Workshop Outline Project Management : Extended Techniques Foundational Knowledge	This workshop is endorsed by the:

This workshop is designed for people who are familiar with the Thomsett approach to project management, have project management experience and wish to gain a deeper understanding of the management process. It is preferable that workshop attendees are experienced project managers and have previously participated in the PM: Essential Techniques Workshop.

The Workshop

With a focus on establishing formal processes for project initiation, including RApid Planning (RAP) facilitation and techniques; quality specification; and resource allocation; this workshop builds on the basics presented in the Essential Techniques Workshop and provides an advanced project management approach that requires stakeholder, project owner and sponsor participation and negotiation.

The documentation provided contains outlines of all Thomsett International project management material. However there is insufficient time in two days to cover all the concepts in sufficient detail for a novice to gain a clear understanding of them all. The workshop is presented as a series of tutorials which will be tailored to reflect the participant's knowledge and experience, particularly focussing on those areas in which participants require advanced knowledge or are currently experiencing difficulties. The required focus is discussed and negotiated during the Introduction Phase.

The techniques introduced in this workshop have been recognised by the Australian Computer Society as "best practice" and are the basis of a Masters degree-level Certification Programme in Project Management managed by the A.C.S.

Workshop Structure

Given the focus on advanced techniques, this workshop has been designed as a series of tutorials. The specific sequence and timing of the tutorials depends upon the experience and learning expectations of the participants. This enables participants to select which topics are of interest to them and to encourage interactive discussions between both the workshop facilitator and other workshop participant’s experience.

Tutorials covered include:

1. The advanced project management process

This session covers the various project contracts required for managing complex projects - Business Case, Quality Agreement, Stakeholder Agreements and Staffing Contract - and overviews the project management process. It focuses on the Business Case and its related plans.

2. Rapid Application Planning [RAP]

This session overviews the Rapid Application Planning process, similar to JAD, and the various techniques and documents used to support RAP sessions.

3. Project Stakeholder Management

This session examines the critical issue of project stakeholders or service providers. It covers techniques for analysing stakeholders’ relationships and for developing various stakeholders agreements. It also explores the role of stakeholders in benefits realisation.

4. Modeling Objectives / Added Value

This session concentrates on techniques for developing accurate and measurable project objectives and the relationship between objectives and return-on-investment. It also presents a powerful approach to added-value analysis and benefits realisation planning.

5. Quality Requirements

This session concentrates on powerful techniques for modelling quality expectations or requirements. It also considers the impact on quality expectations on other project management issues such as estimation and risk. It presents a technique based on Quality Function Deployment to show how quality assurance techniques are integrated with project management.

6. Risk Assessment and Management

This session overviews the various approaches to project risk analysis, assessment and management. It also explores risk reporting, risk mitigation models and risk management plans.

7. Advanced Metrics

This tutorial follows on from the estimation tutorial and the Added Value tutorial. It presents an integrated approach to process, product and quality metrics based on "best practice".

8. Virtual Teams

This tutorial explores the new project management team structure - the Virtual team. It compares this team to the traditional "whole-of-life" team and presents methods for project managers to lead Virtual teams.

9. Implementation Strategies

This tutorial presents various techniques for implementing the advanced models “back home”. It provides a step-by-step approach to assisting participants in managing the change process required for successful implementation of best practice project management.

Documentation

This workshop also provides participants with diagnostic models, a full copy of the advanced planning documents used by Thomsett International, and a number of readings.

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