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Project Management Certificate

Parkland College Business Development Center, in partnership with Illinois State University (ISU), is pleased to offer comprehensive training in the principles and core process areas of project management. The certificate is designed for people who need a better way to manage projects or are new to the field of project management. If offers practical, fundamental project management skills to help participants learn how to manage budgets, meet deadlines, coordinate diverse groups of people and tasks, solve problems, and achieve results.

MGT 750-960                        Deadline Aug 21
Fee $2,175 (book included)   Location: PC-X117

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The course consists of 24 hours of lecture (8 sessions) and 36 hours of online exercises. You can participate in any of the following three ways:

1. Attend class via a live video broadcast at Parkland College.
2. Attend class physically at Illinois State University’s classroom.
3. View and review the broadcasted class videos online (perfect for traveling and busy adults).

Along with appropriate work experience, this program assists in taking the PMP Certification Exam sponsored by the Project Management Institute (PMI). For additional exam requirements, visit the PMI website: www.pmi.org/info/PDC_PMP.asp

Participants are required to have an actual project from work to use for the online exercises.

Upon successful completion, students receive a certificate of completion from Illinois State University.

Meeting 1: Overview
Thu Aug 28          6-9 pm

Dr. Ron Meier will provide an overview of the Project Management Processes (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and Close-Out) and the Project Management Knowledge Areas (Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Risk, Quality, Procurement, HR/Staffing, and Communications).

Meeting 2: Project Planning
Thu Sept 11          6-9 pm

Participants will learn to utilize the tools of Hoshin Planning to develop the project plan: affinity analysis (activity generation and sequencing), interrelationship diagraphs (prioritizing work packages). In addition, the topics of developing divergent and convergent thinking among the project team members will be covered by Dr. Ron Meier.

Meeting 3: Schedule Management
Thu Sept 25          6-9 pm

Dr. Rick Boser will present the development of the schedule management plan, which includes network diagramming, dependencies, critical path method, slack/float calculations, estimating, and earned value analysis.

Meeting 4: Scope Management
Thu Oct 9             6-9 pm

Dr. Ron Meier will present the development of the Scope Management Plan with techniques to initiate and plan a project: SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), and environmental analysis (Social/Cultural, Political, Technological, Legal, and Economics).

Meeting 5: Roles, Responsibilities, and Resources Planning
Thu Oct 23           6-9 pm

Discover the administrative and behavioral management practices to define roles, responsibilities, and accountability among all project stakeholders with Matt Westendorf. Development of the resource breakdown structure, resource planning, and resource allocations will be covered.

Meeting 6: Cost Management
Thu Nov 6            6-9 pm

Learn about the development of the budget management plan, which includes resource planning, cost estimating, cost budgeting, and cost control. Participants will complete a cost management plan under the direction of Dr. Rick Boser.

Meeting 7: Communication Planning
Thu Nov 20          6-9 pm

Matt Westendorf will discuss methods for developing a communication plan (communications matrix, information distribution, communication models, communication methods, controlling communications).

Meeting 8: Risk Identification and Assessment
Thu Dec 4            6-9 pm

Dr. Ron Meier will conduct an overview of the tools and techniques to identify and assess enterprise-wide, program/portfolio, project, and process related risks. Participants will learn about the development and selection of the risk management strategies including prevention and contingency plans.

Instructors: Whether participating in the physical classroom or the live broadcast class, students can interact with the instructors. Instructors are also available via e-mail and pre-arranged on-line chat.

Ron Meier is a professor in the Department of Technology at Illinois State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1988. He has 30 years of teaching experience with the last 24 at the University level. Ron has co-authored five books, authored 60+ refereed manuscripts and delivered in excess of 75 national and regional presentations. He has received $11, 000,000 from governmental agencies and business/industry to support his research, training, and consulting endeavors. Ron is currently the Vice Chair of e-Based Initiatives for the Quality Management Division of the American Society for Quality. Additionally, he chairs the Integration of Quality, Project, and Risk Management Technical Committee for the Quality Management Division.

Matt Westendorf has a Master of Science degree in Technology Management emphasizing Project Management. He has developed schedules for small to large scale projects, managed project schedules with the use of Primavera Project Management, Primavera TeamPlay and myPrimavera. Besides managing project schedules, Matt has taught a variety of Project Management related classes and has been a Project Leader for IT projects.

Richard Boser is the Chairperson of the Department of Technology at Illinois State University and Professor of Construction Management.  He received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 1991 and has over 30 years experience in the construction industry as a practitioner and educator.  Richard regularly teaches courses in construction materials and methods as well as project management. His active record of service to professional organizations includes leadership positions with the American Council for Construction Education and the Associate Schools of Construction.  Richard is a member of the American Institute of Constructors (AIC) and the Project Management Institute (PMI).  He earned the Certified Professional Constructor designation from the AIC in 1999 and is an instructor for the ISU Project Management Training Group.  Scholarly accomplishments since 1991 include 19 peer reviewed publications, 40 plus professional presentations, and nine funded grants.  Recent research activities have focused on recycling of construction waste and risk assessment of innovative construction materials.