This online certificate program starts December 4, 2012 

Lou Russell, Author, 10 Steps to Successful Project Management . 

Lou has leveraged her IT, leadership and learning experience and has been crafting a simple project management approach for real people for the last 10 years. Her ability to simplify traditional project management processes into fast, fierce techniques that facilitate communication early and often in a project has made her a popular speaker, author and learning facilitator. Incorporating her research in leadership, influencing and multiple intelligence into these basic techniques creates a strategy for addressing both the people and process side of project success.  And most important, it's fun.  Her highly interactive certificate will keep you fully engaged and create connections with others that will follow you back to work.

Certificate Overview:

If you leave your desk everyday frustrated by what you've accomplished and what's left to be done, this is the certificate you've been waiting for! Learn how to juggle your projects and get more done with less rework.  Whether working on online or live course development, LMS implementation, or new process design, this certificate will teach you a simple, minimal process with techniques to get more done with less help. You’ll learn how to start a project correctly, build a simple and flexible project schedule, manage the insanity of your projects, end a project, and improve your own project management strength through quick post-project reviews.  This program will provide you with tools that will work with software you already have, completely consistent with the guidelines set by the Project Management Institute (PMI). 

Bring your gnarliest project with you.  This certificate will be hands-on, and you will learn each technique by using it for your project. You will work on one of your own real projects, and create a Project Charter and Project Schedule with feedback from peers in the program. You will complete this certificate with your project ready to roll, a great network, and a job aid to use for the next successful project.

Bonus Items! You will also receive a quick technique job aid  to help you remember what you've learned and show others how to get better at project management back at the office. 

Eight (8) Project Management Institute (PMI) Professional Development Units (PDUs) are available when you successfully complete this certificate. For questions on PDUs click here .

Program Details:
In this four-part live online certificate, you will learn and apply to real work the practical skills and techniques you need to successfully define, plan, manage and review multiple projects with diverse stakeholders. This certificate provides simple, visual approaches for project budget, schedule and quality success. You'll complete the course with one of your real projects polished and ready to begin!

By attending this certificate program, you will leave able to:

• Differentiate between a process, project and task.
• Clarify the responsibilities of a Project Sponsor, Project Manager and Project Stakeholders.
• Create a Project Charter in less than 45 minutes including tools that clarify ROI, scope, metrics, risk mitigation, constraints, communication planning and project governance.
• Create a Project Schedule by working back from a fixed date. 
• Regulate your own stress as the project progresses so you make the best decisions as the insanity kicks in.
• Influence and communicate with diverse Stakeholders and follow the rule "Bad News Early is Good News".
• Practice flexible structure: at all times have a plan AND be ready to adapt it to ensure success.
• End a project even when the Stakeholders are adding new things.
• Use emotion-based Post-Project Review techniques to grow project management competence in your self and others.

Certificate Methods:

• This course is comprised of four (4) live online sessions. In addition, there will be approximately 1 hour of homework prior to each session. Lou Russell, the facilitator, will be available for help through email and phone throughout the program. 

Who Should Participate:

This certificate program is for anyone interested in doing more with less.  As workload increases and technology chases us 24/7, this program will help you organize your work, manage the hand-offs with others and leave work feeling less overwhelmed.  If you leave your desk everyday frustrated by what you've accomplished and what's left to be done, this is the content you've been waiting for.

SESSION ONE

Start Well to End Well

• Frustrated?  Why?
• What is a process, project and task?
• Clarifying the roles of the Project Sponsor, Project Manager and Stakeholders
• Establishing the business ROI for a project
• Creating a Scope Diagram
  
  Homework: Complete a Scope Diagram for your project

SESSION TWO

Bad News Early is Good News

• The nuances and power of the Scope Diagram
• Building project metrics
• Mitigating risk
• Establishing the constraints
• Building a communication and governance plan.
  
  Homework: Create a Project Charter in less than 45 minutes for your project

SESSION THREE 

No News is Bad News

• Establishing the milestones
• Creating the Project Schedule
• EQ and Decision Making
• Influencing Stakeholders to Consensus
  
  Homework: Create a strategy for regulating the most likely triggers for your stress.

SESSION FOUR

Session #1: Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Session #2: Thursday, December 6, 2012
Session #3: Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Session #4: Thursday, December 13, 2012

Each session is 1.5 hours in length

All sessions start at 2:00 pm Eastern Time (New York time). See below for the time of the sessions listed in various time zones:

11:00 am - 12:30 pm Pacific Time (PT)
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Mountain Time (MT)
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Central Time (CT)
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Eastern Time (ET)

For times in other cities, visit this link. Live sessions will be recorded for those who wish to go back and review or who must miss a live session. Participants are expected to complete outside work between live class meetings.

Registration details:

Register for this certificate program now to reserve a virtual seat. See below.

Early-Bird Registration on/before November 4, 2012: $845
Registration after November 4, 2012: $995

Train as a Team and Save!
For questions on group discounts, call 612.340.4742, or contact us for details.

Course Equipment (IMPORTANT)
You'll participate in online and collaborative activities in a number of ways, each designed to provide a unique means to interact and learn from experts and colleagues. All course delivery software operates at Internet connection speeds of 56.6 kbps or better, on PC, Mac and Unix platforms. Programs will use teleconferencing or VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol.) The login instructions emailed to you approximately one week prior to the start of the course will outline platform use as well as any headset requirements or suggestions. Each registrant must provide their own laptop or desktop computer and other equipment (such as a headset) in order to fully and successfully participate in the course. Please test your login information a minimum of 48 hours in advance on your course start date on the computer you will be using for the course.

If you leave your desk everyday frustrated by what you've accomplished and what's left to be done,
this is the certificate you've been waiting for!

Bring your
gnarliest project with you!
You will complete this certificate with your project ready to roll, a great network, and a job aid to use for the next successful project.

Bonuses!
You will work on one of your real projects, and create a Project Charter
and
Project Schedule
with feedback from peers in the program.  You will also receive a
quick technique job aid  
to help you remember what you've learned and show others how to get better at project management back at the office. 

Earn PDUs!
Eight (8) Project Management Institute (PMI) Professional Development Units (PDUs) are available when you successfully complete this certificate. 
For questions on PDUs click here .