Executing Successful Projects Series 3: Project Acumen

Regardless if you are a formal project manager in a PMO or managing projects is part of your position along with a multitude of other duties, successfully executing projects is more than just completing templates, forms and data entry for charts. Being able to execute projects includes understanding the business need for the project and influencing the key stakeholders in the project. Executing Successful Projects: Series 3: Project Acumen will take you beyond the technical tools and provide skills you need in leadership and business strategy to select and prioritized projects, and lead projects to come in on time and on budget with stakeholder-defined quality. Two of the courses in this series: Building the Business Case for Change and From Business Case to Project Charter fulfill the content for Strategic and Business Management category on the PMIR® Talent Triangle. Even if your role as a project manager does not require you to build a business case, this course will help you ask questions to ensure that your project is solving your sponsor's business problem. Two courses in the series: Leading Stakeholders through Change and Project Engagement fulfill content for the Leadership category on the PMI® Talent Triangle. These two courses focus on influencing up and out to keep your sponsor and key stakeholders engaged and focused on the project - an essential ingredient to project success. Note: This series aligns with the PMI® Talent Triangle®. While anyone experienced in project management knows the need for being balanced in technical skills, leadership skills, and business acumen, Project Management Institute® now formally acknowledges this with its Talent Triangle®. The talent triangle is "an ideal skill set... or combination of technical, leadership, and strategic business management expertise" to meet the evolving demands of the project management profession.
Name: Executing Successful Projects Series 3: Project Acumen
Credit(s): .42
Course Days: See Dates/Times Tab Below
Location: Map

Series Detail

This Series is comprised of four separate courses.

  1. Building the Business Case for Change
  2. From Business Case to Project Charter
  3. Leading Stakeholders through Change
  4. Project Engagement

The registration now button on this page will automatically register you in all four courses with a 15% series discount.

Length: Courses vary in length; the total length of the series is 3 days

This series is part of the Executing Successful Projects Certificate

Audience

People who lead:

  • Departments
  • Divisions
  • Project teams
  • Change initiatives
  • It rollout or implementation projects
  • Strategic initiatives – like business architects
  • Process improvement projects
  • Continuous improvement efforts

Competencies

After completing this series, participants will be able to:

  1. Build a business case
    • Explain the linkage between an organization’s strategy, change initiative and the role of the business case
    • Complete the non-financial sections of a business case and support the preparation of the financial analysis
    • Convert the intangible benefits of a solution into the tangible, quantitative benefits and use them in the business case
    • Recognize the application of the principals of good data presentation
    • Identify crucial success factors and risk for a change initiative
  2. Use a business case to build a project charter
    • Understand how the elements of a business case transfer to a project charter
    • Recognize the audience for a project charter
    • Appreciate the elements of an effective project charter
    • Learn to critique your own charters with a best practice checklist
    • Write a project charter based on business case
  3. Understand how project leadership is directly related to your ability to motivate people
    • Develop a promotional lens to view and motivate people in your role as a project manager
    • Devise an immediate plan to increase your influence as a project manager
    • Understand the Key Drivers of change
    • Appreciate why projects efforts fail
  4. Identify key stakeholders for smoother transitions
    • Understand the connection between projects and change
    • Recognize your Sphere of Influence
    • Utilize the 3 Steps of Change Implementation
    • Analyze your audience and individualize communication for maximum engagement

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for these courses.

Price/Logistics

Price: $782.85 Early Bird Pricing: $704.57 up to 4 weeks prior to the course start date.

  • Course Texts: no texts are used in this course.
  • Food: Lunch is included in all courses that are 7 hours or more

If you are registering through the workforce center, you must have your counselor contact IPD directly at institute@metrostate.edu

If your organization has at least 6 participants and you desire to host the class at your site or if you would like to customize this course specifically for your organization, contact Beth Schaefer at 651-999-5834 or beth.schaefer@metrostate.edu

Cancellation Policy:

Class cancellations must be done fourteen full business days before the class start date.  No refunds for cancellations of less than fourteen full business days.  No Shows/Missed Classes – Refunds will not be issued for any missed class.  Late Arrivals/Early Departures – Metropolitan State University reserves the right to decrease continuing education units issued for late arrivals and early departures.  Written confirmation will be sent to you a week before class.  If a class is canceled, you will be contacted by phone, mail, or email.  Metropolitan State University reserves the right to cancel courses due to insufficient enrollment or unforeseen circumstances, such as weather (a full refund will be granted).

Dates/Times

Metropolitan State Institute for Professional Development does not currently have public seat-based classes running for fall 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

We will follow guidance from the Minnesota State system for the Spring 2021 Semester; and the health and safety of students and staff will be at the forefront of any decision we make. Information will be posted here as soon as available, please Subscribe to our Email List for updated information  to be sent directly.

In the meantime, please Click Here for information about customized training classes that can be offered at your organization.