APM Project Management Training

In this episode of the Parallel Project Training Podcast, host Ruth Phillips is joined by Becky Willmott, Senior Training Consultant, to discuss their career journeys in project management in recognition of International Women's Day and its theme, "Give to Gain." Becky shares how she entered project management through public procurement in the NHS, later moving into logistics and eventually becomi...

15. Ethics, Compliance and Professionalism - This podcast discusses the ability to work consistently in a moral, legal and socially responsible manner, and covers: a) The importance of continuing professional development, which should cover both knowledge, skills and behaviours, and the individual's role in identifying and addressing their own competence gaps. b) Knowledge of the sources of specia...

14. Diversity and Inclusion - This podcast discusses the ability to build and maintain an inclusive environment that embraces a diverse culture, and covers: a) Knowledge of diversity, including characteristics which may cause a person to be treated less favourably, such as: age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientati...

3. Sustainability - This podcast discusses balancing the environmental, social, economic and administrative considerations that will impact a project, and covers: a) Why sustainability responsibilities, principles and priorities are considered within a project and the impact they may have. b) How sustainability measures are monitored and reported on. 

24. Change Control - This podcast discusses the ability to manage variations and change requests in a controlled way, and covers: a) The purpose and importance of each stage of a typical change control process (such as request, initial evaluation, detailed evaluation, recommendation, update plans and implement) and where these stages are different for linear and iterative life cycles. b) What shou...

11. Conflict Resolution - This podcast discusses the ability to identify and address differences between individuals and/or interest groups, and covers: a) The sources of conflict within a project. b) How conflict can have both positive and negative impacts within a project. c) How conflict can be addressed in different situations (such as Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument).

13. Team Management - This podcast discusses the ability to work with team members to create and sustain teams, and covers: a) The different stages in the development of a team, including creation, development, maintenance and leadership, and understanding the factors which influence these stages, including the knowledge of the models that are used to understand team development (such as Belbin, M...

18. Quality Management - This podcast discusses the ability to ensure that outputs are delivered in accordance with requirements, and covers: a) What is meant by quality planning, including an understanding of quality indicators and how these relate to the business case. b) How quality control techniques are used to determine whether success criteria are met.

23. Risk and Issue Management - This podcast discusses the ability to identify and monitor risks (threats and opportunities); plan responses to those risks and respond to issues, and covers: a) The benefits of risk and issue management and the role of contingency planning in projects. b) The purpose and importance of each stage in a risk management process (such as identification, analysis, monito...

22. Budgeting and Cost Control - This budget discusses the ability to estimate costs, develop and agree budgets and monitor actual costs against forecast costs, and covers: a) How to create a budget (including the use of a cost breakdown structure) and the different costs included in a budget (fixed, variable, direct, indirect etc.) b) How to forecast and refine budgets using cost control techniqu...

21. Resource Management - This podcast discusses the ability to identify and schedule the required internal and external resources, and covers: a) How to determine the resources required and their availability to deliver activities within a project. b) How an organisational breakdown structure is used to create a responsibility assignment matrix (RACI). c) How resources are categorised and allocat...

20. Schedule Management - This podcast discusses the ability to undertake time-based planning with an emphasis on activities and resource, and covers: a) How to define scope in terms of outputs, outcomes and benefits (including the use of product, work and cost breakdown structures). b) The links and dependencies between activities within a project and business-as-usual activities, for example how...

19. Integrated Planning - This podcast discusses the ability to incorporate multiple plans and processes into an integrated project management plan, and covers: a) The format for an effective integrated project management plan and its typical contents. b) The importance of producing an integrated project management plan.

5. Procurement - This podcast discusses securing the provision of resources, choosing strategies for obtaining best value from supply chains, and covers: a) The purpose and importance of a procurement strategy and the typical contents of a procurement strategy. b) The stages of a supplier selection process, including how to plan the procurement process and conduct negotiations (for example ZOPA, B...

17. Solutions Development - This podcast discusses the ability to determine the optimal solution to satisfy agreed requirements, and covers: a) How to evaluate and prioritise requirements in order to deliver the optimal solution, and the different approaches for different life cycle models, e.g. the use of MVP and MMP in iterative life cycles.

16. Requirements Management - This podcast discusses the ability to capture and monitor the requirements of a project, and covers: a) How to establish scope through requirements management processes (such as gather, analysis, justifying requirements and baseline needs). b) How to manage scope through configuration management processes (such as planning, identification, control, status accounting a...

10. Stakeholder Engagement and Communication Management - This podcast discusses the ability to work with people internally and externally to achieve intended outcomes, and covers: a) The relationship between stakeholder analysis, influence and engagement. b) The relationship between stakeholder analysis and an effective communication management plan. c) The benefits to a project of a communicatio...

9. Benefits Management - This podcast discusses benefits management as the monitoring of benefits realisation throughout a project, and covers: a) What is meant by benefits management (including identification, definition, planning, tracking and realisation). b) The importance of aligning benefits with strategic objectives and ways in which the benefits of a project can be communicated to stakehol...

4. Business Case - This podcast discusses the business case as the justification for the initiation, investment and/or continuation of a project in terms of benefits, costs and risks, and it covers: a) The tools and techniques used to determine factors which influence and impact a project's business case (including PESTLE, SWOT and VUCA). b) The importance of regularly reviewing the impact of any...

2. Governance arrangements - This podcast discusses governance structures as a framework of  authority and accountability for the delivery of a project, which align with organisational practice, and covers: a) Knowledge of different types of permanent and temporary organisation structures and their features (including functional, matrix, and project),and that an organisation's governance approach...

12. Leadership - This podcast discusses leadership as the way to empower and inspire others to deliver successful projects, and covers: a) How leadership impacts on team performance and motivation (using models such as Maslow, Herzberg and McGregor). b) Why it may be necessary to change leadership styles depending upon the situation. c) The importance of a coaching and mentoring style in leadershi...

6. Reviews - This podcast discusses how reviews are a way of gathering information to provide an assessment on the status of a project and the ongoing viability of the work, and covers: a) The benefits of conducting reviews throughout the life cycle (including decision gates, benefits reviews and audits). b) The factors which would typically be reported on to help ensure successful project outcome...

7. Assurance - This podcast discusses the ability of assurance to provide confidence to the governance board that a project is on track to deliver its objectives and the purpose of assurance within a project, including awareness of the scope, priorities and strategic aims of assurance activities.  

8. Transition Management - This podcast discusses the integration of the outputs of a project into business-as-usual, and covers: a) The basic requirements needed to support a successful transition, including considering business-as-usual throughout a project and planning for transition from the outset of the project. b) The importance of knowledge transfer in the transition process, including lea...