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Project Initiation and Planning

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Project Initiation and Planning

This course is part of multiple programs.

Instructor: Ismail Kirci

Top Instructor

17,359 already enrolled

Included with Learn more

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

154 reviews

96% of learners liked this course

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

154 reviews

96% of learners liked this course

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Describe the concepts of project management, the key activities in the project life cycle and understand how AI is used in project management
Develop a project management plan that documents the actions necessary to define, coordinate, and measure all project activities
Identify necessary labor and material resources, estimate the required units to meet expectations, and demonstrate impact of changes to project scope
Demonstrate how teams are assigned and formed, describe the stages of team development, and optimize the project schedule

Skills you'll gain

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Assessments

38 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

In today’s competitive environment, learning to manage projects effectively is a critical skill. This course will focus on initiating and planning projects. The course will cover the more traditional linear process, such as the waterfall approach, as well as the dynamic, iterative approaches of agile and hybrid models, so learners can decide when one approach is more suitable for their projects to maximize the chances of a successful outcome. The course will also help you understand how AI is used in project management to support faster and better decision-making, and explore practical applications of AI chatbots in project initiation and planning.

You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course. In module 1, you will learn about the life cycle of a project when using the traditional model for project management. Why is it called waterfall, and how does that dictate the process? The focus will be on the first state of the project life cycle, project initiation.

What's included

29 videos8 readings12 assignments1 discussion prompt1 plugin

29 videosTotal 156 minutes

Meet Your Instructor3 minutes
Why Study Project Management10 minutes
Course Introduction - Welcome to Project Initiation and Planning3 minutes
Learn on Your Terms1 minute
Module 1 Overview1 minute
Introduction5 minutes
What is a Project?9 minutes
Two Different Approaches to Project Management7 minutes
Waterfall Approach to Project Management4 minutes
Initiating a Project7 minutes
Meet Our Experts - Harshad Desai and Fataneh Taghaboni-Dutta 2 minutes
Insight From an Expert on Waterfall Approach2 minutes
Stakeholder Management11 minutes
Meet Our Experts - Garrett Whitsitt and Fataneh Taghaboni-Dutta 1 minute
Insight From an Expert on Managing Stakeholders3 minutes
Project Scope12 minutes
Scope Example8 minutes
Project Priorities14 minutes
Insight From an Expert on Project Priorities1 minute
Work Breakdown Structure12 minutes
Insight From an Expert on the Importance of Planning5 minutes
How to Use Sticky Notes to Create a Work Breakdown Structure3 minutes
Introduction to ProjectLibre - How to Install for Mac 4 minutes
Introduction to ProjectLibre - How to Install for PC 2 minutes
Creating a Work Breakdown Structure Using ProjectLibre5 minutes
Organizational and Team Structure12 minutes
Meet Our Experts - Sean Bauer and Fataneh Taghaboni-Dutta 3 minutes
Insight From an Expert on Structuring the Project Team5 minutes
Module 1 Takeaways2 minutes

8 readingsTotal 114 minutes

Syllabus10 minutes
About the Discussion Forums4 minutes
Glossary5 minutes
Online Education at Gies College of Business10 minutes
Updating Your Profile10 minutes
Module 1 Overview5 minutes
Module 1 Readings60 minutes
ProjectLibre and Excel Files Used in Examples10 minutes

12 assignmentsTotal 180 minutes

Orientation Quiz30 minutes
What is a Project? Practice Quiz10 minutes
Two Different Approaches to Project Management10 minutes
Predictive Approach to Project Management30 minutes
Initiating a Project Practice Quiz10 minutes
Stakeholder Management Practice Quiz10 minutes
Project Scope Practice Quiz10 minutes
Scope Example Practice Quiz10 minutes
Project Priorities Practice Quiz10 minutes
Work Breakdown Structure Practice Quiz10 minutes
Organizational and Team Structure Practice Quiz10 minutes
Waterfall Approach - The Basics: Quiz30 minutes

1 discussion promptTotal 10 minutes

Getting to Know Your Classmates10 minutes

1 pluginTotal 15 minutes

Demographic Survey15 minutes

In this module, you will learn about the planning phase of a project when using a waterfall approach—getting the team on board and collaboratively building a plan for managing tasks, stakeholders, and risks. You will learn about how to create the foundation for developing a detailed project plan that includes budget and schedule.

