Putting the horse before the cart

With the advent of robust project management software in the 1990s, project managers gained the potential to manage projects more efficiently than ever before. Unfortunately, as project management software became increasingly popular and training rushed to focus on the technical skills associated with project management, the understanding of its basic principles was lost. As successful project managers will attest, it is the inextricable relationship between project management software and the essential theoretical framework that makes projects work.Recently, the expectation has been that if an employee masters project management software he/she is qualified to manage projects. What organizations are finding out is that the software, although useful in many ways, cannot make up for a project manager's lack of organization, conflict resolution, and communication skills. The result-projects that are over-budget, over-schedule, and occasionally, over before they even begin!.This presentation is intended for technical and/or training professionals faced with rolling out a comprehensive project management program. A two-fold approach is essential; we will explore what project management software can and cannot do as well as the merits of understanding sound project management theory. At the conclusion of this presentation participants will have a strong understanding of the components necessary to design, implement, or reinvent their own project management training programs.Project management has been described as the ability to create the impossible, with the unwilling, against insurmountable odds, under budget, on time, while singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic and drinking a glass of water. Once you put the horse before the cart, it becomes considerably easier!.