Basic Project Management (MES)

Project management is the practice of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria at the specified time. The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals within the given constraints.

When I first encountered project management, I had a difficult time seeing how it applied to the field of education. The training primarily discussed widgets and bolts, but I was dealing with professors and students. To make matters worse, when I tried incorporating the discipline into my administration of educational grants, I got major pushback from seasoned educators. It was because of this challenge that I began trying to cross pollinate what goes on in academia with the project management discipine. To this end, I have created this and several other related Project Management Trainings.

While you are going through this training, bear in mind that though it may seem industry heavy, I will be sharing tools that will very much apply to this summer’s internship, as well as the completion of your academic career. At times the information may get heavy, but I will try my best to make it palatable. If at any point you have questions, please utilize the comment section at the end of the lecture to communicate your concerns. Together, we will work through your thoughts and make sure that Project Management is a tool in your tool belt for life.

Objective

• To provide a set of tools, terms and techniques to increase success
• To introduce a methodology for effectively structuring and completing activities
• To discuss simple reasons for why projects fail
• To provide a set of tools essential for articulating and maintaining controls