What's included

17 videos2 readings10 assignments

17 videosTotal 119 minutes

Module 2 Overview2 minutes
Project Kick-off6 minutes
Kick-Off Meeting3 minutes
Communication Planning7 minutes
Responsibility Matrix4 minutes
Risk Management: Identify and Assess Risk15 minutes
Risk Management: Develop Response9 minutes
Insight From an Expert on Risk Planning4 minutes
Scope Creep8 minutes
Task Dependencies9 minutes
Illustration of Precedence Relationship Types in ProjectLibre4 minutes
Estimating Time and Cost16 minutes
Insight From an Expert on Time and Cost Estimation4 minutes
Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)11 minutes
Creating a Network Diagram in Excel7 minutes
Creating Precedence Diagram Using ProjectLibre7 minutes
Module 2 Takeaways2 minutes

2 readingsTotal 65 minutes

Module 2 Overview5 minutes
Module 2 Readings60 minutes

10 assignmentsTotal 120 minutes

Project Kick-Off Practice Quiz10 minutes
Communication Planning Practice Quiz10 minutes
Responsibility Matrix Practice Quiz10 minutes
Risk Management: Identify and Assess Risk Practice Quiz10 minutes
Risk Management: Develop Response Practice Quiz10 minutes
Scope Creep Practice Quiz10 minutes
Task Dependencies Practice Quiz10 minutes
Estimating Time and Cost Practice Quiz10 minutes
Precedence Diagramming Method Practice Quiz10 minutes
Waterfall Approach - Get the Project Going: Quiz30 minutes

In this module, you will learn several techniques that will help you develop a detailed project plan. The project plan will reveal the critical tasks. Managing projects using a waterfall approach is a start-to-finish approach to getting things done and making projects more successful. The critical path has a significant impact on both the cost and schedule of a project.

What's included

13 videos2 readings7 assignments

13 videosTotal 79 minutes

Module 3 Overview2 minutes
Gantt Chart4 minutes
ProjectLibre Basic Operations 6 minutes
Critical Path Method (CPM) - Forward Pass8 minutes
Critical Path Method (CPM) - Backward Pass8 minutes
Critical Path Method (CPM) - Float7 minutes
CPM - An Illustrated Example in Excel11 minutes
CPM - An Illustrated Example in ProjectLibre3 minutes
PERT - Program Evaluation and Review Technique9 minutes
PERT - Example11 minutes
PERT - Calculating Expected Time and Standard Deviation3 minutes
PERT - Project Completion Time Analysis 5 minutes
Module 3 Takeaways1 minute

2 readingsTotal 65 minutes

Module 3 Overview5 minutes
Module 3 Readings60 minutes

7 assignmentsTotal 90 minutes

Gantt Chart Practice Quiz10 minutes
Critical Path Method - Forward Pass Practice Quiz10 minutes
Critical Path Method - Backward Pass Practice Quiz10 minutes
Critical Path Method - Float Practice Quiz10 minutes
PERT Practice Quiz10 minutes
PERT Example Practice Quiz10 minutes
Waterfall Approach - Create a Plan for Action: Quiz30 minutes

In this module, you will learn about agile project management - the methodology best used when project requirements are not well defined and nd change frequently. This module will focus on the roots of agile and show how to initiate and plan projects using Scrum. You will also learn about artificial intelligence and explore how AI is being applied in project management to help project managers make faster and more effective decisions. This section will also introduce specific AI chatbot applications that can support project initiation and planning activities.

What's included

17 videos5 readings9 assignments1 plugin

17 videosTotal 140 minutes

Module 4 Overview2 minutes
Agile Project Management11 minutes
Agile Methodologies - Kanban Framework11 minutes
Agile Methodologies - Scrum Framework10 minutes
Scrum - Initiating a Project9 minutes
Insight From an Expert on the Role of the Product Owner3 minutes
Scrum - Sprint Planning12 minutes
Story Point Meeting4 minutes
Insight From an Expert on Story Points5 minutes
Introduction to JIRA project management tool14 minutes
Creating a Team and Adding Team Members in Jira7 minutes
Creating Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog in Jira16 minutes
Project Manager vs Scrum Master5 minutes
Insight From an Expert on Servant Leadership3 minutes
AI in Project Management15 minutes
AI Applications in Project Initiation and Planning13 minutes
Module 4 Takeaways2 minutes

5 readingsTotal 95 minutes

Module 4 Overview5 minutes
Module 4 Readings60 minutes
Sample Chatbot Prompts and Responses (Optional Resource)10 minutes
Congratulations on completing the course!10 minutes
Get Your Course Certificate10 minutes

9 assignmentsTotal 150 minutes

Agile Project Management Practice Quiz10 minutes
Agile Methodologies - Kanban Framework Practice Quiz10 minutes
Agile Methodologies - Scrum Practice Quiz10 minutes
Scrum - Initiating a Project Practice Quiz10 minutes
Scrum-Sprint Planning Practice Quiz10 minutes
Project Manager vs Scrum Master Practice Quiz10 minutes
AI in Project Management Practice Quiz30 minutes
AI Applications in Project Initiation and Planning 30 minutes
Agile - Initiating and Planning for Dynamic Projects: Quiz30 minutes

1 pluginTotal 15 minutes

Course End Survey15 minutes

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Build toward a degree

This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(64 ratings)

Top Instructor

Ismail Kirci

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

2 Courses20,110 learners

Offered by

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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5.0

Reviewed on Sep 17, 2022

Great course ! Loved the contents and grading method.

5.0

Reviewed on Dec 11, 2022

Great course! Loved the teacher!! she was thorough and gave a lot of real world examples. I also enjoyed the expert take on subjects.

5.0

Reviewed on Jan 23, 2022

Very good course, informative and clearly explained. Highly recommend

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