Google Project Management Certificate Program

1. Getting started with the progam

1.0 Introduction:

Project Management: The applications of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to meet the
project requirements and archive the desired outcome.

Este programa incluye:

project management fundamentals goals, objectives, and deliverables

- risk management
- team dynamics
- project management methodologies
- data-driven decision making
Metodologias para aprender
Agile
Scrum
Waterfall.

Herramientas

Kanban

Software

Asana

1.0.1
Program and course overview
Hello! Welcome to the first of the six courses in the Google Project Management
Certificate program. In this reading, you will learn about the program structure and course
functionality. We’ve specifically designed the program you’re about to explore to help
every type of learner successfully finish the certificate and get ready for a role in project
management. No previous experience is required.
In the first course, you will learn the fundamentals of project management and how this
program will prepare you for project management roles in numerous types of industries.
You will explore the different types of career paths you might pursue, the responsibilities
and essential skills of a project manager, the importance of the project life cycle, common
project management methodologies, and how organizational structure and culture impact
project management. In this course, and throughout the program, you will get a rare
inside look at project management within Google. Current Google project managers will
offer a multi-dimensional educational experience that will provide you with tools you can
apply on the job.

Become job-ready

Throughout the Google Project Management Certificate program, you will learn the
foundations of traditional project management and gain insight into Agile project
management. According to the Project Management Institute, the project management
labor force in seven project-oriented sectors is expected to grow by 33 percent, or nearly
22 million new jobs, by 2027*. We are excited to join you on this journey as you learn the
skills to begin a career in one of today’s most in-demand professions.

Course 1 covers four weeks of material. Each week includes a series of lessons with many
types of learning opportunities, such as:

 Videos with a Google employee as your instructor.

 Readings to introduce new ideas and case studies and to build on the concepts from
the videos.
 Discussion forums to explore course topics for better understanding and chat with
peers in the program.
 In-video questions that will pop up from time to time. They’re designed for you to
check your learning as you go!
 Practice quizzes to check your understanding and give you valuable feedback.
Practice activities will provide you with a hands-on opportunity to apply skills you are
working to master. You will assess your work by answering quiz questions about it or
by comparing it to an exemplar built by our course team. Note: these activities will
not count towards your final course grade, but you are strongly encouraged to
complete them as they will help prepare you for the graded quizzes and peer reviews.
  Graded quizzes on video and reading content to measure your progress.
 Ungraded peer-review activities on video and reading content that provide you the
opportunity to practice applying skills you are working to master. Other learners in
your course will see the work you submit and give you feedback based on a rubric.
 Graded peer-review activities on video and reading content that assess your ability
to apply skills you are working to master. Other learners in your course will grade
your work and give you feedback based on a rubric.
Everyone learns differently, so we designed this program to let you work at your own
pace. Although your personalized deadlines start when you enroll, they’re just a guide.
Feel free to move through the program however it works best for you. Keep in mind, you
can always reset your deadlines by clicking the blue reset my deadlines button. There’s no
penalty for late assignments. To earn your certificate, all you have to do is complete all of
the work.

Tips

 We strongly recommend you take all six courses—and complete the items in each
lesson—in the order they appear, as new information and concepts build on previous
ones.
 Make the most of the readings and additional resources throughout the program.
They’re designed to support your learning.
 If something is confusing, don’t hesitate to re-watch a video, go through a reading
again, or ask your classmates for advice in the discussion forum.
 Take part in all learning opportunities to gain as much knowledge and experience
possible.
Congratulations on choosing to take this first step toward becoming a part of the
wonderful world of project management. Enjoy the journey!

*Source: PMI (2017). Project Management Job Growth and Talent Gap 2017–2027.

1.1 Introduccion to this course 1

DEFINE PROJECT AND PROJECT MANAGER and the skills are required to become a successful
project manager
DEFINE PROJECT LIFE CYCLE learn about a project´s different phases, the corresponding task in
each phase, different methodologies for completing the tasks and which is effective for a given
project (diferentes metodologias para completer las tareas y cual es la mas eficaz para un
Proyecto determinado)

DESCRIBE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND CULTURES and how they impact project
management
Helpful resources to get started
The Google Project Management Certificate will provide you with new lessons
every week. As you’ve learned, each lesson includes a series of videos, readings,
activities, in-video questions, practice quizzes, and graded quizzes. In this reading,
you’ll learn about providing feedback on course content, obtaining the Google
Project Management Certificate, and acquiring helpful habits for successfully
completing this certificate program.

