Fundamentals of Project Management

Successful projects begin at the beginning.  So should the project manager.

Dates:	Tuesdays Oct 8 - Nov 12
Time:	6:00 - 8:00 pm
Location:	University of Montana campus James E. Todd Building (Oct 8, 22, 29, Nov 12) UC 3rd Floor (Oct 15, Nov 5)
Hours of Instruction:	12
Course Fee:	$450
Registration:	Register Now

Course Description:

This course provides the foundational knowledge to get you started in project management and techniques you will employ throughout the life of your project. 

The course covers critical project management skills and provides you with the necessary tools to manage all phases of a project including initiation, planning, executing, controlling and closing projects. The use of project management techniques such as developing a project charter, stakeholder identification, developing the scope of the project via a work breakdown structure (WBS), schedule development, team management and tracking projects will be covered. And the role of the successful project manager will be discussed. 

By the end of this 6-week course, you will have learned:

• The reasons for and use of a structured approach to project management
• How to lead project teams to success
• To understand the project lifecycle and be knowledgeable on the phases of the project
• To improve efficiencies via cost, quality and delivery
• To kick off a project by defining the requirements, defining the scope, establishing a charter, and defining roles and responsibilities of the team
• To estimate time, resources and cost requirements
• To create communication and risk management plans
• To use performance metrics
• To manage change in a project
• To recognize and mitigate failure of a project in its earliest stages
• To impart project management knowledge to and processes to colleagues
• To understand the critical role a project manager plays in project success

Recommended Course Materials:

Students will gain the most benefit from this course by doing the reading as assigned.  Students are responsible for purchase of their own textbook (order information is below).  Case studies and other articles will be provided in class.

Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. 4th edition. Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 332 pages.  Available online from Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.

About the Instructor: Chris Kirschten, PMP, MBA

Chris Kirschten is an experienced manager of projects large and small.  Since 1992, he has worked in the role of Project Manager for large corporations such as AT&T and Siemens as well as small rural companies.  Chris is currently employed by Blackfoot Telecommunications here in Missoula and heads up our local chapter of PMI (Project Management Institute).

Course refund and parking information