Training Course: Project Management

Alkindi Society of Engineers has recently organised a full day training on Project Management for Iraqi engineers.

The training programme which took place at the Hilton Double tree hotel in Ealling 13th January, consisted of general introduction and fundamentals of Project Management.  The focus was to provide an overview of the knowledge and requirements necessary to manage projects and understand the roles of the Engineering Project Manager and the Project Team as in:

·         Their responsibilities and duties

·         The starting and ending of projects

The course also covered a variety of aspects of the Project Management process, i.e.:

·         The practical application ranging from the project planning process, setting up project aims, objectives, structure and budgeting

·         Useful project planning tools including risk analysis and management

·         Strategies for Value Delivery and Key Stakeholders

·         Communication in all its forms

·         The principles such as integration and scope management, human resources, procurement, leadership skills and team building

·         Focus on the main parameter of any project – Time, Cost and Quality

·         Lessons learned and best practices

The last segment of the course comprised of a hands-on exercise using the MS Project Tool to plan a projects, assign tasks, set dependencies and durations to establish a critical path on Gantt chart.

The course was a very valuable learning experience for the trainee because not only did they learn the basic Project Management terminology, methodology and role of a project manager, they also gained understanding of the fundamentals of Gantt charts and Critical Path Analysis.

The course attendees came away with an appreciation of why projects fail and how failure can be avoided, along with the potential effects on third parties and subcontractors which is such an important topic.

Skills and knowledge acquired through taking the course:

·         Understand how to produce a project plan with effective budgeting

·         Understand project management in terms of its project plan construction, identification of appropriate milestones and budget

·         How to manage an effective project review

·         Outline basic tools and techniques of risk analysis and management.

At the end of the course a Project Management Introductory Course Certificate was presented to each attendee.

It goes without saying that the success of any project, whether it be big or small, is down to the quality of its personnel.  The staff of every department needs to be highly trained in their field.  Strong financial capabilities are no more important than understanding the needs of the client, QA/QC and HSE requirements, contract obligations or complete knowledge of the procurement and engineering elements of the project.