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Project Phases and Methods: From Initiation to Execution

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Project Phases and Methods: From Initiation to Execution

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1 week to complete
at 10 hours a week
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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Recognize the five project process groups and give an example activity for each.

  • Explain core Scrum roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team).

  • Apply WIP limits to manage workflow on a task board.

  • Analyze timelines to find dependency bottlenecks and assess related risks.

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Recently updated!

March 2026

Assessments

26 assignmentsΒΉ

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

Build your Leadership and Management expertise

This course is part of the Advanced Project Management: Asana, Jira, Confluence, and AI Professional Certificate
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate from Coursera

There are 6 modules in this course

This foundational long course introduces you to the full project lifecycle and the core choices that shape delivery: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closing. You will build practical familiarity with the most commonly used methodologies (Waterfall, Agile, hybrid), and map real project activities to process groups so they can justify approach decisions. The course explains the key roles and responsibilities (Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team) and teaches flow-management practices, including WIP limits, backlog hygiene, and dependency identification. You will practice reading timeline artifacts and backlog metrics and translate analysis into focused mitigation notes for stakeholders. The course emphasizes the use of Project Management processes and methodologies to improve predictability and hand off quality.

"PM Phases: Initiate, Plan, and Execute" is an introductory module for aspiring project managers that provides a framework for success. It addresses common project failures, like unclear objectives and poor planning, by teaching structured methodologies. Through real-world case studies and hands-on activities, you will learn to create a Project Charter, define phase-gate criteria, manage dependencies, and mitigate risks. This module equips you to confidently guide projects from concept to completion, ensuring they stay on track and aligned with strategic goals. You will build a solid foundation for predictable and successful project delivery from the start.

What's included

4 videos3 readings4 assignments

4 videosβ€’Total 24 minutes
  • Why Planning Matters: The Sydney Light Rail Caseβ€’4 minutes
  • How to Draft a Project Charterβ€’10 minutes
  • Why Execution Fails: The Wipro vs. National Grid Lawsuitβ€’4 minutes
  • How to Create a Simple Status Reportβ€’7 minutes
3 readingsβ€’Total 21 minutes
  • Course Overview: The Five Process Groupsβ€’7 minutes
  • What are the Execution and Monitoring and Controlling Phases?β€’8 minutes
  • The Final Step: The Closing Process Groupβ€’6 minutes
4 assignmentsβ€’Total 75 minutes
  • Project Framework Charterβ€’30 minutes
  • Hands-On Learning: Drafting a Mini Project Charterβ€’20 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Initiating and Planning Conceptsβ€’5 minutes
  • Hands-On Learning: Simulating Project Executionβ€’20 minutes

"Scrum: Understand Core Project Roles" is a beginner-level module for anyone working in an Agile environment. Success in today's workplace hinges on clear roles and seamless collaboration. This module demystifies the three core Scrum rolesβ€”the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Teamβ€”by providing practical definitions of what each role does and how they contribute to a project. Through real-world case studies from companies like Spotify and Netflix, you will learn how these roles interact to deliver value. This module provides the foundational knowledge to navigate Agile projects confidently, ensuring everyone understands their responsibilities and collaborates effectively.

What's included

4 videos2 readings3 assignments

4 videosβ€’Total 23 minutes
  • The Foundation of Scrum: Roles and Responsibilitiesβ€’6 minutes
  • How-To: Prioritize a Product Backlogβ€’7 minutes
  • The Scrum Master: A Servant Leader's Day in the Lifeβ€’5 minutes
  • From "To-Do" to "Done": The Development team in Actionβ€’6 minutes
2 readingsβ€’Total 12 minutes
  • The Three Pillars & The Product Owner's Playbookβ€’5 minutes
  • The Development Team: From "To-Do" to "Done"β€’7 minutes
3 assignmentsβ€’Total 65 minutes
  • Agile Implementation Proposal: Strategic Transition Planβ€’30 minutes
  • Hands-On Learning: Onboarding Wiki Contributionβ€’30 minutes
  • Practice Quiz: Role Scenariosβ€’5 minutes

Are your projects slowed down by too many "in-progress" tasks? The module "Manage Your Project Flow with WIP Limits" is for project managers and team leads who want to achieve focused, predictable success. It teaches a powerful concept: To speed up projects, you should intentionally do less at once. You will learn to set Work-in-Progress (WIP) limits, creating a "pull system" where new tasks begin only when capacity allows. Through hands-on labs, you will master visualizing your workflow, spotting bottlenecks, and using key metrics, enabling you to reduce task completion times and improve team productivity.

What's included

4 videos2 readings4 assignments

4 videosβ€’Total 25 minutes
  • A Tale of Two Teams: The Power of Finishingβ€’7 minutes
  • The Core Metrics: Understanding Cycle Time and Throughputβ€’6 minutes
  • From Push to Pull: Unlocking a Smoother Workflowβ€’5 minutes
  • Communicating WIP Limits: From Resistance to Buy-Inβ€’7 minutes
2 readingsβ€’Total 22 minutes
  • The Anatomy and Rules of a Pull Systemβ€’12 minutes
  • The Anatomy and Rules of a Pull Systemβ€’10 minutes
4 assignmentsβ€’Total 90 minutes
  • Flow Control Strategy Projectβ€’30 minutes
  • Calculate and Justify Your First WIP Limitβ€’25 minutes
  • Scenario-based Knowledge Checkβ€’10 minutes
  • Hands-On Learning: Design Your Pull Criteriaβ€’25 minutes

In the "Analyze Timelines: Conquer Project Bottlenecks" module, project managers and team leads learn to deliver projects on time by proactively preventing delays. This entry-level module teaches a systematic process to find and fix hidden bottlenecks before they derail your schedule. Using familiar tools, you will practice analyzing risks, choosing mitigation strategies, and communicating your solutions through scenario-driven assignments. You will gain the foundational skills to stop firefighting, maintain stakeholder trust, and ensure effective schedule control. Master the art of on-time delivery and turn reactive problem-solving into proactive leadership right from the start.

