Achieving Real Success as a Project Manager
Bellevue
With the development of expanded software for personal computers, emphasis in engineering, architectural or construction project management has shifted towards the use of computer programs for predicting, tracking, monitoring, evaluating and reporting project progress. However, the most important factor in achieving real success as a project manager is rarely accounted for in computer software-that is, the ability to deal effectively with the personalities and people involved in all aspects of the project, from the technician to the client
This course focuses on the people aspects of project management. It includes demonstrations and involvement in real life situations in class. This course is unique because no other course in the U.S. was designed by professional engineers/project managers with extensive experience with a variety of engineering and planning projects, and who also have formal training in applied psychology and communication skills. As a result, the course focuses on the day-to-day concerns of project managers working in the real world.
This course gives an overview of negotiations. For an in-depth course on negotiations see the Effective Project Negotiations course.
To learn how to bring this course to your organization, please contact Engineering Professional Programs at 206-543-5539 or toll-free at 1-866-791-1275.
Course Topics
- Project Communications and Conflict Resolution
- Defining and understanding the needs/expectations of the customer/client, the team, and other stakeholders
- Coping with the multiple demands of customers, clients, teams or agencies
- How to identify and deal with conflict between individuals
- Project Negotiations
- How to prepare for project negotiations
- How to define a process for negotiating changes during a project
- How to deal with tactics
- Project Planning, Scheduling, Budgeting
- Determining customer or client priorities
- Balancing scope, schedule, budget and quality
- Conducting planning workshops
- Obtaining team involvement and buy-in to the project plan
- How to develop realistic schedules that incorporate all customer or client, designer, agency and sub-consultant activities
- Making and delegating clear task assignments
- Project Monitoring and Closeout
- How to balance the level of monitoring so that the project stays on track, everyone is individually accountable and feels empowered, and communication is effective
- How to determine true progress on projects and options for course correction
- How to close out the project
Faculty
Anne Smith, P.E., has 25 years experience in consulting engineering. She has a civil engineering background and worked for 15 years as a project manager and marketer with a number of AE firms. She also has an advanced degree in applied psychology. She was the Vice President and Director of Training for a 1,500 person AE firm, where she trained and coached architects and engineers in a number of topics. Since 1992, she has been conducting project management, presentation, communication, marketing and management training for engineers, planners, scientists, and architects in organizations nationwide.
She and Gordon Culp, of Smith Culp Consulting, are the coauthors of Managing People (Including Yourself) for Project Success (John Wiley, publisher) and The Lead Dog Has the Best View: Leading Your Teams to Project Success (in print, ASCE Press).
Continuing Education Units
Course participants will earn 1.4 CEUs upon successful completion of this course. The CEU is a nationally recognized measure of participation in a noncredit continuing education program that meets established criteria for increasing knowledge and competency.