Upon completing this module, participants will be able to:
- Develop project overview documents or charters that may include the following elements:
- Identify the problem, need or opportunity;
- Develop project goal and objectives;
- Develop project scope;
- Identify project risks, stakeholders, success criteria, and critical success factors;
- Budget; and
- Benefits.
- Formulate and communicate project plans effectively.
- Develop project schedules and cost estimates.
- Organize and lead a project team.
- Apply techniques of project monitoring and control
- Build and sustain project teams.
Main topics covered include:
- Introduction to projects and project management
- Project life cycle and the gated process
- Defining the project:
- Project needs, problems and opportunities
- Goals and objectives
- Assumptions and risks
- Stakeholders, success, budget, and benefits (Project Charter)
- Planning the project:
- Project activities, estimating time, estimating costs, contingencies, sequencing activities, schedules, and RACI charts (Project Execution Plan)
- Organizing the project:
- Selecting the project manager and team, assigning work packages, leadership, building and sustaining project teams (the soft issues)
- Controlling the project:
- Control tools schedule control, cost control (Earned Value Analysis) and managing scope changes (Project Controls)
- Closing the project:
- Client acceptance, documentation, post implementation audit, and lessons learned (Lessons learned, hopefully not repeated)
- "I liked the varied examples and how the content was applicable across discipline and fields."
- "George was very knowledgeable and presentation material was good."
- “I was very happy with the course. Thanks George!”
Professor, Project Management, University of Calgary
George is a Professor of Project Management in the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary, where he is involved in both the teaching of and research into project management since 1994. He has 40 years of work experience, principally in infrastructure projects and claims and disputes. He is also an active project management consultant, trainer, and coach for both public and private sector organizations in Canada and has provided extensive project management services to many Canadian, American, and international companies. He has worked with project teams in oil sands development, hospitals, roads and bridges, tunnelling, LRT expansions, and mining projects. List of clients include CNRL, Husky, Chevron, EnCana, Keyera, Flint, PennWest, APEGA, City of Calgary, City of Edmonton, and the District of North Vancouver.
As a claims consultant investigating numerous construction projects, both in Canada and the USA, George gained insight into the fundamental causes of project success and failure.
Through his experience and research, George has developed a strong interest in improving project success founded upon improving the effectiveness of project teams. George’s work focuses on improving project alignment, building, and sustaining project teams, cost overruns, and construction productivity on mega oil and gas projects.