APM Project Management Training
140 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★ - 14 ratingsThese podcasts are part of the parallel project learning system. As an accredited training provider, they are based on the APM Body of Knowledge and can be used standalone or in conjunction with the Parallel study guides, on-line e-learning and workshops. Visit our website, www.parallelprojecttraining.com, for full details.
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Episodes
APM PPQ Provide visionary leadership for a project.
March 07, 2024 15:15 - 16 minutes - 37.5 MB1.1 Critically Evaluate Ethical, Flexible, Inspirational, and Collaborative Approaches to the Leadership of Others in Evolving Situations The discussion emphasises the multifaceted nature of leadership within the context of project management, highlighting the need for leaders to exhibit ethical, flexible, inspirational, and collaborative behaviors. Ethical leadership involves openness, honesty, and integrity, ensuring transparency and trust within the team. Flexibility in leadership style...
APM PPQ: Deliver the intended benefits of a project.
January 31, 2024 12:58 - 22 minutes - 52.1 MBIn this podcast, Paul Naybour and Tom O'Shea explore the complexities of benefits management within project governance, with a specific focus on the APM's PPQ qualification. They highlight the critical nature of ensuring that benefits are measurable, meaningful to stakeholders, and align with an organisation's strategic objectives. The conversation delves into developing a benefits management strategy, emphasising the importance of setting priorities, assigning responsibilities, and defining...
APM PPQ: 5. Deliver the intended benefits of a project.
January 31, 2024 12:58 - 22 minutes - 52.1 MBIn this podcast, Paul Naybour and Tom O'Shea explore the complexities of benefits management within project governance, with a specific focus on the APM's PPQ qualification. They highlight the critical nature of ensuring that benefits are measurable, meaningful to stakeholders, and align with an organisation's strategic objectives. The conversation delves into developing a benefits management strategy, emphasising the importance of setting priorities, assigning responsibilities, and defining...
APM PPQ Manage change control processes and protocols
January 26, 2024 14:58 - 27 minutes - 62.6 MBIn this podcast, Paul Naybour and Tom O'Shea discuss change control in project management, focusing on four key areas: the benefits and features of effective change control processes, methods for capturing, recording, and reviewing change options, implementing and managing approved changes, and the use of trend analysis. They emphasise the importance of understanding change control's rationale, the need for structured management approaches, and the role of trend analysis in project improveme...
APM PPQ Use information to inform reviews and help manage deviations from a project plan.
January 22, 2024 17:26 - 15 minutes - 35.7 MBIn the podcast, Tom and Paul explore the APM PPQ assessment criteria related to project reviews and management. They underscore the vital importance of critically evaluating reliable and valid information to assess various project factors across its lifecycle. They also emphasise the significance of aligning reviews with organisational, legal, and regulatory requirements. Furthermore, they analyse scenarios where deviations from the project plan may arise and discuss strategies for resolvi...
APM PPQ Establish and maintain the governance structure of a project to ensure alignment to organisational practice
January 15, 2024 14:32 - 20 minutes - 10.3 MBIn this podcast episode, Paul Naybour and Tom O'Shea discuss the PPQ assessment criteria, specifically focusing on 1.1, which relates to governance in project management. They highlight the importance of aligning project structures and hierarchies with the organisation's structure and the chosen project lifecycle. They also discuss the possibility of proposing a different approach to project management if it aligns better with the project's nature. They emphasise the need to evaluate appr...
APM PPQ Introduction
January 04, 2024 14:56 - 23 minutes - 53.7 MBIn this Parallel Project Training podcast, Paul Naybour welcomes Tom O'Shea, the new leader of their PPQ programs. Tom shares his extensive involvement with the PPQ, including his role in its initial development and evolution from the previous PQ version. He highlights the PPQ's transition to a more efficient half-day assessment format and discusses his work in guiding and coaching candidates through the PPQ assessment process. The podcast delves into the PPQ's purpose, positioning it as a...
APM ChPP - Competence 7. Stakeholder management and communication management
August 31, 2023 15:43 - 12 minutes - 9.45 MBIn this episode, we discuss competence 7. stakeholder management and communication management. The professional practice criteria are PP1.1 Determined stakeholder interests, and levels of influence for a project. PP1.2 Produced a communication plan and undertaken effective stakeholder engagement based upon it. PP1.3 Monitored effectiveness of the communication plans and stakeholder engagement activities. PP1.4 Adjusted the communication plan and responded to any changing stakeholder ...
