do we need [formal] project management? What are the benefits? What are some pitfalls when not implemented. Within those topics, you could put some highlights on communication, planning, scope and change management, and the positive impacts on the project.
The goal, would be to instill enough to show the value, and create enough interest in the attendees that they will want to continue their pursuit after the session. Saving Changes...
Thomas KennedyProject Engineer| BPAberdeen, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom
Hi Bruce, I believe 45 minutes is too short for that agenda, I would ask yourself whats the goal of the presentation and what does the audience need to know. You mention that most of the audience will have a basic understanding of projects and I think the company follows PMP.
I would recommend brief outline of the basics get everyone to the same level of understanding and then focus on the processes where you think theres room for improvement and ones that are key to project performance such as change control & communications. Then wrap it up with a link to your company's Project Management standards & link to PMI/PMP. Chose weather you want questions at the end or something more interactive as that will impact how long you allocate for each section.
Just my thoughts, hope it helps.
Thoams Saving Changes...
Bruce Gay Principal Consultant| Astrevo LabsPittsburgh, Pa, United States
Thanks everyone for the feedback and guidance!
My initial list of topics was indeed too ambitious to cover within the 45 minute time frame. You have given me some pause to re-think the goals and what I want the participants to leave the session with. I will keep you updated next week on how I pare back the agenda.
Bruce, if you are re-thinking, take a look at PMIEf website.
When I've explained project management to operations, sometimes they have a wrong idea about it, I re-designed some slides that PMIEf offers for teachers and parents. Saving Changes...
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