Developing People and Teams <> PROJ_PMI 204-0 |
Organizational leaders do not achieve their goals by themselves.
Effective leaders develop people in a way that promotes individual
growth while improving business outcomes. Students will learn about
their own strengths and focus on how to bring out the best in
others through coaching and feedback. They will gain an
understanding of team development and learn skills to address team
dysfunction. Participants will also have the opportunity to assess
their personal style of conflict management and explore the
benefits of engaging in and facilitating positive conflict.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Identify ways to leverage your strengths and the strengths of
your teams
- Outline the stages of team development and understand the
leader’s role at each stage
- Apply the Five Dysfunctions model to improve team
effectiveness
- Utilize coaching skills in conversations with peers and direct
reports
- Approach conflict as an opportunity
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 16 (Ways of
Working: 1; Business Acumen: 2; Power Skills: 13)
Registered students can access their online course site
here. An activated NetID and password is required for
login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered
students to be added to the online course platform.
View PROJ_PMI 204-0 Sections
|
Soft Skills for Project Managers <> PROJ_PMI 211-0 |
The effective project manager possesses deep interpersonal
skills and is able to use their skills to lead their project teams
to deliver results. This 2-week workshop, designed for project
managers and team leaders, will help you improve the essential
skills needed to be an effective project manager. Using lectures,
case studies, discussions and individual and group exercises, you
will learn how to improve your capabilities in communication,
relationship-management, conflict resolution, decision-making, and
team motivation.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Define characteristics of an effective leader;
- Explain the importance of effective leadership in a
project;
- Assess effectiveness of leaders;
- Develop solutions to ineffective leadership situations;
- Critique and correct ineffective email communications;
- Develop a communication to summarize a problem and describe a
solution;
- Assess facts, evaluate options, and decide upon an
approach;
- Build and motivate an effective team; and
- Resolve a conflict in a virtual setting.
You will leave this course with:
- New connections with your classmates who are also project
managers.
- Examples and case studies from real projects.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 20 (Ways of
Working: 3; Business Acumen: 5; Power Skills: 12)
Registered students can access their online course site
here. An activated NetID and password is required for
login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered
students to be added to the online course platform.
View PROJ_PMI 211-0 Sections
|
Power Excel Skills for Project Managers <> PROJ_PMI 225-0 |
The Executive Team is counting on you to commit a project
completion date. Mistakes will be costly due to penalties if there
is any delay. Your project team is counting on you to guide their
effort so the critical tasks are identified and prioritized. You
are buried in a ton of project information arriving to you daily.
How do you collect and organize it? How do you make sense of it?
How do you use it to make the best decisions for the
project?
From committing to a project completion date based on the
organization's risk tolerance to creating compelling reports and
charts that can drive actions from your organization to address
critical issues to keep your project on track, Excel is one of the
best and more flexible tools available for Project Managers to
simplify tasks related to managing information and also to help on
daily decision making on many levels.
Students will learn advanced excel skills through this hands-on
workshop that will help them to create analytical tools, formulas,
charts, graphs and macros that will support them on making critical
project management decisions. Real-world experiences from project
initiation to project completion will be used so students will
leave each day of the training with the ability to apply what they
have learned in their workplace.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Manage risks in project schedules and define confidence levels
by building a customized analysis model based on your firm’s
probabilities and risk tolerance
- Identify potential issues or showstoppers in data and be able
to identify potential risk triggers
- Know the ins and outs of pivot table creation; validate,
consolidate, convert, sort and filter your data
- Automate your repeatable processes, using macros to create
reports and data analysis charts
- Trace Precedents and Dependents to analyze cascading formulas
and troubleshoot spreadsheet issues
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 18 (Ways of
Working: 12; Business Acumen: 5; Power Skills: 1)
Registered students can access their online course site
here. An activated NetID and password is required for
login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered
students to be added to the online course platform.
View PROJ_PMI 225-0 Sections
|
Managing Distributed Teams <> PROJ_PMI 300-0 |
This course offers a comprehensive approach to managing
distributed project teams, which are becoming increasingly common
in today's flexible and remote work environments. Over four weeks,
participants will learn key strategies and tools through lectures,
articles, discussions, and practical group exercises.
The course objectives include:
- Establishing Clear Rules of Engagement: You'll learn how to
define and reach consensus on ground rules for collaboration,
ensuring that all team members understand how to work together
effectively, despite being in different locations.
- Developing Effective Communication Channels: The course will
provide insights into setting up the most effective communication
protocols and platforms, allowing teams to stay connected and work
efficiently, even across time zones.
- Adjusting Roles and Responsibilities: Understanding the unique
challenges of distributed teams, you'll learn how to modify
traditional roles and responsibilities to fit this new project
environment, ensuring clarity and avoiding overlap or gaps in
tasks.
