Training

IT Course Descriptions (All courses are required for PMP)

Principles and Practices of IT Project Management (3 days) (21 PDUs)
This course blends a comprehensive overview of the skills, knowledge and tools needed to effectively manage projects with an opportunity to gain valuable project management experience in realistic case study examples. Special emphasis is placed on the unique challenges of information technology projects. Participants will become familiar with all nine areas of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) established by the Project Management Institute as the industry standard for project management instruction. Participants also will learn to build and use key project management documents.

Improving Communications and Building IT Teams (2 days) (14 PDUs)
Participants learn the essential elements of effective project communication and how technology teams differ in their communication requirements. Participants learn the different stages of team development and how the Project Manager can apply different leadership styles depending upon the situation. Effective communication practices are combined with leadership techniques to help build more successful technology teams.

Managing Costs and Schedules for IT Projects (2 days) (14 PDUs)
Establishing realistic schedules and budgets while ensuring that the project will meet business objectives and client expectations is one of the most challenging aspects of IT project planning. Participants learn techniques for developing and managing realistic project schedules and budgets. They learn to proactively identify and deal with schedule and cost variances to ensure successful project delivery.

Reducing Risk in IT Projects (2 days) (14 PDUs)
Information Technology projects often wait until threats become a reality. Learn to turn your risks into opportunities. Participants learn to identify potential threats, determine the impact of the threat, and develop a risk management strategy by quantifying and prioritizing project risk. They learn to reduce exposure by using risk analysis tools and by incorporating effective communication techniques in their risk management.

Enhancing IT Project Quality (2 days) (14 PDUs)
Participants learn the essential elements of quality management for IT projects including quality planning, quality assurance and quality control. They learn how to effectively integrate quality processes into their project management practices. Participants learn how to use quality tools and build quality into their project plans and end product

Managing Contracts in IT Projects (2 days) (14 PDUs)
Participants learn about the contracting process and the various phases of the process so that they can work effectively with contracting managers, purchasing professionals and subcontractors to accomplish key project objectives. Participants learn how to define procurement requirements and evaluate bids and proposals. Participants will learn how to successfully negotiate a contract agreement and manage the resulting vendor relationship. Participants learn effective courses of action to ensure that contractors or subcontractors perform as required under the contract. Participants learn best practices for closing out contracts.

Application Workshop for IT Project Management (3 days) (21 PDUs)
This workshop concludes the Project Management Professional series and gives the participant the challenge of utilizing key concepts and techniques in a three-day experiential exercise. One case study is used throughout the course to allow participants to practice what they have learned. The workshop has very little lecture by the instructor and concentrates primarily on practice and debriefing by the participants.

Non-IT Course Descriptions (all courses required for PMP)

Principles and Practices of Project Management (3 days) (21 PDUs)
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the skills, knowledge and tools needed to effectively manage projects. Participants will become familiar with all nine areas of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) established by the Project Management Institute as the industry standard for project management instruction.

Improving Communications and Building Teams (2 days) (14 PDUs)
90% of project success is communication. Students learn the essential elements of effective project communication and how teams differ in their communication requirements.

Better Schedules, Better Budgets (2 days) (14 PDUs)
The bottom line for project results is getting the project done on time and within budget. Students learn the essential elements of successful estimating and how to monitor project tasks for successful completion.

Reducing Project Risks (2 days) (14 PDUs)
Many projects fail because we do not see the surprises ahead of time. In this course, students learn to identify risks early, to apply qualitative techniques to analyzing and prioritizing the risks, and to prepare response strategies for the critical risks.

Enhancing Project Quality (2 days) (14 PDUs)
Participants learn the essential elements of quality management for their projects including quality planning, quality assurance and quality control. They learn how to effectively integrate quality processes into their project management practices. Participants learn how to use quality tools and build quality into their project plans and end product.

Managing Contracts in Projects (2 days) (14 PDUs)
Participants learn the various phases of contract management so that they can work effectively with contracting managers, purchasing professionals and subcontractors to accomplish key project objectives. Participants learn how to define procurement requirements and evaluate bids and proposals. Participants will learn how to successfully negotiate a contract agreement and manage the resulting vendor relationship. Participants learn effective courses of action to ensure that contractors or subcontractors perform as required under the contract.

Best Practices Workshop (3 days) (21 PDUs)
This course is a hands-on exercise in applying the project management best practices techniques. Working in a team environment, participants apply their skills to a real-life scenario case study. . It blends a comprehensive overview of the skills, knowledge and tools needed to effectively manage projects.

General Project Management Course Descriptions

Project Management for Business Partners
This course provides an overview of the business partners’ role in effectively managing projects. Participants are introduced to the nine areas of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) established by the Project Management Institute as the industry standard for project management instruction. Participants also gain an understanding of standard project management processes, best practices, and how they affect the success of projects.

From Technical Professional to Team Leader
This course recognizes the strengths of technical leaders and moves their focus to more team-oriented development. Participants learn the essential elements of effective project communication and how technology teams differ in their communication requirements. Participants practice different communication techniques depending upon the situation.

MS Project - Level 1
This course is divided into the following modules:
• Lesson 1: Brief Overview of Project Management
• Lesson 2: Starting a Project – Describes how to begin a project using Microsoft Project, including planning the project and defining its scope
• Lesson 3: Outlining and Task Relationships – Presents a technique for outlining and developing a schedule, and changing task relationships and constraints.
• Lesson 4: Adding and Assigning Resources – Coaches how to develop a project calendar, assign project resources, and determine project costs.
Lesson5: Time and resource conflicts – Presents techniques for resolving time restrictions and resource over-allocation
• Lesson 6: Using Different Views and Reports – Provides details on customizing views used to display project data and generating project reports
• Lesson 7: Organizing Project Information - Describes how to use the sorting and filtering tools to display project data, and to create customized filters.

MS Project - Level 2
This course is divided into the following modules:
• Lesson 1: Setting the Baseline Plan – Describes how to create a baseline project plan.
• Lesson 2: Tracking Project Progress – Introduces ways to customize the project look, and track work and completed progress in the project.
• Lesson 3: Adjusting the Schedule – Determine how to adjust future tasks and create an interim plan.
• Lesson 4: Adjusting Resource Schedules – Explains how to manage resource-driven scheduling and tasks, and customize a report.
• Lesson 5: Customizing the Project Environment – Introduces views, toolbars, macros, global settings, and setting operating preferences
• Lesson 6: Working with data in other applications – Explains importing, exploring and copying project data into other Office applications; learn to work with sub project and master project plans.