PDFO/Mitacs Step Workshop: Managing Projects

Date & Time

Tuesday, 25 February 2014 - 9:00am to Tuesday, 25 February 2014 - 5:00pm

Location

Thea's Lounge - Thea Koerner House - 6371 Crescent Road

Organizer

Postdoctoral Fellows Office (PDFO) and Mitacs Step

 

* This session is being offered in collaboration with the MITACS Step program. Mitacs Step offers a holistic, inter-disciplinary approach to professional skills development. The workshops that are offered provide practical tools in business, communications, and project management through experiential learning from industry professionals in an interactive environment, arming graduate students for success within or beyond academia.

They say that “failing to plan is the same as planning to fail”. By focusing on developing sound project management skills and processes, projects are more realistically budgeted for and resourced, risks are managed and mitigated, and projects are far more likely to be executed on time without severe consequences to people.

This is a project management workshop with a difference. As opposed to a day of dry theory, participants are exposed to a live, simulated project where they have to build a physical structure within an allotted time. As the project management methodology is introduced through the day, participants apply it to the simulation over successive rounds, and the difference in project execution becomes evident in a compelling way. Not only is the learning intense – it is also fun!

Learning Outcomes

Results Participants Can Expect:

  •     Improved project execution
  •     More realistic project plans and budgets
  •     Improved communication with stakeholders
  •     Better management and mitigation of risks
  •     Increased ability for the organization to improve through learning from past projects

Key focus areas:

Project life cycle, project charter, creating a project schedule and budget, critical path analysis, risk management, monitoring variance, managing stakeholder relationships and closing a project.

About the Facilitator:

Jim Brosseau has worked in the high-technology sector since 1980, in a variety of roles and responsibilities. He has held successively more responsible positions in military and defence contracting, commercial software development, and training and consulting. He has worked in the QA role, and has acted as team lead, project manager, and director. Jim has been involved with the BCIT Bachelor of Technology program, mentored students at SFU Surrey and the Vancouver Board of Trade's Leaders of Tomorrow program, acts as a mentor in the New Ventures BC competition, and has been on the Business Advisory Board of the Advanced Systems Institute of BC

Registration:

Seats are limited to 24 participants. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.  Registration is required, please register online.

If you are a graduate student, please register via the Graduate Pathways to Success program.

Successfully registered postdocs will be sent a confirmation email from the PDFO within one week prior to the workshop.