What's included

5 videos3 readings5 assignments

5 videosβ€’Total 24 minutes
  • What Proactive Analysis Looks Like: The MYOB Case Study?β€’5 minutes
  • How to Use Filters to Find Bottlenecks?β€’5 minutes
  • How to Choose the Right Mitigation Strategy?β€’5 minutes
  • Why Clear Communication Builds Trust: The Go-Ahead Group?β€’4 minutes
  • How to Draft a Professional Mitigation Memo?β€’5 minutes
3 readingsβ€’Total 15 minutes
  • The Language of the Timeline: CPM and Dependenciesβ€’5 minutes
  • The Strategist's Toolkit: Your Guide to Risk Mitigationβ€’5 minutes
  • The Leader's Playbook: How to Escalate and Documentβ€’5 minutes
5 assignmentsβ€’Total 70 minutes
  • Bottleneck Analysis & Mitigation Memoβ€’30 minutes
  • Hands-On Learning: Identifying Bottlenecksβ€’10 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Core Conceptsβ€’10 minutes
  • Hands-On Learning: Drafting Mitigation Stepsβ€’10 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Choosing Your Strategyβ€’10 minutes

"Automate and Analyze Project Backlogs Fast" is for project coordinators and team leads who want to proactively manage workflow. You will learn to interpret key Agile reports, like the Cumulative Flow Diagram, to spot bottlenecks and scope creep before they cause delays. You will then act on these insights by building simple, powerful automation rules in Jira. Through step-by-step guidance, you’ll use conditional logic to automatically escalate critical tasks and notify stakeholders. Gain the skills to enhance accountability and use data-driven automation to keep your projects running smoothly and predictably.

What's included

4 videos2 readings5 assignments

4 videosβ€’Total 29 minutes
  • The Widening Bandβ€’7 minutes
  • Reading the Signs: Step-by-Step CFD Analysisβ€’7 minutes
  • The Bug That Slipped Throughβ€’7 minutes
  • Building an Escalation Rule in Jiraβ€’7 minutes
2 readingsβ€’Total 13 minutes
  • Your Backlog’s Health Report: Key Metricsβ€’7 minutes
  • The Anatomy of an Automation Ruleβ€’6 minutes
5 assignmentsβ€’Total 80 minutes
  • Backlog Analysis and Automation Planβ€’25 minutes
  • Hands-On Learning: Spot the Trend in the CFDβ€’25 minutes
  • Practice Quizβ€’5 minutes
  • Hands-On Learning: Design Your First Automation Ruleβ€’20 minutes
  • Automation Rule Knowledge Checkβ€’5 minutes

"Choose Best Project Management Methods" is designed for new and aspiring project managers. This module teaches you to move beyond guesswork and make data-driven decisions on whether a predictive (Waterfall) or adaptive (Agile) approach is the best fit for your projects. Through hands-on activities, you will use a decision matrix to score your options systematically. You will also learn to translate your analysis into a persuasive recommendation to gain stakeholder buy-in. By the end, you'll have the practical skills to select the optimal project management framework, setting your projects up for success from day one.

What's included

5 videos4 readings5 assignments

5 videosβ€’Total 32 minutes
  • Why Methodology Matters: The VCF Failure?β€’8 minutes
  • How to Spot Project Goals and Constraints?β€’6 minutes
  • Why a Systematic Choice Beats a Guess?β€’5 minutes
  • Why Your Analysis Isn't Enough: The Art of the Pitch?β€’5 minutes
  • From Analysis to Alignment: The Strategic Viewβ€’8 minutes
4 readingsβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • The Spectrum of Project Management: From Predictive to Adaptiveβ€’4 minutes
  • Introduction: Why We Use a Decision Matrixβ€’3 minutes
  • How to Build and Use a Decision Matrixβ€’4 minutes
  • How to Present Your Recommendationβ€’5 minutes
5 assignmentsβ€’Total 70 minutes
  • Project: Decision Matrix and Recommendation Briefβ€’30 minutes
  • Hands-On Learning: Identifying Constraints in a Project Briefβ€’10 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Methodologies and Constraintsβ€’10 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Interpreting the Matrixβ€’10 minutes
  • Knowledge Check: Framing Your Pitchβ€’10 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

This course is designed as a foundational long course within an advanced program. You do not require formal PM certification to start, but an interest in practical, tool-based workflows will help you get the most from the exercises.

No. The course introduces Agile concepts at an introductory level with worked examples and templates.

The course uses common task- and timeline-management concepts found in tools like Asana and Jira, spreadsheet modeling for timeline/risk analysis, and simple automation-rule logic. No specific coding skills are required.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Certificate, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Financial aid available,

ΒΉ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.