Analyzing Project Management Indicators

This three-day course teaches managers and practitioners how to use measurement as the foundation for making informed decisions about projects. Participants learn to use measurement to analyze project performance, manage schedules and resources, and communicate project status and changes. Instructors emphasize the role of metrics in planning technical work, integrating related business goals, and addressing stakeholder issues in an overall project plan. The first half of this course focuses on the use of measures to monitor performance, support decisions, and manage supplier agreements. The second half of this course covers problem diagnosis and response. In addition to data-driven planning and tracking, participants learn how to establish quantitative objectives for performance and quality and align them with their business objectives.

The course is composed of lectures and class exercises with ample opportunity for questions and discussions. After completing this course, participants will understand how the Project Planning, Project Monitoring and Control, and Measurement and Analysis process areas of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) models work together. The course also makes extensive use of the concepts in The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), published by the Project Management Institute.

Who should attend?

• project managers
• individuals supporting mangers of software-intensive systems development, maintenance, and acquisition

Topics

• benefits of measurement
• management issues and indicators
• performance analysis
• using metrics in project planning
• analyzing earned value
• implementing project measures measurement and CMMI

Objectives

Successful completion of this course will enable participants to

• identify key areas of concern and uses of measurement for project management
• define indicators based on what a project manager would want to know
• use measurement to support decision making
• understand where measurement is used from the perspective of a generic management process (IEEE 12207) and a reference model such as CMMI
• use measurement data to communicate more clearly to all project stakeholders

Prerequisites

Before registering for this course, participants must have experience or training in managing the development, maintenance, or acquisition of software-intensive systems.

We suggest that participants have a basic understanding of project management (such as the knowledge gained in an introductory project management course or one to two years of experience).

Materials

Students will receive a course notebook that contains copies of the presentation materials, class exercises, templates, references, URLs, and other useful materials discussed in class.

Schedule

This three-day course meets at the following times:
Days 1-2, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Day 3, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.