APM ChPP - Competence 6. Risk and Issue Management
August 31, 2023 15:42 - 13 minutes - 10.9 MBIn this episode, we discuss competence 6. Risk and issue management. the professional practice criteria are PP1.1 Continually identified risks within a project. PP1.2 Created a risk register including potential impact and suitable responses. PP1.3 Assessed the probabilities and impacts of risks and planned their responses. PP1.4 Capture and recorded issues, how they were resolved, and their implications to inform planning for future projects. PP1.5 Reacted, assessed, and planned re...
APM ChPP - Competencies 5a. Leadership and 5b. Team Management
August 31, 2023 15:40 - 21 minutes - 17 MBIn this episode, we discuss competencies 5a. Leadership and 5b. Team management The professional practice criteria for 5A. Leadership PP1.1 Maintained a team’s understanding of, and commitment to the vision, values, and objectives of a project. PP1.2 Selected an appropriate leadership style based on the situation and/or context. PP1.3 Collaborated with others to maintain the momentum of a project. PP1.4 Encouraged others to adopt behaviours which built trust, confidence, and c...
APM ChPP - Competencies 4a. Integrated Planning and 4b. Schedule Management
August 31, 2023 15:39 - 19 minutes - 15.8 MBIn this episode, we discuss competencies 4a. Integrated planning and 4b. Schedule management The professional practice criteria for 4A. Integrated planning PP1.1 Considered constraints and assumptions when creating an integrated plan. PP1.2 Considered dependencies and governance arrangements, when creating an integrated plan. PP1.3 Demonstrated compliance with organisational practice when establishing the size, structure, and contents of an integrated plan. PP1.4 Included othe...
APM ChPP - Competencies 3a. Governance and 3b. Reviews
August 31, 2023 15:32 - 18 minutes - 14.9 MBIn this episode, we discuss competencies 3a. governance and 3b. reviews. The professional practice criteria for 3A. Governance are PP1.1 Defined reporting, decision-making hierarchies, and levels of authority for a project. PP1.2 Established the relationship between a project’s governance and the organisation’s governance structures. PP1.3 Designed the project governance structure taking into account context, complexity, and potential impact. PP1.4 Adapted or adjusted the gover...
APM ChPP - Competencies 2a. Change Control and 2b. Conflict Management
August 31, 2023 15:25 - 16 minutes - 12.8 MBIn this episode, we discuss competencies, 2a. Change control and 2b. Conflict management. The professional practice criteria for 2A. Change control; PP1.1 Established a suitable change control process. PP1.2 Implemented and maintained a suitable change control process. PP1.3 Captured and recorded proposed changes to the agreed project scope. PP1.4 Determined the high-level impact of proposed changes to the project scope including reference to relevant sources. PP1.5 Determined th...
APM ChPP - Competencies 1a. Budgetting and Cost Control and 1b. Financial Management
August 31, 2023 14:19 - 11 minutes - 9.21 MBIn this episode, we discuss the first two competencies, 1a. budgetting and cost control, and 1b. financial management. The professional practice criteria for 1A. Budgetting and cost control are; PP1.1 Established estimates for different project costs. PP1.2 Established and gained agreement to a project budget. PP1.3 Set up funding drawdown arrangements based on cash flow forecasts. PP1.4 Applied metrics to establish cost trends within a project. PP1.5 Refined budget allocations b...
APM ChPP - Becoming a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP)
August 31, 2023 13:36 - 5 minutes - 4.64 MBIn this episode, Parallel Project Training discuss some further details around the application process for ChPP. We also start to look deeper into the Technical Knowledge and Professional Practice statements. These statements are written on a number of mandatory and elective competencies, and we set the scene for the upcoming podcasts on each competence. For more guidance on the Association for Project Management Chartered Project Professional (ChPP), or any other project management trai...
APM ChPP - An Introduction to Chartered Project Professional
August 31, 2023 10:05 - 24 minutes - 19.2 MBIn this episode, Parallel Project Training offer an introduction to some APM ChPP topics. We cover; What is ChPP, and why might someone want to become chartered? The application process What is different with the new version of the Chartered Standard. An introduction to technical knowledge and professional practice. For more guidance on the Association for Project Management Chartered Project Professional (ChPP), or any other project management training, please visit www.parall...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Quality - Planning, Assurance and Control
May 18, 2021 19:42 - 8 minutes - 7.75 MB VideoIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast Paul and Jan discuss quality control, quality management and quality assurance. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain what is meant by quality planning Differentiate between quality control and quality assurance This podcast is just part of the parallel learning system for the APM Project Management Qualification. This approach includes a wide range of learning resources including a pri...
