These are our core training courses. These form the basis for developing bespoke modules to suit individual Client needs. For further details, please contact us on info@mcl.co.uk or telephone +44 (0) 7973 796 491.
- Pragmatic PRINCE2
- Managing Successful Programmes (MSP Awareness)
- Project Sponsership and Delivery
- Programme Sponsorship (Senior Responsible Owner) and Delivery
- Directing Projects – The Project Board
- Project and Programme Office Design and Implementation
- Product (deliverable) Based Planning
- Getting It Right First Time – Quality and Project / Programme Assurance
- Business as UNusual – Business Change and Benefits Management
All of the following courses can be delivered either in a classroom-type environment or on a 1:1 coaching or mentoring basis in a secure environment or tailored to form part of a structured project or programme start-up workshop.
1. Overview
Pragmatic PRINCE2
This is a one day course for senior managers or project and programme staff wishing to understand the language and concepts used in PRINCE2. All the PRINCE2 processes are described and explained and then used in case studies and exercises. Each candidate will be furnished with basic PRINCE2 compliant templates needed to improve project performance.
Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) Awareness
This one day course will provide attendees with an overview of MSP. Items covered include organisation and leadership, benefits management, stakeholder management, communication, an introduction to risk management, programme planning, governance and portfolio management . This course includes performance measurement – how to measure programme progress – including balanced scorecard, benchmarking and key performance indicators (KPIs).
2. Role Based Training
Project Sponsorship and Delivery
This is a one day course that includes help and advice for start-up and intervention management (how to intervene effectively during project delivery). The course includes Governance, Project Board roles and responsibilities, decision making, planning overview, stage planning, risk management models, change management and project assurance and reporting. This course will give project sponsors the questions they should be asking their project managers and enable them to challenge the project managers to improve the project performance.
Programme Sponsorship (Senior Responsible Owner) and Delivery
Senior Managers should understand their leadership role in the delivery of strategic goals ensuring clear line of sight from strategy through delivery to benefits realisation. The SRO should be the person ultimately accountable to the organisation for successful delivery. The course includes business change management (including strategic alignment), organisation and leadership, benefits management, stakeholder management, risk and issue resolution and quality management. This course will greatly improve the performance of your programmes.
Directing Projects – The Project Board
This is a one day course. The role of the Project Board is often not understood nor practiced effectively. This is a course that every Project Executive should attend. The course provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of the Project Board through all the key stages of a project – initiation, delivery and closure, while focusing on end stage assessments, reporting, managing exceptions, and risk and issue management. The recommended PRINCE2 approach of managing by exception is the basis of this course. Having approved stage plans with the project manager, the Project Board is kept informed by reports during the stage. The impact on busy managers‚ time is therefore minimised while they retain absolute control of the project.
Project and Programme Office Design and Implementation
Project and programme offices should dramatically reduce risk and typically improve the quality of project start-up, providing a flexible and scaleable service providing a “centre of excellence” for the organisation. A good project or programme office will provide all the collateral project and programme managers need to carry out their role while providing management will the real picture of progress, issues and risks, not the theory. This course will include programme and project office design and techniques including governance, risk, issue and change management, quality assurance, knowledge management, benefits management (overview and typical toolset), programme and project accounting and planning (programme and project).
This is normally a two day course.
3. Tools and Techniques
Product (Deliverable) Based Planning
A one day course for project managers and their planning teams. The PRINCE2 approach to project planning – product or deliverable based planning – is explained and attendees are invited to complete practical planning exercises that reflect the real world.
Getting It Right First Time – Quality and Project / Programme Assurance
Quality Assurance is one of the most effective (and least costly) ways of ensuring that projects deliver what is required while minimising costs by ensuring that re-work is not required and the requirements are fully delivered first time. However it is the most neglected of project management roles in terms of training and support. This one day course uses role playing, practical examples and case studies and provides attendees with best practice assurance models for projects and programmes. These include the tools and techniques that should be in place to ensure that the project or programme is effectively delivered. It also includes project controls, the challenge and review process in quality management and the roles required to deliver best practice quality assurance.
Business as UNusual – Business Change and Benefits Management
Business Programmes are starting to recognise the need for active management of benefits to meet a business case. However, most struggle to identify benefits, establish cost effective measurement and realisation plans with the right ownership and buy-in from the business. Too much emphasis is put on “what is benefits management?” rather than “why do it?” This one day course is aimed at Senior Responsible Owners, Programme Directors, Programme Managers and Business Change Managers (Benefits Owners). It will help them understand:
- What is benefits management? – Language, process, techniques and templates
- Who is involved? – Organisation structures, roles and responsibilities
- Why do it? – The role of benefits in driving effective change management, stakeholder management and communications.