Most projects don't fail because the idea was bad — they fail because nobody managed the gap between the plan and what actually happened on the ground. Budgets slip, timelines drift, and stakeholders lose confidence long before the finish line.

This self-paced course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy, delivered by a team of internationally experienced project managers, gives you the ready-to-use tools, worksheets and techniques to take any project — large or small — from a rough idea through to a successful, on-time, on-budget close.

After Completing This Course, You Will Be Able To:

• Understand the project life cycle and its phases: initiating, planning, execution, monitoring and closing.
• Describe project management processes and the competencies they require.
• Use tools and techniques for managing the project cycle, and know how to build an effective project plan.
• Read charts and diagrams used in project planning, and know what's required at each stage.
• Predict and manage risks that could derail the project, and keep progress on track to completion.

Who Should Attend?

• Those wishing to develop their project management skills.
• Project managers and project management office members.
• Executive managers, owners of private projects, and entrepreneurs.

Module 1: What Makes Projects Succeed or Fail

• What is a project, and what is project management?
• Key definitions and what project managers actually do
• The benefits of project management, and the common reasons projects fail

Module 2: Setting Direction — Goals, Stakeholders and Lifecycle

• The five elements of a project and the overall project life cycle
• Building a clear, shared understanding of project goals
• SMART goals and stakeholder analysis

Module 3: Building the Plan — Tasks, Time and Budget

• Task and milestone identification, time estimation and handling emergencies
• Time-management tools: Covey's Time Management Matrix and practical time-management tips
• Sequencing and scheduling with PERT, Gantt, network charts and flowcharts
• Labor costs, skills and availability, budgeting, variable vs. fixed costs, and the critical path

Module 4: Running the Project — Risk, Change and Progress

• Identifying and managing risk, and resolving problems as they arise
• Implementing changes without losing control of the plan
• Maintaining and measuring progress, running meetings and managing the team

Module 5: Closing Out — Testing, Support and Review

• Testing project elements and handling customer support
• Returning resources once work is complete
• Reviewing the project's performance and closing it out properly