Project Management for Development Professionals (Project DPro)

Webinar 1 provides an introduction to the fundamentals of project management. Learners will explore what project management entails, including common challenges and constraints, as well as the role, responsibilities, and core competencies of a project manager.

• What is project management?
  • Project management and its challenges
  • Constraints of project management
• Key project management frameworks
  • Introduction to the Project DPro phase model including its decision gates
  • The five principles of project management
• Who is a project manager?
  • Key responsibilities and competencies
  • Benefits of the competency model

This webinar looks at ensuring that the right project is selected and well-defined from the outset.

• Introduction to the identification and definition phase
  • Who and what is needed for this phase
  • Decision gates and MEAL in this phase
• Data collection processes
  • Introduction to how to collect data
  • Determining real need with four types of community needs
• Needs analysis and definition
  • Current state analysis
  • Stakeholder identification and analysis
  • The problem tree

This webinar continues to focus on ensuring that the right project is selected and well-defined from the outset.

• Future state analysis
  • The objectives tree and the alternatives tree
  • What’s in and out of scope?
• Intervention logic and the logical framework
  • Vertical and horizontal logic
  • Assumptions
  • SMART indicators
  • Means of verification

Webinar 4 focuses on how to establish the conditions necessary for a successful project launch.

• Who and what is needed for the project set-up phase?
• Project risk, including risk assessment and risk response
  • Risk categories
  • Impact and probability
  • The risk register
• Project governance
  • Who makes decisions in projects?
  • Project governance structures
  • Project manager tolerances
  • The project charter
  • The stakeholder engagement strategy
• Planning and the MEAL framework
• Project launch

This webinar provides an overview of project planning and scope management, drawing on tools and techniques from the Project DPro disciplines of scope and time management.

• Who and what is needed for the project planning phase?
  • The stage map
  • Proposal vs. implementation plan
• Schedule planning
  • The project implementation plan and the work breakdown structure
  • Activity definition and sequencing
  • Activity resource and duration estimating
  • Schedule development

This webinar continues to look at project planning and scope management, drawing on tools and techniques from the Project DPro disciplines of scope and time management.

• MEAL and internal controls planning
  • Planning for monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning
  • Examples of internal controls
• Communication, stakeholder engagement, roles & responsibilities
  • The stakeholder engagement strategy
  • Planning for communication; the communication plan
  • The RACI chart
• Project planning
  • Delays during project implementation
  • Supply chain, human resources, sustainability, and transition planning
  • Planning for closure
  • Stage planning

This webinar focuses on the realities of project implementation, where plans are put into action and challenges often arise.

• Project implementation and managing people
• Schedule management
  • Dealing with delays
• Fast-tracking the schedule vs. crashing the schedule; the critical path
• Budget management
• Managing risks, issues, and change
  • Ensuring authorized changes in projects
  • The change management process
• Managing MEAL
  • Rolling wave planning
  • The indicator performance tracking table

This webinar guides learners through the key steps required to successfully close a project.

• Project closure scenarios
• No-cost extensions
• The sustainability plan and handover
• What tools can help during the project closure phase?
• Lessons learned and the after-action review
• Celebrating and recognizing project closure