Reasons Why Projects Fail
November 19, 2020 13:21It is always difficult to be precise about the causes of project failure for a number of reasons. Our human inclination is to avoid any blame being attached to us, no matter how much we might proclaim the benefits of a no-blame culture, when it comes to our own career on the line, we don't want to stand up and take full responsibility for the failure ourselves. So clients will blame the project manager, the stakeholders will blame the business analyst for inadequate requirements, the project...
The importance of end-users in IT Projects
November 19, 2020 13:18I met up with an old colleague recently who I worked with when we were both IT Project Managers for a large blue-chip corporation. Our conversation got me thinking about how often the opinions of end-users in IT projects are dismissed as of little importance or, worse, ignored completely. The stakeholders, senior management, project manager, suppliers and vendors all have a voice in IT projects – they can articulate their needs and requirements and their opinions are duly noted and acted on ...
10 Reasons You Need Project Management
November 19, 2020 13:17If you are not a project manager, you may feel the whole process of project management with all its methodologies, techniques, meetings, reports and other assorted documentation is just a thorn in your side. You may even feel you would be better off without it - but I suggest you read these 10 benefits of project management and they may just change your opinion. Project Management is simply a series of strategies that help to turn an idea into reality and get you from the ideas stage to a ...
10 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
November 19, 2020 13:12GANTT CHART Gantt charts are the most generally useful tool in project planning. They are used for scheduling and monitoring tasks, for showing costs and expenditure at all stages throughout the project, for communicating progress and producing reports. They show, on a simple block diagram, the activities and costs over time in an easy-to-understand way. They can be created in a range of software tools or even in a spreadsheet. The project is broken down into individual tasks which are ...
Ways to Improve Your Project Management Skills
November 19, 2020 13:08Successful Project Managers often have soft skills that set them apart from their colleagues and help them to deliver projects successfully where other equally well-qualified project managers would fail. Of course, you can't be a successful project manager with only the right personality traits – you also need the right training and experience but combining that with well-developed soft skills might just make all the difference. Here are some ways to improve your project management skills...
10 Ways to Motivate your Project Team
November 19, 2020 13:06I've been reading a lot lately about what motivates a person in a work environment and, more specifically, in a project environment. Motivation is one of those things that is different for different individuals but if you can get it right in your project team then a motivated team can overcome all sorts of problems and issues. In my experience a motivated team will always deliver a project successfully. And yet, for all the advice available on how to motivate people, somehow many orga...
What Does a Project Manager Do All Day?
November 19, 2020 13:01Being a Project Manager is a multi-skilled role and when I was thinking recently about what exactly that role involved my first thoughts, naturally, were the "managing" aspects. It is fairly obvious that a project manager manages: Budget Schedule Risks Quality Change But being an effective, successful project manager involves far more than simply "managing" those elements of a project, whatever industry you might be in. It also involves co-ordinating different teams, internally i...
10 Steps to the Perfect Project Meeting
November 19, 2020 12:59I was in a meeting earlier this week that was typical of so many project meetings I have attended. A rough agenda had been drawn up by the person chairing the meeting but no-one else had seen it before the meeting started so we didn't quite know what to expect. And one person was allowed to dominate the conversation so we didn't really achieve anything (but I don't know what we expected to achieve anyway as no objective had been stated). Unusually it didn't drag on too long as the meeti...
The Basics of Project Management
November 19, 2020 12:57Many project managers are under pressure to estimate projects accurately without being given the time to gather the information required for an accurate estimate. Conversely they are also expected to meet deadlines that were imposed by market forces, such as producing a new product before the competition, which bears no relevance to the amount of time/resources actually required or available. These sorts of challenging situations are bound to lead to a disappointing outcome to the proj...
Knowing your PERT's from your Gantt's
November 19, 2020 12:55Someone said to me recently that they always only use Gantt charts to manage projects. And certainly there are many projects for which a detailed Gantt chart would be sufficient – projects that are simple and straightforward, or similar to other projects previously completed successfully. But when the project is highly complex or involving new technology with many dependencies and many tasks running in parallel then only using a Gantt chart is unnecessarily running the risk of the project ...
