Course Information
Course Overview
How to apply the PMI project management processes in the simplest, most practical way, with a professional 44M example.
"Finally an online course that teaches the 'how' of project management from an experienced veteran." – Karin Brame
This course will teach you how to manage projects in the simplest, most deeply practical way, the way it is done in real life by the most professional organizations. And it is complete, covering management, leadership, and all five stages of the project life-cycle in depth. Whether you are a new project manager or have managed projects for years, this course will give transfer decades of experience to you, and give you the information, tools, and skills to become an expert project manager and accelerate your career.
The instructor is President of The Institute For Practical Project Management (IFPPM), and has managed projects for more than 30 years, from just a handful of people to $55M, and worked in senior roles on PM teams for projects up to $3B. He is a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and has taught more than 330 live project management courses to more than 3,300 people. He has spoken twice as a keynote speaker at International Project Management Association (IPMA) conferences.
The course includes mini-courses on project manager management and leadership, risk management, and earned value management. Hundreds of practical tips, tricks, and techniques are provided for scope, schedule, cost, and risk management over the complete life-cycle from initiation to closing. Includes many examples, including professional documentation for a realistic $44M project you can reuse for your own projects. Includes a PDF of the book How To Plan Your Project With MS Office.
The course will give you the practical background you need if you are pursuing the PMP exam, and will give you 16 Professional Development Units (PDUs) if you already have a PMI certification. You will also receive a Practical Project Manager (PPM) certification from the IFPPM, increasingly being referenced by thousands of people as a career differentiator on LinkedIn.
If you need to manage a project right now, are preparing for a PMI PMP exam, or just want a solid grounding in practical project management to help accelerate your career, this course will really help.
INSTRUCTOR
William Stewart PhD, PMP, DPPM is President of the Institute For Practical Project Management (IFPPM), and a PMI certified Project Management Professional (PMP) who has managed projects for 30 years, from just a few thousand dollars to $55M, and worked in senior roles on PM teams on projects up to $3B. He has managed projects in the domains of system integration, software development, business process, construction, real estate, and others. Internationally recognized, he has spoken twice as a keynote speaker at International Project Management Association (IPMA) conferences. He has delivered this course live more than 330 times to more than 3,300 people. Previously, he worked for aerospace, government, academia, and founded the open source cloud computing company Cirrus Computing. He has deep experience with project management, risk management, systems integration, software engineering, and negotiating. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science for discovery of an algorithm that builds geodesic domes in multiple dimensions in optimum space and time, which to his knowledge has never been used for anything practical.
STUDENT REVIEWS
"Over the course of a 20 year career I have purchased many training materials, video courses, and study guides, and this was hands down the best material I have ever used." – Christopher Irons
"I am interviewing for a PM position in two days, and this course gave me valuable insight into key areas I haven't considered since I received my PMI certification in 2012. I’m also able to improve my resume since I now understand how PM functions I've been performing for years are much more valuable than I thought." – Dan Bischoff, PMP
"I have been a PMP since 2006 and learned so much from this course, truly outstanding." – Mark Thorogood, PMP
"This is by far the best project management course I have ever taken!" – Susan Steigler, PMP
"This is the best real-world practical PM course on the web. Valuable knowledge and insight, clear, and hands on. A great investment when your time is really valuable and you don't want to waste a minute of it." – Sarah Hajipour
"This course offers some of the most valuable material I've consumed as a Project Manager." – Philip Kohler
"This is a very, very useful resource for both Project Managers and team members. The best PM course I have taken online." – Marcelo Palenzuela
"Excellent course -- easy to understand -- wish I had reviewed this resource before I took my PMP exam!" – Thomas Flores
"The only course you will need. Walks you through all the phases of project management. With examples, anecdotes, and most importantly - templates. Highly recommend!" – Allan Madhuram
"I took this course after earning my PMP certification, and am stunned by the practical insights it provides. Thank you! I definitely recommend for both newbies and experienced Project Managers." – Raj Bidika
"This was the best project management course that I have taken. I recommend to anyone interested in project management. Really above and beyond what I expected." – Mark April
"Really straightforward and clear. Wish I had taken this before I sat for my PMP test." – Alexander Feravich
"Great course, perfectly delivered. The PMBOK Guide applied to reality. I plan to repeat this course over and over again." – Alain Yeno
"Not only does this course teach you practical project management, it also teaches you life skills you will keep for a lifetime. Exceptional. I couldn't have asked for anything better." – Saad Faruqui
"Crisp and direct, no blabbing. Wise to go with this first before consulting any other material." – Rufus Okomhanru
"The course was amazing. A lot of real life examples. In my 17 years of PM experience I have never taken a more concise, informative, and easy to understand PM walk-through." – Vladimir Mitev
"I've been managing projects for several years, and picked up key points which will improve my work in the future, and would have made previous projects significantly better if I'd known them sooner. Highly recommended." – David Morrison
"This turned out to be the best money I ever spent. My only regret is I didn't take this course sooner." – Nicholas Ikpi
"One of the greatest courses I have ever had. Short videos you can digest at your own pace. A warm environment, seems that you are talking with him." – Francisco Zapata
Course Content
- 79 section(s)
- 225 lecture(s)
- Section 1 Start Here!
