Techniques for Project Planning and Control - 1 day

Overview

This course is designed for support staff, project team members or project managers.

The following topics (mainly from the APM APMP syllabus) will be covered:

• Scope Management
• Scheduling
• Resource, Budgeting and Cost Management
• Earned Value Management

Relevant lecture notes, case study material and exercises will be provided.

Participants will be encouraged to take an active part in all topics - each session will contain discussions and collaborative work in small groups.  

 

 Session 1 - Scope Management

• The need for effective scope definition and management.
• An example of: Product Breakdown Structure (PBS).
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
• Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS).
• Organisational Breakdown Structure (OBS).
• Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) and how it is constructed.
• The link between the WBS and project scheduling.

Session 2 - Scheduling

• The scheduling process and the use of project schedules.
• The precedence (activity-on-node) diagramming.
• Basic critical path analysis.
• The use of total and free float in scheduling.
• The use of Gantt (bar) charts.
• Durations estimating (overview).
• Updating project schedules.
• Milestones and milestone progress charts.

Session 3 - Resource, Budgeting and Cost Management

• Types of resources such as replensihable and re-usable.
• Resource estimating (overview), allocation, smoothing (time-limited scheduling) and levelling (resource-limited scheduling).
• Resource histograms and cumulative S curves.
• The link between cost estimating and budgeting and cost management (overview).
• Planned expenditure.
• Commitments and accruals.
• Actual expenditure.
• Cash flow forecasts.
• Forecast out-turn cost.
• Cost monitoring and control and cost reporting.

Session 4 - Earned Value Management

• The principles of Earned Value Management (EVM).
• Planned Costs (Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled - BCWS).
• Actual Costs (Actual Cost of Work Performed - ACWP).
• Earned Value (Budgeted Cost of Work Performed - BCWP).
• Cost Variances (CV) and Schedule Variance (cost) (SV). As defined in BS6079-1:2002
• Trends and Indices; Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (cost) (SPI). As defined in BS6079-1:2002
• CPI as a measure of efficiency.
• Derive earned value curves from basic data.
• Using earned value analysis to forecast out-turn costs and durations.
• Why use EVM and what are its advantages and disadvantages.
• The link between cumulative resource S curves and planned costs.

 

 Tel +44 (0) 1892 506872 :: Management Skills Centre |  2010