IT Project Cost and Schedule Management

Course Overview

The triple constraint of project management – time, cost, and scope – is the focus of this intensive, three-day course. Using complex case studies, hands-on exercises, and problem analysis, participants will prepare the most important elements of the information technology (IT) project plan – the project work breakdown structure, Gantt chart and critical path network, bottom-up project budget, and resource responsibility matrix – and simulate briefing the plan to management and the customer in establishing the baseline.

Participants will be exposed to several estimating and scheduling approaches. During the controlling component, participants will learn how to apply best practices in schedule management, cost management, and earned value analysis. A comprehensive toolkit of templates, checklists, and process guidelines is included in the course materials.

Key Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe key IT cost and schedule terms and concepts
• Develop cost estimates for a project
• Create a project schedule
• Apply techniques for monitoring cost and schedule performance
• Control and correct cost and schedule overruns
• Effectively closeout cost and schedule project elements
• Manage stakeholder cost and schedule expectations and communicate cost and schedule status

Course Outline

Cost and Schedule Management in an IT Environment

• Recall and define fundamental project management concepts
• Identify unique considerations for project management within an IT project
• Describe key IT project cost and schedule management challenges

Schedule Planning

• Use project scope definition to build cost and schedule plans
• Define advanced schedule concepts
• Select the right schedule approach for your project

Resource and Cost Estimating

• Apply cost estimating techniques
• Build a project budget
• Resolve cost and schedule conflicts within project plans
• Effectively communicate cost and schedule plans to project stakeholders

Cost and Schedule Monitoring

• Measure current project cost and schedule performance
• Predict future project performance
• Effectively communicate cost and schedule status for the project

Cost and Schedule Control

• Analyze scope change requests for impact on cost and schedule
• Correct cost and schedule overruns
• Effectively communicate cost and schedule control actions and outcomes to project stakeholders

Cost and Schedule Closeout

• Implement cost and schedule closeout activities on a project
• Summarize key points from this training