Successful Project Management

Part 1 What is success?: what happens to the project?; defining success; your view of success; success depends on who is measuring; what are the perceived causes of failure?; reduce the probability of failure. Part 2 The climate for success: why do initiatives appear to fail?; some definitions; projects - are they just an accident?; what's the current climate?; what influences the climate?; the operating climate for projects; defined roles and responsibilities - the key players. Part 3 The project process - key steps for success: the project phases; the phase gates; the phase gate - a constraint?; the key steps to success. Part 4 Project conception and start-up: selecting the right project; the start-up process; customer needs and expectations; identifying the project constraints; assumptions; the kick-off meeting; recording essential information. Part 5 The definition phase: the project brief and specification; defining the project; getting your project definition approved. Part 6 Managing the stakeholders: what is a stakeholder?; the two most important stakeholders; who are the other stakeholders?; who will use the results?; stakeholder influence; gathering information about stakeholders. Part 7 Managing the risks: why bother?; understanding constraints; identifying the risks; assessing the risks; ranking of risks; what do I do now?; monitoring risks. Part 8 Planning the project: a common misconception; who needs to be involved?; where does planning start?; identifying the key stages; allocating responsibility; estimating the critical path of your project; analyse resource requirements; optimising your schedule; review the project; risk log; review the project; budget freezing; the baseline schedule; seeking approval to launch. Part 9 Launching and executing the project: preparing for project execution; establish a milestone schedule; have a communication plan; handling project changes; hold a launch meeting; the control environment; monitoring the progress; managing the issues arising; tracking your project; control the costs. Part 10 Closure and post-project evaluation: project drift; set the completion criteria; the acceptance process checklist; the closeout meeting; post-project evaluation; and finally.