About the course
Projects are all around us. Virtually every organisation runs projects, either formally or informally. Thanks to this course you have the opportunity to learn planning principles and execution methods so your projects can be run more effectively and efficiently at work and in daily life. You’ll discover the language and frameworks for scoping projects, sequencing activities, utilising resources, and minimising risks.
You also have the chance to earn professional development units (PDUs) as the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business is approved by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
What you will learn
By the end of the course, you'll be able to:
- Describe how to initiate a project by defining the project goal, identifying the priorities, and establishing the organization;
- Explain how to develop a project plan by identifying the scope, task dependencies, schedule, critical path, and risks;
- Identify factors that lead to project success;
- Describe the four stages of the project-life-cycle and the role each stage has in the evolution of a project;
- Explain how to execute a project by monitoring the progress, communicating with stakeholders, and deciding how to correct and control;
- Develop an awareness of some behavioral biases in project settings and identify how these impact the planning and execution of a project;
- Develop the language and mindset for planning and managing projects by properly setting and prioritizing project goals and objectives;
- Identify the most appropriate project management methodology given the project objectives, the degrees of uncertainty, and the constraints.
Requirements
This course is for anyone interested in ensuring that their projects run smoothly. You don’t need any prior experience.
About the instructor
Yael Grushka-Cockayne is Associate Professor of Business Administration Darden School of Business University of Virginia. Her research and teaching activities focus on data science, forecasting, project management, and behavioral decision making. Her research is published in numerous academic and professional journals, and she is a regular speaker at international conferences in the area of decision analysis, project management and management science. She is also an award-winning teacher, winning the Darden Morton Leadership Faculty Award in 2011, the University of Virginia's Mead-Colley Award in 2012 and the Darden Outstanding Faculty Award and Faculty Diversity Award in 2013. In 2015 she won the University of Virginia All University Teaching award. Yael teaches the core Decision Analysis course, an elective she designed on Project Management, and an elective on Data Science. She is the leader of the open enrollment courses "Project Management for Executives" and "The Women's Leadership Program".
Starting date: 12 February, 2018
Duration: 4 weeks, 2 hours per week
Language: English
Instructor: Yael Grushka-Cockayne
Institution: Darden School of Business, University of Virginia
