University of Virginia
Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management
University of Virginia

Fundamentals of Project Planning and Management

358,010 already enrolled

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

(10,076 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
Approx. 9 hours
Learn at your own pace
97%
Most learners liked this course
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

(10,076 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
Approx. 9 hours
Learn at your own pace
97%
Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

  • How to initiate, define and organize a project

  • How to develop a project plan, including scoping, sequencing tasks, and determining a critical path

  • How to assess, prioritize and manage project risk

  • How to execute projects and use the earned value approach for monitoring and controlling progress

Details to know

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Assessments

5 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

Welcome to the course -- we're excited you're here! In our first week, we'll gain an understanding of what a project is, what it isn't, and why that matters. We'll consider how projects are defined and a project’s three objectives. We'll look at a model for examining a project’s organization and its stakeholders, and then analyze those stakeholders using a power/interest grid. We'll look at the main reasons why many projects fail and then learn how to measure success. Finally, we'll review the key stages in the project life cycle and highlight the important features of each stage.

What's included

8 videos4 readings1 assignment3 discussion prompts

During our second week, we'll start digging into the details, focusing on how to develop a project plan. We'll understand why we plan and what a plan should or should not include. We'll discuss the process of scoping out a project and see tools that can help us identify what should be included in our project. We'll learn about sequencing project tasks and the nature of the dependencies among project activates. We'll learn how to determine a project’s duration and critical path, how it is determined, and why it is useful. We'll see how we should schedule a project and, finally, we’ll review how you can make changes to a plan to support your overall project objectives.

What's included

9 videos1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt

In our third week, we'll consider the risk and uncertainties projects face. We'll understand what is risky about projects. We'll identify and assess project risks and prioritize these risks in order to focus our attention on those most impactful to the project. We’ll consider schedule risks in detail and ask, "What is the likelihood of finishing on time? What are the drivers that may cause delays in my project?" We'll see how a project budget can be set to include a contingency. Finally, we'll consider situations with a high degree of ambiguity and identify methods than can useful in these situations.

What's included

9 videos1 reading1 assignment1 discussion prompt

In our final week, we'll move from plan to action and consider the execution phase of a project. We'll learn about the earned value approach for monitoring and controlling progress. We'll consider the individuals who are executing the project and how their habits impact project progress. We'll discuss some alternative methods for project execution such as Agile, Scrum, and Kanban. Finally, we'll review and summarize the course, and our journey from project definition through execution and completion.

What's included

9 videos2 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts

Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.8 (3,497 ratings)
Yael Grushka-Cockayne
University of Virginia
6 Courses448,277 learners

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4.7

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