Member $99.00 | Non-Member $159.00
INSTRUCTOR: Howard Birnberg
Purpose and Background
Typically, people say they became engineers because they were interested in construction, liked to solve problems, or enjoyed seeing their work turned into a reality. Rarely, however, would they say they became an engineer because they wanted to be a project manager. Those who are managing projects typically ended up in the role because of management skills they acquired (often by accident—not because of a plan). A rare few have the most important skill of all-they are good communicators--able to write well, have good public speaking skills and are excellent at listening. For engineers who become PMs, technical skills are important, but these are needed to support—not replace—their abilities to be effective project managers. This webinar discusses the importance of communication skills, management concepts, roles and responsibilities of PMs, and controlling “scope creep,” among other topics.
Primary Discussion Topics
- Importance of communications skills for PMs
- How a PM communicates
- Management concepts for PMs
- Characteristics of effective PMs
- Responsibilities of effective PMs
- Controlling scope creep
- Project management manuals
- Writing and public speaking
Learning Objectives
- Emphasize the importance of effective communications for project managers
- Discuss basic management concepts for project managers
- Define who is a project manager
- Present issues in scope creep
- Provide an outline for project management manuals
Webinar Benefits
- Define the role of a project manager
- Explain the overall responsibilities of project managers
- Discuss the importance of effective writing and public speaking
- Understand the importance of a firm-wide project management manual
- Discuss scope creep and solutions
- Receive forms to document scope changes
- Billing and collection issues will be discussed
Intended Audience
- Project managers
- Design firm managers and owners
- Private practice engineering firm employees
- Other design professionals
Webinar Outline
- Why you became an engineer
- Primary job of a project manager is to communicate
- Project management concepts
- Characteristics of a strong/effective project manager
- Responsibilities of a strong/effective project manager
- Scope management/managing multiple projects
- Managing scope creep and project change orders
- Why develop a project management manual
- Preparing and editing written material
- Public speaking suggestions