Course 6 — Applying Project Management in the Real World
Course 6 is the capstone of the Google PM Certificate. Uses an imagined scenario to practice creating project documents, and introduces AI-assisted project work.
The four phases
Phase 1 — Initiating the project
Applied practice of initiation concepts through a scenario. Emphasizes:
- Analyzing materials — conversations, emails, docs
- Negotiation & influencing
- Empathetic listening
- Stakeholder communication
Stakeholder management — tips:
- At initiation: identify early, set expectations/responsibilities, keep vision clear, provide one-pagers and status reports.
- Throughout lifecycle: understand what each stakeholder cares about, adjust communication style/frequency, involve senior stakeholders to remove barriers, ask for input on solutions.
Win-win outcomes:
- Share information openly
- Ask questions, listen actively
- Offer multiple options, not just one
Phase 2 — Building a project plan
Defining tasks well: short & clear descriptions (1–2 sentences), consider dependencies, involve the team, estimate by time (large tasks → subtasks), define tasks by what “done” looks like.
three-point-estimation — optimistic / most likely / pessimistic. Formulas:
- Triangular:
E = (O + M + P) / 3 - Beta (PERT):
E = (O + 4M + P) / 6— weights most likely, typically more accurate.
Phase 3 — Maintaining quality
Evaluation presentations: show how the project is performing against quality standards.
Components:
- Introduction — goals, findings, lessons, recommendations
- What’s evaluated & why — goal, deliverable, standards, questions, indicators
- Findings — key results, what the data means, whether expectations are met
- Conclusion & recommendations — summary and improvement suggestions
Tips: clear/concise slides, charts, tailor to audience, engaging opening.
Phase 4 — Effective stakeholder communication (AI & next steps)
AI for Project Management. Generative AI helps analyze past data, predict risks, track progress, send reminders, and suggest improvements. It drafts templates, meeting notes, summaries, emails, agendas, trackers.
TCREI prompt framework for AI:
- Task — what you want the AI to do
- Context — relevant background
- References — examples or source material
- Evaluate — review output
- Iterate — refine
Responsible AI use: review outputs, protect sensitive info, follow company policy, disclose AI use, keep human-in-the-loop.
Google AI Essentials — a separate beginner-friendly course on practical AI skills.
Wrap-up
- Showcase your work. Add the certificate to resume/LinkedIn Education or Licenses & Certifications. Aggregate artifacts into a portfolio folder.
- Artifacts from the certificate are reusable templates for future projects.
Connections
- course-5-agile-project-management — previous
- three-point-estimation — key technique introduced in this course
- stakeholder-analysis communication-plan