Dealing With Conflict in Projects
November 19, 2020 12:53Dealing with conflict is one of the many tasks you will have to perform in your role as a project manager if you want your project to be a success. Never underestimate the importance of resolving conflicts (even if they might seem trivial) as projects can, and will, be derailed if personality clashes and disagreements are allowed to get out of hand. Problems of one sort or another will always arise on a project but it is how they are handled by the different personalities within the pr...
Project Management Glossary
November 19, 2020 12:50Accountability - The obligation to report on one's actions. Activity - Any work performed on a project. May be synonymous with task but in some cases it may be a specific level in the WBS (e.g., a phase is broken down into a set of activities, activities into a set of tasks). An activity must have duration and will result in one or more deliverables. An activity will generally have cost and resource requirements. See Task. Actuals - The cost or effort incurred in the performance o...
My Project is Alive
November 19, 2020 11:21I've really been enjoying reading the 3-part article by Larry Peterson "Living Projects" – having earned my stripes as a software development project manager I am well aware of the conflict between the theory and practise of planning and scheduling a project from start to finish and the realities of software development. The development of the Agile method of project management was the software developers' response to years of being forced into a waterfall method for their projects, ...
My Project is Agile
November 19, 2020 11:20I recently came across a few of definitions of the Agile methodology which I thought worth sharing. Of course, many people would provide different definitions and the definitive description can be found in the Agile Manifesto but if you haven't got time to read that right now here goes: "An iterative and incremental (evolutionary) approach to software development which is performed in a highly collaborative manner by self-organizing teams within an effective governance framework with "...
The Unique Challenges of Managing Global Projects
November 19, 2020 11:15Managing a global project presents a unique set of challenges apart from the obvious ones of different physical locations and time zones. There are also likely to be cultural issues that extend far beyond language barriers; as well as issues of efficiency, administration and reporting. Many large companies have a worldwide presence and it is common for project managers based in the company headquarters to have the responsibility of leading projects using teams from different countries...
Do Project Managers Need Business Knowledge?
November 19, 2020 11:13I have been debating recently with some colleagues about whether project managers need to have in-depth business knowledge of the business area in which they are managing projects. By in-depth we specifically meant having previously worked in the business itself before becoming a project manager. In fact, there are some organisations that use certain employees as project managers from time to time but mainly they fulfil some other role. Clearly the business knowledge of those people mu...
The Awkward Client
November 19, 2020 11:12I have recently been considering some of the traits and behaviours that successful project managers exhibit. For a project to be successful it obviously needs someone at the helm with the right project management skills and experience to guide the project and the team from the initiation phase right through to a successful completion all within the time and budget allocated and, of course, within the defined scope. There's no arguing with that, but a project also has to deliver what the cl...
Questions, Questions and More Questions
November 17, 2020 15:12I have previously written an article about the importance of a project manager asking in-depth questions at the outset of a project and how knowing which questions to ask and, more importantly, how to elicit clear, detailed answers is critical to the success of a project. The article lists 20 questions all project manager should ask but recognises that this is just a starting point and a project manager should aim to get into the habit of asking searching questions about every aspect of ...
Development Projects – A Confusion of Terminology
November 17, 2020 15:07I was recently reading some project management articles for inspiration when I came across one about project management in a development environment. Naturally, having an IT and a project management background I just assumed the article would be about software development. After all what other type of development is there? Well it didn’t take me long to realise the article was actually about building housing developments and the particular skills and experience a project manager needs ...
Can You Really Manage A Project Using Spreadsheets?
