If you’ve run a few projects, but have no formal training in project management, our Project Management Fundamentals course will introduce you to the tools, techniques, and best practices for running successful projects. In one practical, hands-on day in Brussels, you will learn how to turn good intentions into a clear plan, keep your team focused and anticipate problems before they derail your work.
The course is part of our project management training for NGOs, built on lessons from the corporate trenches and illustrated throughout with real-life examples from NGO projects.
Why take the Project Management Fundamentals course?
Many people in the non-profit sector become project managers without ever deciding to. A grant is approved, a campaign needs coordinating, or a new service has to be launched, and suddenly you are responsible for deadlines, budgets, partners and reporting. You may be getting results, but it often feels harder than it should, and success depends too much on long hours and good luck.
This workshop gives you a structure. You will learn a shared vocabulary, a set of simple but powerful tools and a step-by-step way of moving from an idea to a completed project. The result is less firefighting, clearer communication with colleagues and donors, and more of your energy directed towards your organisation’s mission.
What you will learn
By the end of the day, you will be able to:
- Define your project and its objectives so that everyone understands what success looks like
- Create a project plan that covers scope, governance, communication and completion criteria
- Plan proactively for risks, identifying what could go wrong and deciding in advance how to respond
- Avoid common pitfalls that undermine projects, from scope creep to unclear decision-making
- Make the best use of your team’s time by organising work and clarifying responsibilities
- Maximise your resources, getting the most from limited budgets, people and partners
Who this course is for
- NGO staff doing project work who want a reliable, structured approach
- Managers and directors who want to build project management capacity within their teams
- Job seekers who want to strengthen their skills and their profile for roles in the sector
The course suits people working in NGOs, charities, foundations, networks and international organisations, whatever the size of their projects. If you already have a solid grounding in a project management methodology, the Advanced Project Management Tools & Techniques course will probably suit you better.
Indicative one-day agenda
The timings below are indicative and may vary slightly depending on the group and the discussion.
| Time (indicative) | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Welcome, introductions and your project challenges |
| 09:30 | What makes a project? Defining the project, its purpose and SMART objectives |
| 10:30 | Morning coffee and tea break |
| 10:45 | Building the project plan: scope, deliverables and a work breakdown structure |
| 12:00 | Governance and communication: roles, decision-making and stakeholder updates (including a simple RACI chart) |
| 12:45 | Networking lunch |
| 13:45 | Proactive risk planning: identifying, assessing and responding to risks |
| 15:00 | Afternoon coffee and tea break |
| 15:15 | Team time and resources: scheduling basics, priorities and getting the most from what you have |
| 16:15 | Completion criteria, closing the project and common pitfalls to avoid |
| 16:45 | Action planning, questions and close |
How the day works
This is a practical, hands-on, one-day classroom workshop. The trainer introduces each concept briefly and then you put it to work in individual and small-group exercises based on realistic NGO scenarios, such as launching a community programme, coordinating a multi-partner advocacy campaign or delivering a donor-funded event. You will discuss how the tools apply in your own context and learn from the experience of participants from other organisations.
We encourage you to bring a current or upcoming project. Working on something real during the exercises means you leave with a draft objective statement, a risk list and the outline of a plan that you can develop further back at the office. Read more about the principles behind our workshops on our training approach page.
What’s included
- A full day of practical classroom training in Brussels
- A binder with the training materials and templates
- Morning and afternoon coffee and tea breaks
- A networking lunch with fellow participants
Key takeaways
- A clear, repeatable structure for planning and running any project
- Well-defined objectives and completion criteria that everyone can agree on
- A practical approach to identifying and managing risks early
- Simple tools for clarifying roles, governance and communication
- Ideas for making the most of limited time, budgets and people
Common pitfalls we help you avoid
Many NGO projects run into the same handful of problems, regardless of their size or sector. During the day we look at why they happen and how a little structure prevents them:
- Vague objectives. When “raising awareness” or “strengthening capacity” is never translated into something measurable, nobody can say whether the project has succeeded. SMART objectives and clear completion criteria solve this.
- Scope creep. Extra activities and requests accumulate until the original budget and timeline are no longer realistic. A documented scope and a simple agreement on how changes are handled keep the project on track.
- Unclear decision-making. Projects stall when it is not obvious who approves what. Defining governance at the start, including the roles of partners and donors, avoids delays later.
- Risks discovered too late. Many crises were predictable. A short, regularly reviewed risk list turns surprises into manageable issues.
- Poor communication. Stakeholders who feel uninformed lose confidence. A basic communication plan ensures the right people receive the right information at the right time.
Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites. Some practical exposure to project work is helpful, because it allows you to relate the tools to your own experience, but it is not essential. You do not need any specialist software: everything we cover can be applied with the everyday tools your organisation already uses, such as spreadsheets and shared documents. Please bring a pen and, if possible, a short description of a project you are working on or planning.
After the course
The binder gives you a reference to return to when you start your next project. Many participants put the tools into practice straight away and later return for the Advanced course to develop their estimating, scheduling and risk management skills. If you would like individual support while applying what you have learned, our 1:1 and small-group coaching can help.
How to book
The Project Management Fundamentals workshop costs €450 per participant, excluding VAT. Book your place online through our shop; dates are confirmed by email after booking. To train several colleagues at once, ask us about in-house training at your office. For any questions, call us on +32 2 403 49 83 or email [email protected].