- Navigating Decision Rights and Influence: With team members
dispersed, decision-making processes can be more complex. You'll
explore how existing influence structures can affect team dynamics
and decisions, ensuring that you navigate these challenges
smoothly.
- Enhancing Business Knowledge for Project Managers: You'll gain
the necessary business knowledge and judgment to make informed and
strategic decisions, even when working with a distributed
team.
- Adapting Project Management Tools: The course will teach you
how to adapt traditional project management tools—such as
governance structures, stakeholder engagement maps, communication
plans, and project playbooks—to meet the needs of distributed
teams.
- Exploring the Impact of AI on Project Management: You'll
explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming project
management, particularly within distributed teams. This includes
understanding how AI-driven tools can enhance project planning,
resource allocation, risk management, and team collaboration, as
well as automating routine tasks to improve overall efficiency and
decision-making processes.
By the end of this course, you will have acquired a skill set
and strategies to effectively lead and manage distributed project
teams, ensuring high productivity and collaboration across
different locations.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 24 (Ways of
Working: 5; Business Acumen: 2; Power Skills: 17)
View PROJ_PMI 300-0 Sections
|
Risk Management (On Campus) <> PROJ_PMI 315-0 |
You are the project manager for a multi-million dollar project,
and there can be no mistakes. Your Executive Team is depending on
you to manage successfully! What do you need to do know to assess
risk so you can deliver against stakeholder expectations?
Through this course, students will gain an in-depth
understanding of types of risks that threaten projects and the use
of various techniques for assessing and managing risk and
approaches to reduce project risk. Particular emphasis is placed on
areas of risk identification, analysis, response planning and
monitoring and control. Use of case studies will help illustrate
how risk management is used successfully and will allow the
students to develop practical skills for use in the workplace.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 15 (Technical: 11;
Leadership: 4)
Registered students can access their online course site
here. An activated NetID and password is required for
login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered
students to be added to the online course platform.
View PROJ_PMI 315-0 Sections
|
Risk Management (Online) <> PROJ_PMI 315-DL |
You are the project manager for a multi-million dollar project,
and there can be no mistakes. Your Executive Team is depending on
you to manage successfully! What do you need to do know to assess
risk so you can deliver against stakeholder expectations?
Through this course, students will gain an in-depth
understanding of types of risks that threaten projects and the use
of various techniques for assessing and managing risk and
approaches to reduce project risk. Particular emphasis is placed on
areas of risk identification, analysis, response planning and
monitoring and control. Use of case studies will help illustrate
how risk management is used successfully and will allow the
students to develop practical skills for use in the workplace.
Course Objectives
- Create a Project Risk Management Plan.
- Choose techniques for Project Risk Identification and Risk
Analysis.
- Evaluate approaches to reduce risk exposure on projects.
- Plan and make use of Project Risk Monitoring and Control.
- Assess a Project Risk Response Plan.
- Adapt various risk management techniques to real-world
projects.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 25 (Ways of
Working: 15; Business Acumen: 9; Power Skills: 1)
Registered students can access their online course site
here. An activated NetID and password is
required for login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for
registered students to be added to the online course platform.
View PROJ_PMI 315-DL Sections
|
Practical Project Planning (On Campus) <> PROJ_PMI 345-0 |
The effective project manager is able to create an effective set
of project plans that communicate the work, assignments,
decision-making flows, and risks to the project sponsor,
stakeholders, and team members. These plans must be at the level
appropriate to manage the risk of the project, and at the same time
be understandable by the project team, and easy-to-maintain as the
project progresses. During this three-day workshop, designed for
project managers, you will complete a comprehensive set of project
plans, learning and applying practical techniques. Using hands-on
activities, case studies, and your own projects, you will improve
your capabilities completing the project charter, the project
participation matrix, communication plan, and risk management plan.
You will also learn practical techniques for establishing project
ground rules, meeting cadences, and collaboration tools.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 16 (Technical: 12;
Leadership: 2; Strategic: 2)
Registered students can access their online course site
here. An activated NetID and password is required for
login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered
students to be added to the online course platform.
View PROJ_PMI 345-0 Sections
|
Practical Project Planning (Online) <> PROJ_PMI 345-DL |
The effective project manager is able to create an effective set
of project plans that communicate the work, assignments,
decision-making flows, and risks to the project sponsor,
stakeholders, and team members. These plans must be at the level
appropriate to manage the risk of the project, and at the same time
be understandable by the project team, and easy to maintain as the
project progresses.
During this 5-week course, designed for project managers, you
will complete a comprehensive set of project plans, learning and
applying practical techniques. Using hands-on activities, case
studies, and your own projects, you will improve your planning
capabilities.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Define the planning principles and how they can be reflected in
project plans.
- List the steps and deliverables of the planning process.
- Describe the tailoring process and how that might be reflected
in project plans.
- Select appropriate development approach given set of project
characteristics.
