Project management: the basics

Project management is more than a predefined process. In this one-day course, you will get an overview of the different approaches and learn how to tailor your own approach to a specific context. 

Projects are a key means of driving change within organisations, yet they often stall because goals, roles or expectations are not clear from the outset. Pragmatic Project Management offers a practical approach to structuring projects clearly from the start and guiding them with a clear focus on their goals.
The course is built around five core questions that form the foundation of every project: why are we doing this project, who needs to be involved, what do we want to achieve, how will we manage it, and how will we close it? These questions guide the discussion of topics such as goal setting, stakeholder analysis, planning and project closure.
Within these topics, you will become familiar with various tools that help make projects concrete and manageable, such as Scrum for iterative working, SCQA for structured communication, SMART principles for setting achievable goals, SWOT analysis for risk assessment, and the power-interest matrix for analysing stakeholders and their influence.
The course combines theory and practice and offers a clear, pragmatic approach to project management, focused on clarity, collaboration and realistic execution.

What will you be able to do after this course?

  • Master the different stages of project management
  • Get to know various useful frameworks, such as Scrum and SWOT 
  • Develop a critical mindset for managing projects

Schedule a training?

An interactive, live training course, delivered in a physical classroom, online or in a hybrid format.
The course can be taught in Dutch, or in English.
If you would like to organise this course at your company, please contact us. We can fully tailor the training to your specific needs.

REQUEST IN-COMPANY TRAINING

 

Public training calendar

No public sessions are currently scheduled. We will be pleased to set up an on-site course or to schedule an extra public session (in case of a sufficient number of candidates). Interested? Please let us know.

Intended for

Anyone involved in project management: project managers, project leaders, team members, consultants and project sponsors.

Background

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Main topics

  • Why do we undertake a project?
    We start by reviewing the purpose of a project and analysing the problem using 5W2H, SCQA, the Value Proposition Canvas and the Business Model Canvas.
  • Who needs to be involved in a project?
    Once the problem is clear, the various stakeholders need to be identified and their level of involvement mapped out. This is done using a power-interest matrix, and the different responsibilities are defined with the RACI framework.
  • What should be part of a project?
    To get a clear view of everything a project should include, the scope must first be defined and scope creep avoided. It is also essential to identify the project's constraints, which can be done through a SWOT analysis. In addition, it is important to ensure that the product or service is tested, and to understand the difference between programme and portfolio management.
  • How should we manage a project?
    To manage a project successfully throughout its entire life cycle, it is essential to define clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), preferably according to the SMART principles. During execution, you may choose to work in an agile way; methods such as Kanban and Scrum are explained in the course as possible approaches for flexible, iterative project management. Attention is also given to risk management, where participants learn how to identify, assess and control project risks in order to address unexpected obstacles in good time.
  • How do we close a project?
    Closing a project is a crucial phase in which results are evaluated and lessons learned are captured. In this part of the course, you will learn how to narrow the expectation gap, how prototypes help align expectations early on, and what distinguishes a successful project from an unsuccessful one. Finally, the retrospective is covered: a moment to reflect on the process so that improvements can be carried forward into future projects.

Training method

This is a live learning course, delivered in a classroom setting and led by an instructor. For in-person sessions, participants are required to bring their own laptop. There is plenty of room for practical exercises and group discussions.

Certificate

At the end of the course, participants receive a Certificate of Attendance.

Duration

1 day.

Course leader

The Master Labs.


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