Essentials of Project Management

The Practical Foundation Every First-Time Project Owner Needs

Platform:

Online

In-class

Revised and Updated: 23 October 2026

Date	Venue	Duration
09 - 11 November 2026	Sandton, Gauteng	3 Days
17 - 19 May 2027	Sandton, Gauteng	3 Days
27 - 29 July 2027	Durban, KZN	3 Days
11 - 13 October 2027	Sandton, Gauteng	3 Days

Course Introduction

Many people find themselves managing projects without any formal training: they are promoted into the role, or asked to “own” an initiative alongside their regular job. This course builds a solid, practical foundation in project management, giving participants the core tools and language to start, plan, run, and close a project successfully.

Participants work through one simple case-study project from start to finish over three days, so that every tool connects to the one before it. Along the way they build a charter, a scope statement, a schedule, a budget, a risk log, and a status report. Participants leave with a personal toolkit of templates they can apply to a real project immediately, and with the vocabulary to move on to more advanced courses and methodology-specific qualifications such as the CAPM®, PMP®, or PRINCE2®.

A certificate of completion is issued on successful attendance. The course is aligned to the PMI® PMBOK® Guide, Eighth Edition (November 2025), and is not a certification preparation course.

Course Objectives

By the end of this Essentials of Project Management course, participants will be able to:

Explain what a project is, and the phases of the project lifecycle: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closure
Start a project with a clear charter, scope, objectives, and deliverables
Identify stakeholders and plan how to engage and communicate with them
Break a project into tasks and milestones, and build a realistic schedule
Estimate costs and resources, and build a basic project budget
Identify, assess, and respond to common project risks
Track progress, report status, and manage issues and changes without losing control
Close a project properly, and capture lessons learned
Recognise the difference between predictive and agile approaches, and when each is used
Build a personal toolkit of templates ready to use on a real project

Who should attend?

New or aspiring Project Managers with no formal project management training
Team Leads and Coordinators who manage projects alongside other responsibilities
Professionals preparing for more advanced project management certification
Anyone assigned project ownership without a project management background

Training Methodology

Our diverse instructional approaches ensure effective learning:

– Lectures & Presentations: Engage with expert-driven, stimulating content.
– Course Material: Access well-crafted supporting resources.
– Group Work: Collaborate on discussions and case studies for practical insights.
– Workshops & Role-Play: Participate in immersive, scenario-based activities.
– Practical Application: Focus on applying theoretical knowledge in real situations.
– Post-Training Support: Receive extensive support after training for skill implementation.

Training Outline

Day 1 — Initiating a Project

Session 1: Understanding the Project Lifecycle

What a project is, and how it differs from ongoing operational work
The core phases of a project: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closure
Predictive and agile approaches: an overview, and when each is used
Why most project problems trace back to weak initiation
Setting realistic expectations for your first formal project role
Practical Exercise: map a real or upcoming project against the five project lifecycle phases

Session 2: Starting the Project Right: Charter and Business Case

Why the project exists: the need, the benefits, and the business case in brief
The project charter: purpose, objectives, success criteria, constraints, and authority
The roles on a project: sponsor, project manager, team, and stakeholders
Practical Exercise: draft a one-page charter for the course case-study project

Session 3: Defining Scope, Objectives, and Deliverables

Writing a clear, specific project scope statement
Setting objectives that are genuinely measurable
Defining deliverables precisely enough to avoid later disputes
Common scope-definition mistakes that cause problems downstream
Practical Exercise: draft a scope statement and deliverables list for the case-study project

Day 2 — Planning the Project

Session 4: Building a Project Schedule

Breaking a project down into manageable tasks and milestones
Sequencing tasks and identifying dependencies
Estimating how long tasks will take
Building a simple, realistic project schedule, and the critical path in brief
Common scheduling mistakes new project managers make
Practical Exercise: build a task breakdown and schedule for the case-study project

Session 5: Budgeting and Resource Planning

Estimating project costs realistically
Building a basic project budget
Identifying and planning for resource needs
Balancing scope, schedule, and budget when they come into tension
Practical Exercise: build a basic budget and resource plan for the case-study project

Session 6: Stakeholders, Communication, and Risk Planning

Identifying stakeholders, and assessing their interest and influence
Building a simple communication plan
Identifying risks, and rating them by likelihood and impact
Planning risk responses, and keeping a risk log
Practical Exercise: build a stakeholder map and a risk log for the case-study project

Day 3 — Executing, Monitoring, and Closing

Session 7: Execution and Monitoring

Leading the team and keeping work on track
Tracking progress against the plan, and simple earned value thinking
Practical tools for communicating project status
Responding to issues and changes without losing control of the project
Practical Exercise: build a status report template, and run a mock change request, for the case-study project

Session 8: Stakeholder Management and Quality

Managing stakeholder expectations throughout the project
Communicating effectively with stakeholders at different levels
Quality in projects: agreeing acceptance criteria and checking deliverables

Session 9: Closing a Project Properly

Structuring a proper project close-out, and handover
Capturing lessons learned for future projects
Next steps in your project management development
Practical Exercise: complete a project close-out checklist and lessons-learned summary for the case-study project

Closing Session: Personal Toolkit and Action Plan

Reviewing your personal toolkit of templates
Action plan for applying the tools to a real project
Course evaluation

Course Categories

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Course Registration Guide

Everything you need to know about registering for a Prospen training course.

View Registration Guide

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FAQs – Essentials of Project Management

Master Essentials of Project Management, learning fundamental project planning, scope definition, scheduling, budget tracking, risk assessment, and stakeholder communication to execute projects successfully from start to finish.

What is covered in the Essentials of Project Management Course?

The course covers fundamental project lifecycle phases, scope definition, work breakdown structures (WBS), project scheduling, budget estimation, risk identification, and basic stakeholder communication strategies.

Who should attend the Essentials of Project Management Training?

This training is designed for new project managers, team leaders, project coordinators, departmental supervisors, and technical professionals who are transitioning into project management roles.

How does this course assist in defining and controlling project scope?

Delegates learn practical techniques for establishing clear project objectives, creating detailed scope statements, structuring work breakdown frameworks, and managing change requests to prevent scope creep.

Will participants learn project budgeting and scheduling techniques?

Yes. The program covers fundamental scheduling tools such as Gantt charts and critical path analysis, along with cost estimation methods and budget tracking principles to keep projects on schedule and within financial limits.

Does the training address risk management and mitigation?

Yes. Participants learn how to identify potential project risks early, construct risk registers, perform basic qualitative risk assessments, and formulate actionable risk response plans.

Why is completing an Essentials of Project Management course important for team success?

Mastering core project management concepts standardizes project execution, improves resource allocation, reduces delivery delays, and equips professionals with the core tools required to deliver successful outcomes.

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Essentials of Project Management

The Practical Foundation Every First-Time Project Owner Needs

Course Objectives

Who should attend?

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Who should attend?

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Training Outline

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