November 17, 2020 15:01In small, relatively simple projects it is not uncommon to find the project manager using a set of spreadsheets to manage the project schedule, the budget and the scope of the project. If the project involves just one internal department and a small project team using spreadsheets often avoids the necessity for stakeholders to get to grips with a project software package they are unfamiliar with. In business spreadsheets are frequently used for many purposes so everyone will be familiar with...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Procurement
May 03, 2020 09:00 - 22 minutes - 41 MBIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Paul and John discuss procurement. This podcast is ideal for anyone doing one of the APM PMQ project management courses and aims to address the following assessment criteria: Explain the purpose, typical content and importance of a procurement strategy Differentiate between different methods of supplier reimbursement (including fixed price, cost plus fee, per unit quantity, and target cost) Differentiate between different cont...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Risk and Issue Management
May 02, 2020 15:00 - 28 minutes - 23.9 MB VideoIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Paul and John discuss risk and issue management. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain each stage in a risk management process (such as identification, analysis response, and closure) Explain proactive and reactive responses to risk (such as avoid, reduce, transfer or accept and exploit, enhance, share and reject) Explain the benefits of risk management Explain the key aspects of is...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Earned Value
May 02, 2020 12:00 - 11 minutes - 9.17 MB VideoIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Paul and John discuss earned value. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain why a project manager would use earned value management Interpret earned value data (including variances and performance indexes) Explain the benefits of using interpretation of earned value data This podcast is just part of the parallel learning system for the APM Project Management Qualification. This approac...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Resource Management
May 02, 2020 09:00 - 15 minutes - 13.5 MB VideoIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Paul and John discuss stakeholder management. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Describe how resources are categorised and allocated to a linear life cycle schedule Differentiate between resource smoothing and resource levelling This podcast is just part of the parallel learning system for the APM Project Management Qualification. This approach includes a wide range of learning resources i...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Scheduling
May 01, 2020 18:00 - 17 minutes - 33 MBIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast Michelle and Paul discuss scheduling. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Describe ways to create and maintain a schedule (including critical path and Gantt charts) Differentiate between critical path and critical chain as scheduling techniques This podcast is just part of the parallel learning system for the APM Project Management Qualification. This approach includes a wide range of learnin...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Stakeholder Management
May 01, 2020 15:00 - 16 minutes - 30.6 MBIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Paul and John discuss stakeholder management. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain the relationship between stakeholder analysis, influence and engagement Explain the importance of managing stakeholder expectations to the success of a project This podcast is just part of the parallel learning system for the APM Project Management Qualification. This approach includes a wide range of l...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Estimating
May 01, 2020 13:30 - 18 minutes - 35 MBIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Paul and John discuss estimating. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain the approaches to producing estimates (including parametric, analogous, analytical and Delphi) Explain the reasons for and benefits of re-estimating throughout the project life cycle This podcast is just part of the parallel learning system for the APM Project Management Qualification. This approach includes a wide...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Project Management Plan
May 01, 2020 12:00 - 16 minutes - 30.2 MBIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Michelle and John discuss the project management plan. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain the relationship between the deployment baseline and the development of a project management plan in linear and iterative life cycles Explain the importance of producing a project management plan Describe the typical contents of a project management plan This podcast is just part of the paral...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Information Management
May 01, 2020 09:00 - 16 minutes - 30.4 MBIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Michelle and John discuss information management. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain an information management process (including collection, storage, curation, dissemination, archiving, and the destruction of information) This podcast is just part of the parallel learning system for the APM Project Management Qualification. This approach includes a wide range of learning resources in...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Business Case and Investment Appraisal
April 30, 2020 18:00 - 17 minutes - 32 MBIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Jan and John discuss business case and investment appraisal. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain the importance of a business case throughout the project life cycle Explain what is meant by benefits management (including identification, definition, planning, tracking and realisation) Explain investment appraisal techniques used by a project manager (including Internal Rate of Return...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Change Control
April 30, 2020 15:00 - 10 minutes - 19 MBIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Paul and Jan discuss change control. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain different stages of a typical change control process (such as request, initial evaluation detailed evaluation, recommendation, update plans, and implement) This podcast is just part of the parallel learning system for the APM Project Management Qualification. This approach includes a wide range of learning resour...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Requirements and Configuration Management
April 30, 2020 12:00 - 18 minutes - 33.9 MBIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, John and Jan discuss requirements and configuration management. This podcasts aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain how to establish scope through requirements management processes (such as gather, analysis, justifying requirements, ad baseline needs) Explain how to manage scope through configuration management processes (such as planning, identification, control, status accounting, and verification ...
APM PMQ (BoK7) Defining and Managing Project Scope
April 30, 2020 09:00 - 23 minutes - 44.1 MBIn this APM Project Management Qualification (BoK7) podcast, Paul and John discuss scope management. This podcast aims to address the following APM PMQ assessment criteria; Explain how to define scope in terms of outputs, outcomes and benefits (including use of product, cost and work breakdown structures) This podcast is just part of the parallel learning system for the APM Project Management Qualification. This approach includes a wide range of learning resources including a printed stud...