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Essentials of Project Management for the Non-Project Manager

You don’t need “project manager” in your title to play a critical role in project success. Many professionals are asked to coordinate work, support project teams, manage stakeholders or help move initiatives forward on top of their regular responsibilities. In this seminar, you’ll learn the essential project management concepts, tools and techniques needed to work more effectively on projects. You’ll explore how projects differ from operational work, what defines project success, why projects are initiated and how they connect to real business value. You’ll also learn how to clarify expectations, define scope and requirements, break work into manageable components, estimate time and cost, manage risks and communicate with stakeholders. Through practical exercises and discussion, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of how project work gets planned, executed, monitored and closed. You’ll return to work better prepared to contribute to project success, make informed decisions, manage competing priorities and support stronger outcomes for your team and organization.

Seminar Number: 06548

5
(580 reviews)
  • In-Person
  • Live Online
  • At Your Company Location

Course Scheduling & Pricing

Home>Course Topic>Project Management>Essentials of Project Management for the Non-Project Manager

About This Course

This essentials of project management course helps non-project managers build immediate, actionable skills for contributing to and leading project work. Designed for professionals with little or no formal project management training, it covers the common language, tools and techniques needed to understand project goals, define scope and requirements, identify stakeholders, plan work, manage risks, communicate progress and support successful project closure.

Read the FAQs

Who Should Attend

  • Those who are involved in projects but do not manage them
  • Experts, team members, project sponsors, contributors, facilitators and coordinators

  •   In-Person2 Day(s)
    1.2 CEU, 12 CLP, 14 CPE, 12 PDCs, 12 PHR, 12 SPHR
  •   Live Online4 Day(s)
    1.2 CEU, 12 CLP, 14 CPE, 12 PDCs, 12 PHR, 12 SPHR
 
 

You don’t need “project manager” in your title to play a critical role in project success. Many professionals are asked to coordinate work, support project teams, manage stakeholders or help move initiatives forward on top of their regular responsibilities.

In this seminar, you’ll learn the essential project management concepts, tools and techniques needed to work more effectively on projects. You’ll explore how projects differ from operational work, what defines project success, why projects are initiated and how they connect to real business value. You’ll also learn how to clarify expectations, define scope and requirements, break work into manageable components, estimate time and cost, manage risks and communicate with stakeholders.

Through practical exercises and discussion, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of how project work gets planned, executed, monitored and closed. You’ll return to work better prepared to contribute to project success, make informed decisions, manage competing priorities and support stronger outcomes for your team and organization.

  • Understand the purpose, process and language of project management
  • Recognize how projects connect to business value and organizational goals
  • Clarify project scope, requirements, roles and stakeholder expectations
  • Apply basic tools for planning work and managing constraints
  • Identify risks and changes that can affect project success
  • Communicate project status, decisions and outcomes more effectively
  • Understand the project management lifecycle, including what defines project success and why projects succeed or fail.
  • Create a strong project foundation by developing project charters, identifying stakeholders and aligning projects with business goals.
  • Plan projects by defining scope, gathering requirements, building work breakdown structures and estimating time, cost and effort.
  • Select the right project approach by comparing predictive, iterative and adaptive methods based on project needs.
  • Identify, assess and respond to project risks while managing changing priorities, constraints and uncertainty.
  • Execute and monitor projects through effective communication, stakeholder management, progress tracking and decision making.
  • Close projects successfully by evaluating results, capturing lessons learned and communicating outcomes to stakeholders.

Overview

  • Explain how projects create value and define success
  • Use core tools to plan and organize project work
  • Make decisions using tradeoffs between scope, time, and cost
  • Respond to risks, changes, and stakeholder needs
  • Adjust plans based on changing project conditions

Getting Your Hands Around the Value of Project Management

  • Explain the difference between project and operational work
  • Differentiate between project and operational work by identifying key characteristics
  • Describe the key criteria that define project success, including value delivered and measurable outcomes
  • Analyze the primary factors contributing to project success and failure by evaluating project examples
  • Apply a defined project framework to outline key phases, roles, and deliverables

Starting Right

  • Analyze why projects are initiated and explain how they contribute to business value
  • Describe the purpose of a project charter as a tool for alignment and decision-making
  • Apply key elements of a project charter to define project direction and set expectations
  • Identify key stakeholders and analyze their priorities and influence on project outcomes
  • Evaluate competing stakeholder priorities and prioritize actions when constraints arise

Planning the Work

  • Define and document project scope and requirements using a structured format
  • Create a work breakdown structure (WBS) that decomposes project deliverables into manageable components
  • Estimate project effort, time, and cost using estimation techniques to produce a realistic project plan
  • Analyze the impacts of changes in scope, schedule, or budget on the overall project plan
  • Adjust a project to accommodate constraints or new information while maintaining alignment with project objectives

Ways of Working

  • Explain the key characteristics of predictive, iterative, and adaptive project approaches, including how the project triangle elements are managed in each
  • Compare the three approaches to determine when each is most appropriate depending on project complexity, uncertainty, and requirements
  • Evaluate the most appropriate approach based on project characteristics, requirements, and deliverables

Risk and Uncertainty

  • Identify and categorize common types of project risks and uncertainties
  • Analyze how risks impact scope, schedule, and cost by explaining possible outcomes of the risks
  • Examine a range of tools and recognize how to select appropriate responses to manage or mitigate risks

Working the Plan: Execution, Communication, and Decision Making

  • Monitor project progress to identify variances and determine project performance
  • Deliver project updates conveying issues, progress, and decisions to different stakeholders
  • Define and assign roles and responsibilities to ensure clear ownership and decision-making authority within the project
  • Evaluate project issues and change requests to determine appropriate responses
  • Modify project actions based on new information and stakeholder input to maintain alignment with project objectives

Closing the Project: Learning, Transition, and Next Steps

  • Explain and sequence the key steps involved in closing a project by developing a checklist
  • Evaluate project outcomes against original goals and expectations to determine project success
  • Identify key lessons learned and document them to apply to future projects

Download Extended Seminar Outline PDF

View a Sample of Our Reviews

5

580 reviews

 
It was particularly helpful to learn the foundational basics/ theory of project management. The course materials and group activities helped me apply the curriculum to real-life situations.
5
Jessica H.
 