Providing feedback on course content

Please remember to give feedback on videos, readings, and materials. Just open
the resource and look for the thumbs-up and thumbs-down symbols.

 Click thumbs-up for materials that are helpful.

 Click thumbs-down for materials that are not helpful.
If you want to flag a specific issue with the item, click the flag icon, select a
category, and then optionally type an explanation in the text box.

This feedback goes to the course developers, not other learners, and helps create
even better programs in the future.

For technical help, visit the Learner Help Center.

Obtaining the Google Project Management Certificate

You can review videos, readings, discussion forums, in-video questions, and
practice quizzes in the program for free. However, to access graded assignments
and be eligible to receive your official Google Project Management Certificate, you
must:

 Pay the Course Certificate fee, or apply and be approved for a scholarship.
AND

 Pass all graded assignments in all six courses or meet the course-passing
threshold. Each graded assignment is part of a cumulative graded score for
the course, and the passing grade for each course is 80%.

Helpful habits to successfully complete the certificate

As a learner, you’re bringing all of your past experiences and best learning
practices to this program. The designers of this course have also put together a list
of helpful habits that they believe will help you to be successful:
 1. Plan your time: Setting regular study times and sticking with them each week
can help you make learning a part of your routine. Use a calendar or timetable
to create a schedule, and list what you plan to do each day in order to break
your work down into achievable goals. Create a quiet place to watch the
videos, review the readings, and complete the activities so you can really
focus on the material.
2. Be curious: If you find an idea that gets you excited, act on it! Ask questions,
search for more details online, check out the links that interest you, and take
notes on your discoveries. The little things you do to support your learning
along the way will take your knowledge even further, open more doors in this
high-growth field, and help you qualify for jobs.
3. Take notes: Notes are useful-to-remember information that you think might be
important in the future, especially as you’re preparing to enter a new job field.
In addition, taking notes is an effective way to make connections between
topics and gain a better understanding of those topics.
4. Chat (responsibly) with other learners: If you have a question, chances are,
you’re not alone. Reach out in the discussion forum to ask for help from other
learners taking this program. You can also visit Coursera’s Global Online
Community. Other important things to know while you’re making friends can
be found in the Coursera Honor Code and Code of Conduct.
5. Update your profile: Consider updating your profile on Coursera. This link
appears in the menu when you click on your name at the top-right corner of
this screen. When classmates find you in the discussion forums, they can click
on your name to view your profile and get to know you more.

Finding more information

Throughout this course, you will learn the basics of project management. We will
provide a lot of information through videos and readings. But sometimes, you may
need to look things up on your own for additional learning. Things change fast in
this growing field, so it is critical to do your own research so you can stay up-to-
date on what is new.

Here are some helpful project management resources available online:

 The Project Management Institute is the leading association for those in

project, program, or portfolio management professions. Their website provides
guides, industry standards, articles, templates, job boards, certifications, and
more to help support professionals in these careers.
 The Scrum Guide defines Scrum, a technique used in Agile project
management. You’ll learn about this framework later in the program. This
guide describes Scrum’s roles, events, artifacts, and the rules that bind them
together. You can also find hundreds of free resources to learn more about
Scrum at Scrum.org Resources.
Glossary
This course will cover a lot of terms and concepts, some of which you may already
know and some of which will be new. To remind yourself about what a term means,
refer to this Glossary.

Program surveys
During this certificate program, you will be asked to complete a few short surveys.
These are part of a research study to understand how effective the certificate has
been for you. Please see below for a summary of what each survey will cover.
Your survey participation is optional but extremely helpful in making this course as
effective as possible. There are no incorrect answers, and your responses and
personal data will:

 Not affect your course experience, scores, or ability to receive a certificate or

job in any way.
 Be kept confidential, with your name separated from your data.
 Not be shared outside of our research team, except where you give
permission to share contact information with hiring partners.
Thanks for your consideration and time!

