Managing A Project
Successfully managing a project requires more than just tools and schedules: it’s a combination of vision, structure, and the ability to mobilize teams and resources. This training provides project managers with the keys to confidently navigate the different stages of a project, from definition to closure. You’ll learn how to effectively frame a project, establish solid governance, plan and monitor progress, while managing risks, priorities, and stakeholder expectations. Through practical tools, case studies, and experience sharing, this training will help you strengthen your project management skills and optimize your results, even in complex environments.
Topics covered
At ClavaConsulting, each training is unique. It consists of a combination of the following themes, depending on the client's needs.
The project charter or framework note
Capture the essential elements of the project: scope, objectives, deliverables, constraints.
Analysis of the environment and stakeholders: stakeholder mapping, impact analysis, expectation management.
Define success criteria and performance indicators.
Starting point: where we start, where we need to arrive.
Project governance
Definition of steering bodies: steering committee, project committee, operational meetings.
Organization of meetings: type, frequency, agenda, minutes.
Types of decisions and enforcement mechanisms.
Roles and responsibilities within governance: clarification of roles between sponsor, project manager, and team.
Conflict management in governance: proactive resolution, arbitration.
Planning: benchmarks for management
Reminder: Gantt, PERT, Kanban tools – advantages and disadvantages.
Breaking down the project into phases, work packages and tasks: WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) method.
Progress control: milestone management, the right questions to ask to assess deviations.
Integrating risks into planning: identification, assessment, risk response plan.
Managing the expectations of the sponsor: tools and best practices.
Management based on the project plan
Managing the different axes: scope, objectives, human resources, communication, change management, budget.
Proactive management of deviations: anticipation, adjustment of priorities.
Communication plan: how to share the right information with the right people at the right time.
Risk management: management of identified risks and reaction to unforeseen events.
Manage with indicators and a dashboard
Types of key performance indicators (KPIs): deadlines, costs, quality, stakeholder satisfaction.
Building and operating a project dashboard.
Data analysis: interpreting indicators for informed decision-making.
Budget monitoring: managing financial gaps and resource reallocations.
Trade-offs to be made
Trade-offs between competing priorities: techniques for managing resource conflicts.
Managing access to critical resources.
Untimely re-prioritizations: how to frame them and manage the impacts.
Decision escalation: diagram and best practices to avoid blocking the project.
Negotiation techniques: managing compromises with stakeholders.
Closing the project and capitalizing on experience
Final validation: verifying the compliance of deliverables.
Managing post-project deliverables: transfer to operational teams.
Capitalization of experience: feedback, retrospective, post-mortem.
Final documentation: summary of lessons learned and recommendations.
Celebration of successes: value the team and strengthen motivation for future projects.
Cross-cutting points and specific practices to include
Uncertainty management: adapt management in changing environments.
Specific management methods: agile method vs. traditional method.
Management of interdependencies: collaboration with other projects or teams.
Leadership and project team management: motivation, resolution of internal conflicts, management of varied profiles.
Use of modern digital tools: collaborative tools and project management platforms (Trello, Jira, MS Project).
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Pedagogy
Critical analysis, role plays, simulation, practical workshop, collaborative exercise, case study.
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Targeted skills
Technical skills : mastery of tools, structuring, monitoring and control. Organizational skills: priority management, governance, planning. Relational skills: communication, negotiation, leadership. Strategic skills: management of expectations, arbitration, capitalization.
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Possible formats
Given the audience, face-to-face training is highly recommended: it offers the possibility of more in-depth interaction and even networking opportunities.
The optimal duration is 3 days. It can be reduced to 2 days by selecting the themes to work on.
The training can be divided into shorter modules spread over several weeks. This offers flexibility for busy managers while allowing time to apply the concepts learned between modules.
Further reading.
Project management, ordinary steering committee scene. Read .
Everything is urgent! Have we learned the lessons of project management? Read .
Five pitfalls of project management. Read .
Collaboration can be learned. Read .