Description:

This two-day course is the last in a series of three which collectively provide a deep understanding of project scheduling,, an essential project implementation skill.

The management of time is at the very heart of project management. However, projects come in all varieties from very simple to very complex. Simple projects may be those repeated where we have sufficient understanding from previous projects. Complex projects may be large or involve complex design or implementation methods which may not have been used before in quite the same way. Or they may be complex because of financing or other issues. It is the complex projects where the management of time is crucial and where the schedule is most important.

This two-day course is intended to look at the more compelling issues which affect our ability to manage time in a predictable way. It looks at the wider issues of managing time and the modern methods available which can help us to achieve excellence on the project. It also looks at project failure and where scheduling has failed to play the controlling role it must do.

Information and how it flows plays a large part in the success and failure of projects and it has been proved over many years that the earlier information is available the more likely the project will be successful. The course looks at consequences and lessons to learn from previous experience.

The course also looks at the tools available and the way they have changed the way we work. It covers the power tools of productivity and communication to illustrate the value of change in this important time management role.

It looks at the rules of reasonableness in scheduling and how best to measure its capability of achieving its stated goals. It will look at the new world of time management and the tools most likely to take centre stage over the coming years as we drive towards excellence.

An Attendance Certificate will be provided on completion of the course.

Vital Benefits:

The proper management of time is vital to successful project management and as projects become more complex and expensive so scheduling must become more evolutionary. We need to understand the issues that work and those that don’t and make the necessary decisions. This course provides the following vital benefits:

• A clear understanding of the practical limitations of current best practice
• A full understanding of the issues of the day which affect our ability to be predictably successful
• An understanding of the way projects are procured and how this affects the scheduling of the project
• A deep understanding of the power tools of scheduling
• An ability to negotiate, manage conflict and provide direction in complex situations
• An understanding that projects cannot succeed unless we manage time accurately

Objectives:

This course provides the knowledge to understand the crucial issues facing time management and its implementation. In this course, it is our objectives to:

• Create an environment where everyone can freely exchange experiences of projects and learn from the outcome
• Identify and consider the major issues facing time management on projects
• Look at and evaluate what tools are available to help the planner manage complexity
• Look at and manage risk management within the schedule
• Consider the implications of strategies adopted before the project is initiated
• Provide a clear path to more manageable schedules and therefore more successful projects

Topics:

The course covers the following topics:

• Concept of quality and how it affects the schedule
• The impact of pre-project business strategies and how they can be managed
• The implications of fast tracking and other chaos creating strategies
• Tools and the issues
• Risk management
• Changes and controls
• Improving the prestige of the planner
• An environment for Continuous Improvement

Who to Attend:

This course is somewhat specialized but it is important that those who sponsor and manage projects understand the project issues which might affect the time, cost and quality of their projects. We recommend this course to:

• The client and his team
• The project manager and his team
• Those responsible for the schedule and ensuring that time is managed properly
• All those who would like to know more about the issues of time management