- Section 2 Overview: The PMI Project Management Framework
- Section 3 Overview: Strategic Plan
- Section 4 Overview: The Triple Constraint
- Section 5 Overview: Keys To Success
- Section 6 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 7 Overview: The Project Manager
- Section 8 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 9 Overview: Chapter Summary
- Section 10 Initiation: Contents
- Section 11 Initiation: Introduction
- Section 12 Initiation: The Sponsor & Customer
- Section 13 Initiation: Stakeholders
- Section 14 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 15 Initiation: The First Level Scope
- Section 16 Initiation: The Business Case
- Section 17 Initiation: The Project Manager & Mandate
- Section 18 Initiation: The Project Charter
- Section 19 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 20 Initiation: Chapter Summary
- Section 21 Planning: Contents
- Section 22 Planning: Introduction
- Section 23 Planning: Requirements
- Section 24 Planning: Solution
- Section 25 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 26 Planning: Deliverables
- Section 27 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 28 Planning: Logic
- Section 29 Planning: Estimating
- Section 30 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 31 Planning: Schedule
- Section 32 Planning: Resources
- Section 33 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 34 Planning: Cost
- Section 35 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 36 Planning: Procurement
- Section 37 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 38 Planning: Risk
- Section 39 Planning: Communications
- Section 40 Planning: The Project Plan
- Section 41 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 42 Planning: Chapter Summary
- Section 43 Execution: Contents
- Section 44 Execution: Introduction
- Section 45 Execution: The Project Team
- Section 46 Execution: Communications
- Section 47 Execution: First Steps
- Section 48 Execution: Design & Build
- Section 49 Execution: Problem Identification
- Section 50 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 51 Execution: Chapter Summary
- Section 52 Monitoring & Control: Contents
- Section 53 Monitoring & Control: Introduction
- Section 54 Monitoring & Control: The Weekly Heartbeat
- Section 55 Monitoring & Control: Managing Scope
- Section 56 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 57 Monitoring & Control: Managing Time
- Section 58 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 59 Monitoring & Control: Managing Cost
- Section 60 Monitoring & Control: Managing Risk
- Section 61 Monitoring & Control: Earned Value Management (EVM)
- Section 62 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 63 Monitoring & Control: Managing Quality
- Section 64 Monitoring & Control: Problem Resolution
- Section 65 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 66 Monitoring & Control: The Monthly Heartbeat
- Section 67 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 68 Monitoring & Control: Chapter Summary
- Section 69 Closing: Contents
- Section 70 Closing: Introduction
- Section 71 Closing: Procurement
- Section 72 Closing: Acceptance
- Section 73 Closing: Lessons Learned
- Section 74 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 75 Closing: Team Closure
- Section 76 Closing: The Final Report
- Section 77 Quiz: Review Key Points
- Section 78 Closing: Chapter Summary
- Section 79 Bonus Lecture & PPM Certificate!
What You’ll Learn
- "Finally an online course that teaches the 'how' of project management from an experienced veteran." – Karin Brame, One comprehensive course that covers the entire PM process, with a professional $44M example., Earn a Practical Project Manager (PPM) certification from the IFPPM., Get the practical background needed to pass the PMI PMP exam, and earn 16 Professional Development Units (PDU’s)., How to get stakeholder and senior management support at the beginning of your project, and maintain it throughout., The most important project manager skills, including communication, team management, negotiation, and leadership., How to plan your project efficiently and effectively, so everyone has realistic expectations before you start., How to avoid the top three causes of project failure, and manage the top three drivers of project success., How to initiate your project so all stakeholders are supportive and planning will be maximally productive., The three best common ways to build a business case that demonstrates your project is worth pursuing., The key techniques to gathering good project requirements, with best practices for documentation, review, and approval., Real-life examples and advice for building your work breakdown structure (WBS), and when to break it down further., Why your precedence diagram is the key to good project management, even more important than the Gantt schedule., Five techniques for estimating, how to estimate within +/- 10%, and how to handle estimating error., An animated example of how to calculate the critical path, and why schedule is actually more important than budget., How to decide whether to build or buy, the best type of contract structure, and the best way to make the award., How to prepare a good project plan, brief management, communicate options, stay truthful, and protect your career., The essentials of building the best project team, and how to delegate, motivate, and resolve personnel conflicts., How to manage scope so you can find the things inevitably missed, while avoiding scope creep., How to use the critical path to focus on the most important items, reallocate resources, and make the PM’s job easy., How to track the budget and manage its key drivers to obtain the best cost performance possible., How to identify the risks up front, mitigate them early, and manage your project to stay within the risk budget., The most effective things you can do to manage quality and ensure the customer is happy with the project result., How to use earned value management (EVM) to objectively estimate future cost and schedule performance., How to ask the stakeholders for help when your project is in trouble in the most productive and constructive way., How to use scenarios to sign off requirements and make sure the customer loves the result at the same time., How to gather lessons learned to find both what went well and what can be improved, and easily gather them as you go., How to close your project, write a good final report, and hold a project celebration so everyone can transition to their next challenge., Includes a complete example of professional project management documentation for the $44M “Magical Devices Version 3” project., Includes the book “How To Plan Your Project With Microsoft Office” describing how to document scope, schedule, and budget., Many short quizzes, nine project management document templates, a 250 page reference manual, and six summary checklists., Gain a deeply practical understanding of the PMI process for those that wish to write an exam and obtain a certification.
Skills covered in this course
Reviews
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PPierre Kriegler
This course was well structured, easy to comprehend, and there were plenty of quizzes to really cement in the knowledge, I have found the course very valuable and will use its many resources again in my current project.
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LLeah Simmons
Great course that was presented well. The quizzes that were provided throughout the course really help solidify the information!
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GGuilherme de Almeida Mormito
Really interesting. This course definitely will help me a lot in my current job.
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LLydiah Kiriinya
The course structure is excellent—each chapter concludes with concise highlights and quizzes that really cement the learning. What sets this program apart is its transparency; it doesn't just show you how things should go, but uses real-world examples of project shortcomings to teach vital lessons. Furthermore, the 'toolbox' of shared materials—Excel templates, PDFs, and external resources—is incredibly generous and provides immediate value for any working professional. Highly recommended for those who want to move beyond the textbook and into real-world application