Independent Project Analysis, Inc (IPA) has analyzed several hundred projects executed by governments and found that on average costs are 11% higher and execution schedules are 90% longer than the best-performing projects of similar scope executed in the private sector. The uncompetitive performance of government-led projects is not surprising, considering that government project organizations lag the private sector in the use of Best Practices .
Best
Practices for Government Project Management integrates findings from IPA’s extensive quantitative research that links practices for project planning and execution for government-funded projects that lead to superior outcomes. This program is registered with the Project Management Institute (PMI), allowing attendees to easily claim 16 Professional Development Units (PDUs) upon completion of the course.
Key Benefits
- Identify the project that best addresses mission need
- Learn Best Practices to improve cost, schedule, operability, and safety performance
- Implement learnings within the confines of a government structure
- Explore how to set and achieve predictable cost and schedule results
- Recognize resource needs to effectively manage, plan, and execute a government project
Course Format
Best Practices for Government Project Management is a 2-day training program. The format uses a combination of lecture, facilitated discussion and a case study. Research findings are communicated through lectures. Participants share their experiences and relate learnings to their own experience through facilitated discussions. A case study of an actual project executed by a government agency allows participants to apply real lessons learned to their projects.
Course Content
This course contains the following highlights:
Linking Practices to Outcomes
- Introduction to how practices drive cost, schedule, and safety results for government sponsored projects
- Measurement of project performance, methodology to quantify the effect of practices on project performance, predictability metrics, and competitiveness metrics
- Key performance indicators for capital project success
Integration Management Through Project Governance
- Critical elements and benefits of a stage-gated system
- The process and primary objectives of Front-End Loading (basic design)
- Key deliverables at each stage that provide the basis of making “go/no go” decisions at each project stage
Resource Management
- Common barriers to successful team development for government projects
- Importance of early team formation
- Components of an effective team
- Key steps to managing communication across various interfaces
- Practices to minimize the damaging effects of team member turnover
Scope Management and Definition
- Site definition components
- Engineering deliverables needed for scope definition
- Project execution plan and its components
- Reducing and managing risk through complete front-end definition
Cost and Time Management
- Components of cost estimates and schedule plans as they move through the project work process
- Effect of the estimate on a project’s financial analysis
- Estimating practices that provide an effective basis for cost control plans, and practices that accelerate schedule
Quality and Controls Management
- Elements of a project control plan and practices for controlling cost growth and schedule slip
- Project control Best Practices correlated with improved project outcomes
- Causes of late changes during execution and steps to prevent them from occurring
Contracting Management
- Critical elements of contracting strategies and the implications the choice of strategy has on project management
- Best Practices to effectively use fixed-price execution contracts
- Methods to minimze contractor risk premiums
- Common drivers for claims in government projects and practices to mitigate claims
Practices to Improve Construction Safety Performance
Target Audience
The program is intended for all professionals involved in the government supply chain of projects. Participants benefit from the lessons derived from the thousands of projects that IPA has studied.
Claiming PDUs
Best Practices for Government Project Management is officially registered with PMI, which allows attendees to easily claim 16 PDUs upon completion of the course. Simply visit the PMI Continuing Certification Requirements site and submit the PDU Activity Reporting Form (Provider Number: 2767 / Activity Number: INS-GOV). For those claiming PDUs through other education organizations, please note that the duration of this course is 16 hours.