- Apply the tailoring process.
- Complete project planning deliverables, given inputs,
templates, and examples.
- Adapt plans to respond to new scope, feedback, changes, and
information.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 30 (Ways of
Working: 26; Business Acumen: 2; Power Skills: 2)
Course materials will be provided via the online course site.
Some course materials require a Northwestern student email address
to access.
Registered students can access their online course site
here. An activated NetID and password is required for
login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered
students to be added to the online course platform.
View PROJ_PMI 345-DL Sections
|
Leading and Coaching Agile Teams <> PROJ_PMI 350-0 |
Agile frameworks empower teams with flexible tools to manage
timelines, deliverables and budgets, and still meet stakeholder
needs. This overview course will provide leaders and coaches
insights into how to support Agile teams. Participants will learn
the mindset, culture, values, and principles that make Agile
techniques work. They will also learn some of the key differences
between traditional and Agile approaches. Finally, participants
will learn and practice the key leadership and coaching skills
needed to provide an environment for Agile teams to thrive.
This course uses "experiential learning", meaning that students
will learn new skills and practice them in the course. Students
will use exercises and case studies to gain hands-on experience
with various Agile techniques and leadership tools.
Please note: This class is best suited for
individuals who have some experience working in teams.
Total PDUs: 14 (Technical: 7; Leadership: 7)
Registered students can access their online course site
here. An activated NetID and password is required for
login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered
students to be added to the online course platform.
View PROJ_PMI 350-0 Sections
|
Agile Estimating and Planning <> PROJ_PMI 360-0 |
As Agile methods and tools continue to grow in popularity,
people are interested in how to leverage Agile to improve their
projects. Contrary to what some people think, planning in Agile
projects is more rigorous and disciplined than it is in traditional
projects. The purpose of this course is to provide project
managers, Scrum Masters, product owners, functional managers and
Agile team members with an in-depth understanding of how to plan
for Agile projects.
Agile estimating and planning helps to get a project off on
solid footing. Working together in teams, participants will select
a product to use for their case study and will apply the planning
and estimation techniques for the course on that product.
Planning for Agile projects starts with the big picture of
product roadmaps and release plans, and drills down into the work
that an Agile team will do within an iteration. Participants will
learn how to plan for iterative and incremental solution
development, and how to address change in a plan.
The course also looks at the two types of estimates used on
Agile projects, relative estimates in story points and absolute
estimates in ideal days. Participants will learn when to use each
of these, and how to include the entire team for more accurate
estimates that team members will support.
Please note: This course will be helpful to
those who are familiar with estimating and planning traditional
projects or who have an agile background but want additional detail
on how to effectively plan agile projects. This course is
not recommended as an elective for those in the
Essentials of Project Management track
This course qualifies as education contact hours for the
Project Management Institute’s Agile Certified Practitioner
(PMI-ACP) exam. Note that in order to sit for the PMI-ACP® exam,
students must meet additional requirements set forth by PMI that
can be found on their website.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 14 (Technical:
14)
Registered students can access their online course site
here. An activated NetID and password is required for
login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered
students to be added to the online course platform.
View PROJ_PMI 360-0 Sections
|
Supporting an Agile Transformation <> PROJ_PMI 365-0 |
The use of Agile frameworks and approaches are quickly becoming
the new norm. In fact, a 2015 Hewlett Packard survey showed that
Agile has become the primary approach for technology projects.
The purpose of this course is to provide managers, project
managers, agile practitioners and other leaders a broad
understanding of popular agile methods, how Agile relates to
culture, how organizational change succeeds, and how to support an
organization undertaking a transformation from traditional
development to agile development.
Whether you are an agile novice or experienced agile
practitioner, this course will provide you with a basic
understanding of what an Agile Transformation means, how to assess
the cultural fit for Agile, and success patterns that other
organizations have used to introduce and sustain Agile.
Participants will learn the 8-stage model of leading change based
on the work of John P. Kotter. Participants will use instruments to
assess the culture of their own organization, to determine the
receptiveness for Agile, and to assess the risk and readiness for
an Agile initiative. Finally, participants will develop their own
custom transformation roadmap based on patterns that others have
found useful.
This course qualifies as education contact hours for the Project
Management Institute’s Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®)
exam. Note that in order to sit for the PMI-ACP® exam, students
must meet additional requirements set forth by PMI that can be
found on their website.
Please note: This is an advanced class which is
best suited for those who have some previous training or experience
with Agile frameworks. It is not recommended as an
elective for students in the Essentials of Project Management
track.
Total Professional Development Units (PDUs): 14 (Technical: 4;
Leadership: 10)
Registered students can access their online course site
here. An activated NetID and password is required for
login. *Please note: It may take up to 24-hours for registered
students to be added to the online course platform.
View PROJ_PMI 365-0 Sections
|