The Caltech Project Management Certificate Program 

offered by Caltech

Establish the business case for your project

Develop the needs analysis and the project charter initiating the project

Understand how estimated project costs and risks impact the decision regarding whether or not to approve a project

Apply cost estimation techniques for each phase of the project

Understand the basic concepts of present value analysis and Life Cycle Costing (LCC)

Utilize project selection models, both numeric and qualitative, to evaluate the project portfolio

Identify the project manager?s key roles and responsibilities

Survive and thrive in a matrix organization

Build and manage effective cross functional project teams

Build key leadership competencies and skills

Resolve conflicts within the team and with other constituencies

Avoid pitfalls that cause projects to fail

Break large or complex efforts into manageable assignments, including the proper use of WBS

Use planning and scheduling work tools, including PERT and CPM techniques

Understand cost planning and estimating elements and contract management processes essential to complete project planning

Integrate project scope, time, cost and resources plans

Understand trending and forecasting in a project environment

Monitor project progress and problems, utilizing data identification and collection techniques, and measurement and analysis tools such as earned value

Exercise project control over resources, time, cost, and risk

Report project performance and results in an effective way to project stakeholders

Manage changes and re-plan work when necessary

Identify what can go wrong on a project

Determine what risks are important and warrant mitigation

Prepare an effective risk statement

Generate strategies to deal with critical risks

Determine the expected value of a mitigation strategy

Determine the size of the contingency reserve for the project

Make decisions under uncertainty and risk