Initiating and Planning Projects

The courses in the Introduction to Project Management Principles and Practices Specialization are a recommended precursor to UCI's Applied Project Management Certificate. Successful projects require careful upfront planning. In this course, you’ll learn the key roles and responsibilities of the project manager and project team. You’ll also learn to answer some key questions upfront to help you meet project objectives: What will this project accomplish? Why is this project important? Who benefits from this project? How will we plan for successful outcomes? Upon completing this course, you will be able to: 1. Identify the key characteristics of a project 2. Identify primary project constraints 3. Define the role and responsibilities of the project manager 4. Identify Project Organizational Structures 5. Understand the definition of a Project Stakeholder 6. Identify project stakeholders 7. Identify information needs of the project stakeholders 8. Define responsibility for managing stakeholder and controlling stakeholder engagement 9. Define the purpose of using a project charter 10. Summarize the key elements of a project plan 11. Identify common sources of conflict within a project environment 12. Describe the difference between authority and influence

• Get Started!
• Get started in this module by reviewing the course overview and participating in the course survey.
• What is a Project?
• In this module, we will identify the key characteristics of a project, identify primary project constraints, define the role and responsibilities of the project manager, and identify Project Organizational Structures.
• Get to Know your Stakeholders
• In this module, we will understand the definition of a project stakeholder, identify who they are, identify their information needs, and define responsibility for managing stakeholders and controlling their engagement.
• Scope Matters
• In this module, we will define the purpose of using a project charter, summarize the key elements of a project plan, and discuss the scope statement and the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
• Authority vs. Influence
• In this module, we will describe the difference between authority and influence and identify common sources of conflict within a project environment.
• Wrap Up
• Wrap up this course by meeting our industry expert panelists, taking the final exam, and participating in our post course survey.