Title: Introduction to Project Management, A1-Day Learn-and-Do Workshop for Utility Employees
Event: Northwest Public Power Association, Professional Development Training
Date: March 19, 2026
Speaker: Christopher Dennis
Summary
- Want to get more done? Complicated things?
- Want the project and people to turn out better when you’re leading the team?
- Need methods to get the work done more effectively?
This seminar helps kick off a new project while learning valuable project management skills. Using the individual’s new project as a primary focus, we will learn and apply a simple thought process: What needs to get done? How will we do it? What’s in the way of finishing?
We will practice with tools for clarifying a project’s vision (the what). Next, we’ll hone the fundamentals of project planning (the how). With a clear, pragmatic plan in hand, we will turn our attention to the team who will work the plan, address issues, and report progress (the finishers). As project managers, we will learn a proactive approach, trying to prevent trouble rather than reacting to it.
Course Outcomes
By the end of the session, attendees will be better able to:
- Identify, manage and collaborate with project stakeholders
- Capture the vision of the project on one page
- Translate project deliverables into work, suitable for tracking during execution
- Plan projects before beginning execution
- Create clarity for the project team
- Represent project progress and challenges to stakeholders
- Proactively identify project challenges
- Create a smooth handoff between the project team and customers