Project Management Fundamentals

How do Project Managers prepare to lead and manage successful projects?

Our client was a training & publishing firm who wanted to get into the business of training Project Managers. They had access to high-end subject matter expertise through the local university. But the university’s professors were used to teaching “project management” in a full-semester classroom course.

The problem: How to turn the professors’ expertise into a course that would be:

• Suitable for novice project managers
• Practical and skills-oriented
• Completed in a 1-2 day time span
• Consistently valid, even though taught by multiple expert instructors in a variety of locations and settings

Our client had a specific market in mind for their published program, as well as specific editorial guidelines. We worked from their market analysis and editorial guidelines to create a course that would meet our client’s needs.

Design Phase:

• We negotiated with our SME to create performance objectives, content outlines, and testing criteria
• We also worked with our SME to outline a Case Study Example that could consistently be used to illustrate the key concepts of Project Management, no matter who the instructor was
• We wanted to make sure that we were hitting the mark on those editorial guidelines before we got too far into development and writing. Therefore, we created a set of “review documents” that our client’s editorial staff could run by their management and systems people, for format approval.
• Our client wanted to offer the course both as a classroom course and as a self-study book – so we made sure to design in all of the elements that would support both formats.

Development Phase:

• We developed our SME’s ideas into a full-fledged program.
• To support the SME’s ideas, we fully developed the Case Study Project, using Microsoft Project software.
• We generated a set of original graphics that supported and illustrated the key concepts, while conforming to the client’s strict editorial guidelines.
• We created a “Training Kit” that included a detailed instructor guide, student guide, case study and tests.
• We developed the student guide to serve double-duty as a standalone, self-study book.

Special Skills/Software

• Instructional Design
• Graphic Design
• Software:
  • Microsoft Project
  • Client’s proprietary xml-based publishing system

Our Client had a consistent, rigorous course that could be published and sold in a variety of formats. The program went on to become one of their hottest non-software courses.

End Users had a fast, flexible way to learn the fundamental skills necessary for successful project management. Based on their feedback, they felt both pleased with their course and prepared to tackle their projects.

 

For more information about this project, please contact us.