Project Management Activity Pack

Whatever professional discipline is involved, successful project managers need to understand the structure and stages of a project - and have excellent people management skills, too. This pack provides you with a comprehensive range of activities to ensure that this is happening in your organisation.

It''''s designed to widen and deepen project managers'''' understanding of their role and how they can improve. Practical sessions take participants through every step of creating and implementing an effective project plan. There are people development activities, plus sessions on skills such as giving a presentation and writing reports.
Recently revised and updated, and now contains two new activities: Critical Path Analysis, a technique that is one of the most useful tools for any project manager. Participants are encouraged to learn how to identify the key events that will dictate the overall length of the project.
The second new activity is Managing Risk. which ensures participants understand the importance of risk in projects, and its likely sources and how to manage risk successfully.
Contains a CD-ROM containing the entire pack including the handouts and overheads as PDF®files, and the overheads as an MS PowerPoint®presentation.
Author: Eddie Davies
Pages: 572
''''OK to copy'''' pages: 201

Contents
1: An introduction to project management
Use this project management training resource to enable participants to distinguish what is meant by the term ''''project'''' and identify some of its key features, and to act as an ice-breaker on a learning event that gives them an opportunity to rate their current competence as project managers.

2: The role of the project manager
Use this project management training resource to introduce participants to three key strands of activity that must be managed concurrently in order to maximise the success of any project.

3: Define the end product
Use this training resource to introduce participants to the need to develop a project statement that clearly defines the goals of the project, and to enable them to develop the skills of writing effective goals and completing a SWOT analysis of the project.

4: The power of planning - Part one
Use this training resource to introduce participants to the benefits they will accrue from planning their projects, and to give them an opportunity to learn and develop the skills associated with two planning techniques - Fishbone Analysis and Work Breakdown Structure.

5: The power of planning - Part two
Use this training resource to continue the introduction to the planning process. It aims to develop the participants'''' skills in presenting planning information in a visual form that is clear and useful. The techniques of drawing up a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM), a device for showing who is responsible for each activity identified through the Work Breakdown Structure, and how to construct a Gantt chart are introduced.

6: Critical Path Analysis
Use this training resource to introduce participants to a technique for managing projects by enabling them to identify the time the critical project activities will take, and the impact that any delays will have for successfully completing the project.

7: Managing risk
Use this training resource to improve participants'''' project management skills and their ability to identify, assess, action plan and control risk throughout their projects.

8: Managing project budgets
Use this training resource to introduce participants to some of the key concepts and techniques needed to successfully manage a project budget.

9: Making a project presentation
Use this training resource to introduce participants to the techniques and skills required to make an effective presentation whose objective is to gain commitment to support a proposed project.

10: Selecting the right person for your project team
Use this training resource to demonstrate to participants that effective selection relies on using a customised person specification for each job on the project team, and to provide guidelines enabling them to write a person specification and test its effectiveness in a recruitment interview.

11: Developing your project team
Use this training resource to introduce participants to the essential ingredients required for effective teamwork, and to enable them to recognise and practise these ingredients and develop an action plan to strengthen the performance of their own work teams.

12: Project leadership style
Use this training resource to make participants aware of the key differences between management and leadership, and to introduce them to the essential ingredients for developing an effective leadership style.

13: Motivating your project team
Use this training resource to enable participants to understand what is involved in motivating individuals in a project team, to help them establish what methods they are currently using, and to assist them in developing action plans to increase motivation and job satisfaction.

14: Oral communication skills
Use this training resource to introduce participants to the essential skills they need to carry out effective face-to-face project management discussions, and to give them the opportunity to practise and develop those skills.

15: Writing project reports
Use this training resource to enable participants to express themselves clearly when writing project reports.

16: Managing performance
Use this training resource to introduce participants to a five-stage process which will ensure that their project staff perform the essential activities to an agreed standard.

17: Project managers - Managing conflict
Use this training resource to introduce the participants to the strategy and style necessary to run a discussion with a job holder who is not performing to the required standard.

18: Negotiation skills for project managers
Use this training resource to introduce project managers to the skills and techniques required to negotiate successfully, and to give them an opportunity to try out and develop their skills in this area.

19: Time management for project managers
Use this training resource to enable participants to appreciate the importance of managing time as a resource for project managers, to introduce them to some of the techniques associated with effective time management, giving them the opportunity to develop them.

20: Managing project meetings
Use this training resource to show participants what they can do to improve the structure and process of meetings in order to make them more effective.

21: Problem solving
Use this training resource to introduce participants to a systematic approach to problem solving, and to give them an opportunity to practise the skills involved in using the approach on a real work-based problem.

22: CPD and Project Management Skills
Use this training resource to enable the participants to rate their progress in developing the competencies needed to be effective project managers, and to provide them with options they can incorporate into an action plan for their future development.