Entry survey
Up next, you will have the opportunity to fill out a brief survey to help us understand
why you have enrolled in this certificate program. If you don’t fill it out now, you will
receive an invitation to fill out the survey after completing one lecture or
assignment.

The survey will ask about your experiences leading up to this course and the goals
you hope to accomplish. This is critical information for making sure we can meet
the needs of learners like you and can continue offering this program in the future.

Individual course feedback

When you complete the last graded assignment within an individual course, you
may be asked to complete a survey that revisits earlier questions and asks what
you have learned up to that point in the program. Again, filling out this information
is voluntary but extremely beneficial to the program and future learners.

Certificate completion survey

After you complete the last graded assignment in the final course of the certificate,
you will be asked to answer a survey that revisits some earlier questions and asks
what you have learned throughout the duration of the program. This survey also
asks if you would like to share your contact information with prospective
employers. Both filling out the survey and sharing your contact information with
prospective employers is completely optional and will not affect your course
experience, scores, or ability to receive a certificate or job in any way.

1.2 Understanding the basics of project management

1.2.1 What is project management?

1.2.2 What does a project manager do?

1.2.3 Transferable project management skills

1.2.4 X: Path to becoming a project manager
1.3 Learning about carrers in project management

1.3.1 From certificate to career success

1.3.1.1 Explore project management roles

Explore project management roles

You are about to start on your path to securing a high-demand position as a project
manager. One of the greatest benefits of the project management field is that it
encompasses a wide variety of positions across numerous industries. As you
complete this certification, you will acquire skills that will qualify you for various job
titles. Here, we will discuss some different project management job categories and
some common roles within those categories. We’ll also describe the great potential
for career progression in project management, from entry-level positions to senior
program management roles, and the many opportunities in between!

Project management job categories and common roles

Introductory-level project management roles
Entry-level project management positions are a great opportunity to get your foot in
the door and learn the ins and outs of how a company operates and manages
projects. The lessons you learn from these experiences are extremely valuable to
your growth in project management. Some entry-level project management
positions include:

 Junior Project Manager: Performs all aspects of being a project manager

alongside a more experienced professional.
 Project Administrator: Assists the rest of the project team with administrative
tasks.
 Project/Program Assistant: Supports team members working on a project and
offers administrative support. May perform research or create training
documents along with other jobs as assigned by program leaders.
 Project/Program Coordinator: Participates in hands-on project work and
administrative tasks. Works under a project manager to make sure projects
are completed on time and within budget.
 Project Support Specialist: Works alongside a project manager and team
members to oversee assigned projects. May also be responsible for training
and developing employees to perform designated tasks.

Traditional project management roles

Once you have gained some experience in introductory-level positions, you can
explore traditional project management roles, such as:
  Project Manager: Responsible for the initiating, planning, executing,
monitoring, and closing of a project. Includes industry-specific titles like IT
project manager, construction project manager, or engineering project
manager, which utilize skills that are transferable among industries.
 Project Analyst: Moves a project along by sharing information, providing
support through data analysis, and contributing to strategy and performance.
 Project Leader/Director: Drives core decision-making and sets the direction for
the project. Usually knowledgeable about the product or deliverable.
 Project Controller: Primarily responsible for project planning. You are likely to
see this job title in industries like engineering and construction.
 Technical Project Manager: Conducts project planning and management for
identified goals within a company. Ensures that projects are completed to the
requirements within a defined time frame and budget.
 Project Management Office (PMO) Analyst: Manages the progress of complex
projects to ensure timely execution and completion.

Program and portfolio management roles

As you have learned, project managers are responsible for the day-to-day
management of projects. They shepherd projects from start to finish and serve as a
guide for their team. Project managers must apply the right tools, techniques, and
processes to complete the project successfully, on time, and within budget.

After you have carried out projects successfully and feel you are ready for a step
up in responsibility, a program manager position may be the next step for you.
While a project is one single-focused endeavor, a program is a collection of
projects. Program managers are responsible for managing many projects. At
Google, all project managers are called program managers because they manage
multiple projects simultaneously.

