This course walks participants through the nuts and bolts of project management, from setting priorities to controlling expenses and reporting on results. It provides support and practical activities and useful examples to help participants apply these skills in their daily work.

Introduction

Project success is the key to achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. This course provides participants with the professional skills and knowledge to plan, execute and complete successful projects within your team and your organization.

The course is delivered in collaboration with the Project Management Institute (PMI)®, a registered and accredited provider of PMP certificate preparation.

The course prepares you to undertake the PMP certification exam. Taking this exam is optional and not included in this course.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe basic concepts and principles of project management
• Recognize different styles of influence and adopt different approaches in order to increase influence with their team and stakeholders
• Identify the preparatory steps for any type of project and define clear project goals
• Apply concepts and techniques to develop accurate project estimates and schedules
• Identify and assess the risks involved in project management, by performing qualitative risk analysis and planning risk responses
• Develop effective communication skills to allow accurate project status reporting and project closing

Course methodology

The course has both an online and a face to face components. These two components qualify participants for the PMP certification path and also prepare participants for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam.

The PMP application requires 35 contact hours of project management education. This course provides the required contact hours and information needed to apply and prepare for the exam.

1. Project Management Essentials (online): 10 hours

The Project Management Essentials online course is a practical way to get a head-start on your certification preparation. These 10 contact hours of training provide practical insights and teaching on topics such as Initiating a project, Project Charters, Work Breakdown Structures, the People Side of Project Management, Critical Path, Risk Management, and more.

2. Advanced Project Management (face-to-face): 14 hours

The Advanced Project Management face-to-face course is a combination of nuts-and-bolts theory and practical lessons learned, all packaged in a fast-paced, highly interactive session to get you and your organization on track to consistently deliver successful projects. These 14 contact hours of training will help you understand some of the more challenging exam areas, such as Cost Management (including earned value), Procurement Management, and Quality Management.

3. PMP Exam Preparation (face-to-face): 7 hours

The PMP® Exam Preparation course is two half-days focused specifically on passing the PMP® or CAPM® exams. The course applies what you learned in the Project Management Essentials and Advanced Project Management courses in order to prepare you to pass the examinations. The course includes a copy of the latest PMBOK® Guide and one of the top exam prep study guides.

4. Foundations of Agile Project Management (face-to-face): 4 hours

The Foundations of Agile Project Management course is a half-day introduction to agile project management. Agile has quickly become the go-to project management approach for a wide range of industries. In this course, you will be introduced to agile project management, including the core values and principles outlined by the Agile Manifesto. The fast-paced, highly interactive half-day course discusses common myths and misconceptions about agile approaches, identifies factors to consider when deciding whether to adopt agile practices, and includes a simulation to apply what you learn.

These courses provide you with the 35 hours of formal training needed to pass the PMP® or CAPM® certification exams. This offer benefits participants looking to get certified in the near term.

PART I

The online component will take five weeks with five webinar sessions. Each week, participants go through assigned modules and reading materials, complete weekly assignments and exercises, and post to discussion forums (to share experiences, questions and comments), and receive feedback from the instructors.

The webinar sessions will be conducted on the Zoom online platform. Self-paced modules and discussion forums for each week of the course will be designed and structured on the UNKampus, UNSSC’s Learning Platform.

Participants need a computer (or mobile device), a reliable internet connection and either a headset with a microphone to connect to the audio through the computer, or a telephone. We recommend accessing audio through the computer. No special software is required, but participants must be able to access Zoom, so please check the admin rights on your computer. We will send instructions for Zoom access to registered participants. We recommend you download the application and test your access in advance.

The 2-hour webinars are from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Rome-time (8:00 am – 10:00 am New York-time) on following dates:

• Wednesday, 25 September 2024
• Wednesday, 2 October 2024
• Wednesday, 9 October 2024
• Wednesday, 16 October 2024
• Wednesday, 23 October 2024

PART II

Participants will attend a 3.5 days face-to-face session, 5 – 8 November 2024, Turin, Italy to complement learned skills, practice and receive feedback from peers and the instructor.

Course contents

PART I

Week 1: Key Concepts of Project Management

In this session, we walk you through key concepts that are relevant, regardless of the types of projects you work on or your level in the organization. Also, we will talk about the people side of project management. We will discuss how recognizing different styles and modifying our approach accordingly can significantly help us influence our project sponsor, team, and stakeholders.

Week 2: Project Planning

It can be tempting to just start working on a project without doing sufficient planning. At the same time, we don’t want to excessively analyse at the beginning of the project cycle. How can we best start a project with momentum while avoiding the paralyzing effects of over-analysing? This session examines best practices for initiating and planning a project.

Week 3: Work Breakdown Structure and Planning Tools

Projects almost always require more work than originally anticipated. This session focuses on how to more fully understand all the work that is required for a project. We also discuss techniques and concepts to help you develop more accurate estimates.

Week 4: Project Risks and Contingency Planning

Every project has dependencies and risks that must be considered in order to successfully manage expectations and deliver successfully. This session discusses best practices in scheduling and risk management. We also have a practical discussion about the critical path, including what it is and how it can help you stay on track.

Week 5: Project Status Reporting and Project Closing

As projects continue towards completion, it is important to keep people up-to-date with the project status. In this session, we will discuss some of the important lessons in project status reporting and project closing. We will also talk about the challenges and opportunities in creating a culture of project delivery.

PART II

Face-to-face sessions (3.5 days)

5 – 8 November 2024:

Advanced Project Management course.

PMP Exam Prep course.

Foundations of Agile Project Management.

Target audience

UN professional staff at headquarters and field locations with responsibilities in project design, management and/or reporting.