Eight Reasons to Select Pathway IT Consultants Project Management Courses

1. All training is based on proven strategies from real-world projects.
2. Outstanding value for money.
3. There is no risk. If you are not happy with the training, we will provide a refund.
4. All courses are based on the Pathway Project Management Toolkit™, which contains proven principles for project success. 
5. The strategy for project delivery works with any methodology. It also works if no formal approach is adopted.
6. Flexible dates and locations.
7. Choice of self-study or instructor-led courses.
8. Pathway offers coaching, mentoring and project rescue training.

Pathway IT Training is different. It is based on lessons learnt from delivering some of the most demanding, complex, business-critical IT projects and programmes in the UK. You will gain the practical knowledge required to deliver your projects successfully.

Delivering IT projects is extremely difficult, and this is

proven by the high failure rate. At least 65 per cent of projects terminate before go-live, exceed the budget, or fail to yield the anticipated benefits. This is an astonishing failure rate, and it has been consistent for over two decades. As IT professionals, we must do everything possible to reverse this. With

Pathway training and project support, you will be able to deliver projects and break the cycle of failure. 

Many methodologies, project management books and training courses do not cover essential activities that make the difference between success and failure. The following items are critical elements of delivering projects on time and to budget:

• Agreeing on critical success factors with stakeholders.
• Dress rehearsals. (The most effective risk management and cutover preparation activity a project can complete.) 
• Practical risk management.
• Project initiation. (Poor project initiation is a major factor in 80 per cent of IT project failures.)
• Contingency planning.
• Budget management.
• Proof-of-concept activities.
• Aligning the master data management strategy to the project. 
• Selecting the right methodologies and Agile frameworks for your project. 
• Use of hybrid methodology.
• Dependency management across teams.
• Coordinating infrastructure builds in an Agile environment.
• Cutover management.
• Runbook preparation.
• Managing Go/No Go meetings.
• Post go-live support.

The project manager’s skill and knowledge are critical. Knowing when to combine methodologies or add additional activities will make the difference between delivery of a system that adds value or a costly failure. Things that contribute to issues on projects include:

• Failing to take a holistic view; every project is different and requires specific activities to ensure success.
• Underestimating effort.
• Not managing risks.
• Issues with dependency management.
• Employing an incorrect approach on a project.
• Methodology not being used appropriately. (Doing nothing more than holding a standup each morning does not mean that an organisation is following Agile.)
• Belief that an approach must be followed to the letter, even if the activities do not add any value to the project or organisation.
• Not understanding the tailoring concept in PRINCE2.
• Gaps in methodologies.

We offer a range of self-study and instructor-led courses to address these issues. They range from our Introduction to Project Management to the Advanced Project Management course. In addition, bespoke courses, mentoring and project rescue training (on live projects) are available.

The standard instructor-led courses are held on Thursdays and Fridays in Milton Keynes, but

they can be held at your premises on dates that work for you and your team. Please find information below on one of our courses.

Topics Covered by the Pathway IT Advanced Project Management Course

• Critical activities that ensure project success. 
• Project challenges and observations.
• Overview of Agile, PRINCE2®, PRINCE2 Agile®, AgilePM® and Waterfall methodologies.
• Recommendations on the use of methodologies and frameworks.
• Project lifecycle from initiation to BAU.
• Dress rehearsals.
• Dependency management.
• Risk management.
• Estimating.
• Data quality.
• Stakeholder management and reporting.
• Quality assurance.
• Cutover management.
• Managing Go/No Go meetings.
• Post go-live support.
• Project management tips. 

What will you get from this course?

• Real-world advice on project management.
• Information on typical project management risks and actions you can take to prevent them from impacting your projects.
• An understanding of when to use PRINCE2, Waterfall, Agile or a hybrid methodology.
• Information on dress rehearsals. This is one of the most effective risk management activities you can complete on a project. (In addition to increasing BAU productivity from day one.)
• Knowledge of cutover planning and handover to post go-live support.
• How to manage the complexity of replacing legacy systems.
• An understanding of estimating and information about why estimates are usually so inaccurate. 
• A simple method for risk management that is objective and clear to everyone rather than, ‘This is my opinion,’ with each stakeholder holding a distinct viewpoint.

What the course is based on

It is based on experience and lessons learnt from projects across several industry sectors and types of projects. (Including charity, transport, finance, hotels, automotive and education.)

Projects that are used to illustrate points in the course include:

• A major project for a charity that replaced manual processes and increased efficiency for the remote sites.
• Development of a sales and marketing application. 
• Replacing legacy systems for a media company and an education organisation.
• Projects for banks, including building new infrastructure. 
• Managing a major programme for a prestige car manufacturer.
• Developing a safety-critical system for a chemical manufacturer.

Please contact us to learn more about the courses or to book a training requirement review.