Successfully implementing programs as a program manager can eventually make

you a great fit for more senior positions, such as a senior program manager or a
portfolio manager. A portfolio is a collection of projects and programs across an
entire organization. Portfolio managers are responsible for portfolios of projects or
programs for one client. Over the course of your career, you might progress from
project manager to program manager to portfolio manager roles.

While project, program, and portfolio managers hold different types and levels of
responsibility, they are all project managers. In Course 4 of this certificate program,
you will learn more about differentiating projects, programs, and portfolios.
  Program managers: Manage a group of projects that are related or similar to
one another and handle the coordination of these projects. They facilitate
effective communication between individual project managers and provide
support where necessary. They also help create and manage long-term goals
for their organization.
 Portfolio managers: Responsible for managing a group of related programs
within the same organization. They coordinate various programs in order to
ensure they are on track and that the organization is meeting its strategic
initiatives. Portfolio managers look at all projects and programs within the
organization and prioritize work as necessary.

Operational management roles

In operational management roles, you will get the opportunity to experience several
different departments and how they interact and operate. Operational management
roles allow you to work alongside peers and management from various business
segments, giving you an appreciation for what each segment does on a daily basis.
Key elements of project management include making sure a project is on budget
and on schedule. This course, and your experience as a project manager, will give
you the tools to be able to apply those skills to running a business. Some
operational management positions include:

 Operations Analyst: Manages and coordinates research, investigates

workflows, creates business procedures, and recommends changes to
improve the project and company.
 Operations Manager: Oversees strategic decision-making and rolls out plans
of action based on financial, schedule, and resource reporting.
 Chief Operating Officer: Responsible for overseeing the day-to-day
administrative and operational functions of a business.

Agile roles
We will discuss the Agile project management approach in depth later, but here are
a couple of the positions you may see that are related to that approach:
  Scrum Master: Coordinates and guides the Scrum team. Knowledgeable in
Agile framework and Scrum and is able to teach others about the Scrum
values and principles.
 Product Owner: Drives the direction of product development and progress.

Industry-specific management roles

As you search for project management roles, you may see positions with titles like
“engineering project manager” or “construction project manager.” Keep in mind that
the skills you learn in one industry can be applied to another industry. For example,
you may have experience as a software engineer but are interested in pursuing a
career in project management. You will be able to apply what you’ve learned
working in a technical field, as well as with the skills you have picked up in this
certification course, to a project manager position in multiple industries. Having
experience working on a team to achieve a task and understanding how to execute
an effort on schedule and on budget are aspects of your professional experience—
combined with your project management knowledge—that make it possible for you
to move between industries.
Key takeaway
Project management is a career path with a great deal of potential!

With each step along your career path, you are building yourself up to be a
significant contributor to any company. We have discussed a number of possible
job titles for you to search for when you start exploring project management roles.
Regardless of the industry in which you currently work, you have gained
transferable skills. Transferable skills are abilities that can be used in many
different jobs and career paths. Your transferable skills can likely be utilized in
project management roles in many other industries.

1.3.2 Finding the perfect role

1.3.3 Gilbert: Project management skills in my role

1.3.4 Career Goals and next steps

Career goals and next steps

You have learned that project management encompasses a wide variety of positions across
numerous industries. We have also discussed a number of possible job titles for you to search
for when you start exploring project management roles.
Please respond to one or more of the following questions below:

 Consider your current role and any past positions you’ve held. Which skills are
transferable to a project management career?
 Consider the different project management job categories discussed in the reading. Which
categories interest you most? Why?
 Consider your current industry. What do you like about working in this field? What other
industries are you interested in exploring? Why?

Then, head to the discussion forums to learn from others’ experiences and reply to at least two
peers.

1.3.5 LECTURA Using buzzwords in your job search

1.3.6 CUESTIONARIO Test your knowledge: Learning about careers in project management

1.3.7 CUADRO AVISO Browsing future jobs

1.4 Review: Embarking on a career in project management

1.4.1 Wrap-up
1.4.2 CUESTIONARIO Weekly challenge 1