Project Management Summit

Welcome Topic & Introduction

Let’s set the stage for an educational, interactive day of development!

Learning Objectives:

• Review the key stages of the project management process.
• Understand what it means to be an “unofficial” project manager and how to overcome the challenges of the role.
• Explore the top reasons for project failure and how to avoid them.

Project Kick Off! How to Set Yourself Up for Success from the Beginning

Without a clear, agreed upon purpose and expected outcomes, your project is set up for failure from the start. Teams can quickly spiral into confusion, miscommunication, and competing priorities. This results in wasted time and frustrated stakeholders. A poorly defined foundation leaves your project vulnerable to scope creep, delays, and unmet expectations. Learning to navigate the critical early stages helps set you (and your project) up for success from the start.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to ask powerful questions to uncover critical project details.
• Explore strategies for defining success and aligning it with stakeholder expectations.
• Understand the key components of a project charter, it’s purpose and how to create one.
• Identify potential risks and create proactive plans to address them.
• Gain tools and techniques to ensure all team members are aligned at all stages of the project.

Planning Success: How to Organize Tasks and Timelines

A project plan is one of the essential tools for organizing tasks and timelines. Unfortunately, many people skip this critical step and instead, simply jump right into execution. As a result, complicated projects can quickly become overwhelming and unmanageable.

Without a plan, you run the risk of missing important deadlines, overlooking critical tasks, and losing sight of priorities. Taking the time to map out your projects will save countless hours of stress and frustration down the road.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to break down complex projects into manageable tasks.
• Explore methods for identifying specific action items and their dependencies.
• Discover techniques for creating realistic timelines that align with deadlines.
• Gain skills to optimize task prioritization and improve overall project flow.
• Learn how to leverage tools like Gantt Charts and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to make your plan come to life.

Getting Results Without Direct Authority: How to Delegate, Communicate and Keep the Team on Track

The ability to drive results without formal authority is a crucial skill for unofficial project managers. Without the right strategies, team members may disregard their responsibilities, leading to missed deadlines, incomplete tasks and frustration for all. To effectively manage projects, you must learn to foster team collaboration and hold people accountable even without direct managerial control.

This session will equip you with tools and techniques to leverage your influence and keep the team productive, no matter your position in the organizational hierarchy.

Learning Objectives:

• Discover communication strategies to gain buy-in from team members at all levels.
• Learn how to delegate tasks clearly and confidently. 
• Understand how to use tools like the RACI matrix to clarify roles and responsibilities.
• Explore techniques for holding others respectfully accountable.
• Gain skills to maintain team alignment and ensure progress toward project goals.

Project Close Out: Reporting Success and Measuring Impact

Closing out a project without evaluating its outcomes leaves valuable insights untapped and stakeholders unclear about its success. Without proper metrics, it’s difficult to measure impact, communicate achievements, or identify lessons for future projects. Tracking results ensures that success is clear, outcomes are celebrated, and opportunities for improvement are recognized.

Learning Objectives:

• Discover methods to evaluate project success and identify outcomes using both quantitative and qualitative metrics.
• Learn how to create impactful reports that showcase key achievements and value delivered.
• Explore strategies for conducting post-project reviews to identify lessons learned.
• Gain tools to communicate project results effectively to stakeholders and build credibility.