Successful projects do not just happen. They are planned. Understanding what success for a specific project means is part of the plan. Take the opportunity to understand how you will measure success. Does your project require assistance or materials from the outside? If it does, will you know what type of contract will support your success? When you understand these basics and you know how to identify the risks you face and how all of this information shapes your estimates, then you are ready to consider committing to a schedule and a budget. This course will take you through critical project planning basics so that when it is time for your schedule and budget, you are well informed.

By the end of this course, students will be able to: • Develop two quality metrics for a project • Differentiate between fixed price and cost reimbursable contract types • Perform a basic risk assessment • Estimate the quantities and costs of resources required to perform project activities • Identify differences in three common cost estimating techniques