Three day course to train project managers, project leaders and team leaders how to run I.T. projects particularly, but not exclusively, software development projects.

The course covers the fundamentals of project management in the context of I.T. and software development projects. The course is suitable for aspiring project managers, team leaders, project leaders and user leaders. Indeed anyone who will have a leadership role in an IT project will find this course beneficial. No prior project management experience (or IT knowledge) is required. The course shows how projects should be managed from the gleam of an idea stage through to the post implementation review.

The following gives a flavour of the course coverage. Please enquire for a more comprehensive course description.

Project management principles: Why managing projects is different from managing operational activities.

Project definition: How to turn ideas into defined and planned projects with an approved business case.

Project roles and responsibilities: What the project sponsor should actually do. What the role of the project manager actually is. The all important team leader and project leader roles. The role of key users and many other project roles, including the project board (project steering committee), are covered.

Software development lifecycle: What each phase in the software development lifecycle should deliver. The key tasks that IT and user team members should complete in each phase. The lifecycle explained in non-technical terms: business users will not be baffled by IT jargon.

Very large projects: How to subdivided very large projects into more manageable projects.

Maintenance enhancements: The most efficient way to handle small enhancements and fixes.

Estimating: Estimating what the project might cost. The level of uncertainty attached to estmates.

Planning: Where you start when producing a detailed task by task project plan. The sort of plans large and small projects need. Getting team buy in to the plan.

Risk management: How to assess risks, how to reduce risk, how to manage risk.

Getting commitment: Getting buy in from stakeholders and firm commitment of resources, particularly from business user managers.

Tracking progress: Knowing where the project actually is.

Controlling: What to do when the project isn't where it is supposed to be.

Reporting: What the team should report to the project manager. What the project manager should report to the project sponsor and other senior managers. Templates for reporting.

Issue management: Issues will crop up during the project: how they should be managed.

Change management: Users will request changes to the requirements during the project. How these change requests can be managed.

Quality management: Quality can be managed as the project goes along. How to do it.

Project completion: What should be done at the end of each project stage and at the end of the whole project, and what should be assessed post implementation.

Project assurance: Independent health checks and assistance to project managers.

Improvement planning: Implementing improvements in participants' real projects.