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Project Management

Project Management Fundamentals with Mike Clayton

A free video learning path covering the four stages of project management, the project manager's role, and practical topics like scope creep, deadlines, and Agile basics.

Learn from: the original creator. Original content published on YouTube. DigitalSkillX organizes these public resources into a structured learning path. DigitalSkillX does not claim ownership or partnership.

Lessons
18
Time
About 3 hr 52 min
Level
beginner

Now playing: P3.express - The Perfect Lightweight Project Management Methodology? With Nader Rad

About this path

This path follows Mike Clayton's Project Management Fundamentals playlist in order. It starts with the four stages of a project (definition, planning, delivery, and closing), then moves into the project manager's role, common concepts, and a longer outline of the full process. Later lessons cover the history of project management, predictive versus Agile approaches, guest discussions, and short bite-sized explainers. Videos are grouped into sections but kept in their original playlist order. The playlist description links to a paid structured program, but this path uses only the free videos listed here.

What you will learn

  • Describe the four stages of the project management lifecycle: definition, planning, delivery, and closing
  • Explain what a project definition is and why it matters at the start of a project
  • Identify the main elements to build into a project plan
  • Summarize the responsibilities of a project manager
  • Recognize common project management concepts and terms
  • Understand how predictive and Agile approaches differ at a basic level
  • Identify what to prioritize in the first two weeks of a new project
  • Explain what scope creep is and why it concerns project managers

Who this is for

Beginners who want a structured free introduction before deeper practice.

Curriculum

Section 1: The Four Stages of a Project

  1. Lesson 1: Project Definition | PM Fundamentals: Define Your Project

    Mike Clayton explains why project definition is arguably the most important stage of a project. The lesson covers what a good project definition includes and why a firm foundation from day one matters.

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  2. Lesson 2: Project Planning: Plan Your Project - PM Fundamentals

    This lesson looks at project planning and the ten things to build into a project plan. It explains why planning has a large influence on project success.

    Open on YouTube
  3. Lesson 3: Project Delivery | PM in a Nutshell: Deliver Your Project

    The delivery stage is covered here, with a focus on staying in control of a project. Mike Clayton outlines ten things to keep on top of to maintain the right rhythm during delivery.

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  4. Lesson 4: Project Management in a Nutshell: Close Your Project

    This lesson covers how to close a project and the seven disciplines involved. It explains what needs to happen at the end of a project to close it properly.

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Section 2: Getting Started with Project Management

  1. Lesson 5: Introducing Project Management Fundamentals

    A short introduction to the Project Management Fundamentals series. It previews the questions the series answers, including project foundations, planning, control, and closing.

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  2. Lesson 6: The Role of a Project Manager: Project Management Responsibilities

    This lesson examines the role of a project manager and the range of responsibilities involved. It looks at what the job includes beyond keeping on top of the basics.

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  3. Lesson 7: Project Management Fundamentals: 40 minute Outline of the Project Management Process

    A longer outline of the project management process, roughly 40 minutes. It introduces the essentials of the four stages of project management and collects the earlier fundamentals into one overview.

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Section 3: Core Concepts and Definitions

  1. Lesson 8: Project Definition: Three Big Questions about Your Project

    This lesson goes beyond goals, objectives, scope, dependencies, and constraints to cover three big questions about project definition. These are questions that are rarely asked but matter for defining a project properly.

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  2. Lesson 9: My Top 10 Project Management Concepts

    Mike Clayton shares his personal top ten project management concepts. The list starts with definition and covers other ideas he considers central to the field.

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  3. Lesson 10: How does Project Management Work?

    This lesson asks how project management actually works. It notes that project management has been used successfully for thousands of years and explores why it works.

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Section 4: Methods, History, and Approaches

  1. Lesson 11: P3.express - The Perfect Lightweight Project Management Methodology? With Nader Rad

    A conversation with Nader Rad, co-developer of the lightweight P3.express methodology. They discuss which projects and project managers P3.express suits and whether it works as a lightweight project methodology.

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  2. Lesson 12: A Short History of Project Management: Project Management Timeline

    A project management timeline covering over 30 key events in the history of the field. The lesson traces how project management developed over time.

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  3. Lesson 13: In Praise of Predictive Project Management [plus MASSIVE NEWS !!!]

    This lesson defends predictive project management against the idea that it is out of fashion. It argues that predictive project management works and remains relevant for many project managers.

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Section 5: Practical Situations and Agile Basics

  1. Lesson 14: Your First 2 Weeks in a New Project: What to Do?

    This lesson covers what to prioritize in the first two weeks of a new project. It focuses on using the early window of opportunity to start a project the right way.

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  2. Lesson 15: Agony Angels: Hitting Deadlines - with Andy Kaufman

    A discussion with guest Andy Kaufman about how to avoid missing deadlines. The format uses questions from Mike Clayton's community to address a common project management problem.

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  3. Lesson 16: Agile 101: How to do a Basic Agile Project

    An introduction to doing a basic Agile project, aimed at traditional predictive project managers. It notes that there is no single way to run an Agile project and that many methodologies and hybrids exist.

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Section 6: Quick Bite-Sized Lessons

  1. Lesson 17: 4 Stage Project Management Lifecycle

    A short bite-sized introduction to the four stage project management lifecycle, delivered in under a minute.

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  2. Lesson 18: The 3 Words Project Managers Fear Most [Scope Creep]

    A short bite-sized introduction to project scope creep and the three words project managers fear most, delivered in under a minute.

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