HR COORDINATOR
 
Industry: Membership Organization
Excellent class - well paced through early lessons - a lot of concepts in last 2 lessons which could have benefitted from being spread out a little more.
5
Joanne M.
 
Quality Audit Manager
 
Industry: Insurance
Extremely knowledgeable and upbeat instructor. Plenty of techniques taught. I can't wait until I apply them throughout my day-to-day work!
5
Brian S.
 
Purchasing Specialist
 
Industry: Energy, Utilities & Waste
Very informative. I have learnt some very helpful techniques/approaches that I'm going to use on daily basis.
5
Maria Y.
 
Clinical Research Associate II
 
Industry: Manufacturing
Class was informative and covered the full breadth of the experience overseeing a project in an engaging and accessible way.
5
Kyle D.
 
Finance Assistant
 
Industry: Organizations

AMA is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (12 PDCs) for the SHRM-CPSM or SHRM-SCPSM.

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The use of this seal confirms that this activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.

American Management Association is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is accredited to issue the IACET CEU.

American Management Association is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org. For additional information or for more information regarding administrative policies such as complaints and refunds, please contact Customer Service at 800-262-9699.

Recommended CPE Credit: 14 hours/Basic
Prerequisites: None
Advance Preparation: None
Delivery Method: Group Live/Group Internet Based
Field of Study: Technical – Management Services

In-Person Schedule

8 Sessions Available

Live Online Schedule

9 Sessions Available

  • $2,695.00 Non Members
  • $2,445.00 AMA Members
  • $2,390.00 GSA
Date Duration State City Zip
  2026-07-20 2026-07-21 Jul 20, 2026 - Jul 21, 2026 2 Days IL Chicago 60601-5927 Chicago Register Now

  2026-08-06 2026-08-07 Aug 6, 2026 - Aug 7, 2026 2 Days CA San Francisco 94103 San Francisco Register Now

  2026-09-09 2026-09-10 Sep 9, 2026 - Sep 10, 2026 2 Days DC Arlington/Washington 22202-4807 Arlington/Washington Register Now

  2026-10-22 2026-10-23 Oct 22, 2026 - Oct 23, 2026 2 Days GA Atlanta 30309-7705 Atlanta Register Now

  2026-11-12 2026-11-13 Nov 12, 2026 - Nov 13, 2026 2 Days IL Chicago 60601-5927 Chicago Register Now

  2026-12-14 2026-12-15 Dec 14, 2026 - Dec 15, 2026 2 Days NY New York 10019 New York Register Now

  2027-02-11 2027-02-12 Feb 11, 2027 - Feb 12, 2027 2 Days DC Arlington/Washington 22202-4807 Arlington/Washington Register Now

  2027-03-04 2027-03-05 Mar 4, 2027 - Mar 5, 2027 2 Days NY New York 10019 New York Register Now

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should attend project management for non-project managers training?

This project management training is designed for professionals who lead projects but do not have formal project manager titles. It’s ideal for department managers, team leaders, technical professionals and business managers who are responsible for timelines, budgets and outcomes. If you manage initiatives alongside your regular role, this course is built for you.

Is this project management course the same as certification-based project manager training?

No. This is not a PMP® exam prep course or certification program. It is applied project manager essentials training designed for working professionals who need to manage projects effectively without pursuing formal certification. If you are searching for project management for managers or foundational project management instruction, this course delivers the essential skills without exam preparation requirements.

Is this course appropriate for someone new to project management?

Yes. This course is built specifically for individuals who are new to project management or who have been assigned project responsibilities without formal training. Many participants enroll because they need structured project management training for non-project managers that gives them a clear framework they can use right away. No prior experience is required.

How is this different from general project management seminars?

Many project management seminars are designed for full-time project managers and assume a deep technical background. This program focuses specifically on project management for the non-project manager, meaning it addresses the realities of managing projects while balancing other responsibilities. It emphasizes clarity, structure and practical tools that can be used immediately in a business setting.

What skills will I gain from this essentials of project management training?

After completing this essentials of project management program, participants gain the ability to define project objectives, create structured plans, manage scope changes, communicate effectively with stakeholders and reduce risk. The focus is on building confidence and control so projects are delivered more consistently and with fewer surprises.

Is this relevant for IT or technical professionals?

Yes. While the course is not limited to technical roles, it is highly applicable for professionals seeking foundational IT project manager training or for technical leads who manage cross-functional initiatives. The principles taught apply across industries and functions, making it relevant for both business and technical environments.

Can this project management training course be delivered in-house for teams who are not formal project managers?

Yes. This course can be delivered at your company, in person or live online, for team members who manage projects without formal project management training. Delivery can be tailored to your organization’s workflows, tools, and project priorities, helping participants plan, organize, and execute projects more effectively while improving communication and coordination across teams. To explore options, please contact us for more information.

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