Project Management Foundations

Project Management Foundations

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This online series introduces project management process and tools/ techniques to enhance the work that graduate students do within and beyond their graduate studies. It provides insight into the management of projects, including managing people involved in the project life cycle. Students gain an understanding of the project life cycle and best practices for project success, including how to account for changing conditions and project uncertainty. Students complete a culminating project that showcases their preferred project management style and what tools they would implement in future projects. 

By the end of this course, you can expect to be able to…   

  • Gain insights on ways to effectively manage all stages of a project  
  • Broaden knowledge of a project life cycle and key stakeholders    
  • Discover key tools for managing projects  
  • Create a plan for using these strategies in graduate work and beyond

Project Management Showcase: Informed by self-assessments and topics introduced in the course, participants will develop a short presentation of their preferred project management style and what tools they would implement in a future project.   

Fall 2024: Topics and Schedule – All sessions meet online on Zoom. The Zoom link will be provided on the course Canvas site.

  1. Project Management Overview (September 25, 1-3 pm EST) with Thea Litchfield Campbell  

This session will define what constitutes a project, examine key differences between waterfall and agile project management, and introduce the concept of the Iron Triangle. 

  1. Scope Management (October 9, 1-3 pm EST) with Thea Litchfield Campbell  

This session will dive into the concept of project scope, exploring essential tools for both traditional and agile project management, like the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), product backlog, and flowcharts. These tools help define, organize, and visualize project tasks to ensure successful scope management. 

  1. Schedule Management (October 16, 1-3 pm EST) with Susan Parente  

This session will focus on key areas of schedule management, including defining and Planning the Project Schedules, Scheduling Tools and Software, Time Estimation, Monitoring and Controlling Schedules. 

  1. Cost Management (October 23, 1-3 pm EST) with Susan Parente  

This session will focus on key areas of cost management, including budgeting and cost estimation, cost control and monitoring (using Earned Value Management (EVM), and tools and techniques for cost management. 

  1. Risk Management and Stakeholder Engagement (October 30, 1-3 pm EST) with Susan Parente 

This session will provide focus on two areas of project management which are essential to project success – risk management and stakeholder engagement. This session will provide students with tools and techniques for managing project risk and balancing stakeholder engagement. 

This is an engaging series and requires commitment to full participation. Registrants are expected to complete readings/assignments in between sessions and engaging in weekly sessions through instructor-student and peer-to-peer interactions. 

Upon successful completion, PhD students will receive a digital badge, issued by UVA School of Continuing and Professional Studies through Credly, that demonstrates proof of completion of the program. To earn the badge, you must attend 4 of the 5 sessions and complete the final assignment.

Register today!