The course covers all elements of project management including:

 Setting and meeting targets, establishing baseline
 Monitoring spend
 Measuring outcomes including ‘Distance travelled’
 Creating milestones
 Managing Risk – deal with assumptions
 Engaging stakeholders
 Understanding the ‘customer’ and the needs of the beneficiary versus the funder

The course will provide you with the skills and confidence to manage any project and to avoid the pitfalls that inevitably face community projects.

What is a project?
We examine the characteristics of a project and what makes it different from other pieces of work.

Important elements
Projects have a start date and an end date. They have goals and targets, many of which were written by people no longer involved in the project. Projects usually fit into a wider strategy which it is important to understand. Ensuring you focus on the ‘customer’. Managing the needs of the beneficiary and the funder.

Setting and meeting targets
Whether the targets are already written or whether you need to agree them, targets need to be profiled to ensure they are achievable in the timescale. The session looks at the difference between outputs and outcomes and explains how to measure and evidence these targets.

Monitoring spend
Spend usually has its own targets and projects will usually have expenditure profiles that are quite prescriptive. Learn how to monitor this and identify potential problems before they arise.

Measuring soft outcomes and Distance travelled
What are outcomes, how are they measured and how are they achieved. We examine ‘Distance travelled’ changes in behaviour and outlook and how to measure the impact of projects on these outcomes. We look at ways to set baseline statistics and evidence the targets.

Creating milestones
Milestones are an important method of measuring key stages in a project’s development. Understand, what they are, how they work and to set them.

In kind funding
Many projects are required to lever in other funding. This may take the form of cash or ‘in kind’ support. All ‘In kind’ support has a monetary value. We will show you how to cost and evidence this.

Managing Risk
Understand risk and deal with assumptions.

Engaging stakeholders
Community engagement, engaging key stakeholders, developing partnerships is all vital for a successful project. Learn how to do this effectively.

Communication success
Many projects succeed, but fail to capture the imagination of the community. Some good projects fail, because beneficiaries and supporters are not aware of them. We will show you how to celebrate and communicate success to the wider community.

Product Tester's Comments
"I liked the language and tone of the presentation, like being on a real training course! The language used is clear, precise, without too much jargon and so is very accessible to new managers as well as well experienced ones. Would certainly be beneficial to a cash strapped organisation with numerous line managers to train." - Esther Nagle: Penrhys Partnership