Controlling a Project

Course Description

This course explains how to:

• Identify the 6 steps in variance analysis.
• Identify the 4 responses to change.

The course presents its material as a text-based slide show. It offers quiz questions, a self-check, and links to related articles and Web sites. In addition, the course offers access to a mentor, a discussion group, a chat room, and periodic eLearning events.

The course also demystifies the inevitable issue of change. The course provides a progressive series of 4 possible reactions to project changes. For example, if a proposed change requires more resources than a project has, the manager may have to negotiate the change, rather than just adjusting to it.

The course clearly defines and effectively illustrates the topics. Each unit uses an ongoing scenario that helps maintain interest. The course gives an appropriate example for each step or task. For example, the course points out which control criteria Antonio could use to assess his market analysis software projectís progress.

The course offers a worksheet showing a sample variance analysis for Antonioís scenario. This can serve as a concrete model to refer to when you are on your own. In addition, the course provides very basic printable worksheets that outline the steps covered in each unit. These worksheets could be useful as abbreviated how-to manuals.

PrimeLearning.com® offers links to half of a dozen project management Web sites that offer publications, discussion groups, and more. Other resources are links to 10 related articles and a list of a dozen recent project management books. A couple of articles and 1 book expand on the skill of negotiating, which this course touches on briefly.

This course uses a moderate level of interactivity. It offers frequent basic features like mouse-overs and drag-and-drop exercises. These liven up the slide show delivery. Quiz questions also provide a few chances to review and apply the material. Adding some scenario-based questions would provide even more opportunities to put the concepts into practice.

PrimeLearning.com® offers a pre-assessment for their entire "PrimeProject Management Fundamentals" curriculum that determines which courses you need to take--there isn't an individual pre-assessment for just this course. This course does, however, offer a brief self-check quiz that can be taken as a post-test or at any time.

PrimeLearning's courses offer a broad range of interactions with instructors and other students. For example, the course encourages you to contact a mentor about how to plan your work in the curriculum or for any specific questions. In addition, the course offers access to a discussion group, a chat room, and periodic eLearning events. eLearning events are a series of synchronous e-conferences with featured speakers on related topics. The community members for these interactive resources are all users of the "PrimeProject Management Fundamentals" curriculum.

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