“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” Dr Seuss
The Fistral “Espresso” Range – access PM videos for FREE
During Covid-19 everyone is pulling together to help where they can, and the Fistral team is doing our bit too. To support customers, course participants and anyone with an interest in Project Management (PM), we have developed the following bite-sized videos that we’re making free to access during the pandemic.
We call this our Fistral “Espresso” range as it’s an intense ‘shot’ of learning.
The videos below focus on Project Management and are aimed at PhD/PGR and Early Career Researchers. Each video is circa 5 minutes long, and although presented in the context of research, the tools, tips and techniques are equally useful in any project and across any industry or sector. Fistral also offer a range of webinars across our Product Suite – on PM, Leading & Influencing, Communication & Collaboration, and Personal Effectiveness which, linked to the above, we’re calling our “Americano” range. Customers can book and schedule webinars as per an onsite training session. See our Webinar Page or Contact Us for more info.
Please share these videos as widely as you can – with your network, friends, colleagues, classmates, students, relatives – in case it’s of help or interest to anyone during this time.
Fistral Espressos
In response to customer requests, we have initially focused on developing videos on Project Management topics specifically aimed at PhD, PGR and Early Career Researchers. The PM tools and techniques below will help with managing any project, but are presented in the context of research. The videos are sequenced, and we recommend you watch them in order. However if you’ve attended a Fistral PM session before, have PM experience, just need a refresher, or want a just-in-time ‘shot’ of knowledge – feel free to jump to the relevant topic.
Our focus when developing Fistral “Espressos” – as with all our training – is to ensure the content is useful, practical, has a common-sense approach, and is accessible and easy-to-understand. Based on trainers’ experiences working in industry and academia for over 20 years, and their expertise delivering highly successful consultancy and training across sectors globally, Espressos provide tried-and-tested knowledge underpinned by sound theoretical principles.
More Fistral ‘Espressos’ are planned for development, but feel free to Contact Us if you have suggestions for specific topics. To keep up to date, follow @FraserFistral, Newsletter Signup or check back here to see what’s new.
01. Introduction to Project Management – What is a Project?
What is a project? What do we mean by project management? And why is it applicable to me? This session defines what we mean by project management, contextualising it within a research environment. It also provides an overview of how to use these videos, who we are, and the Fistral approach to project management. Length 03:49
02. Project Initiation
So you’ve got a project, are preparing a bid, have received funding or been given a piece of work to complete… How should you start planning and organising? This session discusses what you should be considering, where you begin, and what key questions you should be asking right from the start. Length 04:43
03. The Project Triangle
The secret to managing any project effectively is understanding your constraints and how any change will have an impact upon other aspects of your work. This session introduces a simple but effective way to consider this. Length 04:00
04. Prioritisation
Often we have too much to do and too little time! This session introduces a method of identifying the most important elements of your project and allowing focus on them, leaving the items of less importance to later. Length 04:55
05. Stakeholder Identification
Projects do not happen in isolation – they are affected by the world around them. This session helps to begin identifying some of these key influencing factors in the form of stakeholders and how understanding these people can be extremely useful when considering our project. Length 04:12
06. The Scope Document
Managing expectations and boundaries is crucial in any work environment. This session examines simple way to begin to do this in projects of any size. Length 04:03
07. The Planning Process
This session gives a brief overview of the planning process and contextualises the tools to be discussed in sessions 08-12. We recommend viewing this session before proceeding to 08-12. Length 03:52
08. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
It might sound obvious, but a key element in planning any bit of work is actually understanding what is involved in it. In this session you’ll be introduced to a fundamental project management tool that kicks off the whole planning process and is one of the most transferable techniques around. Length 04:04
09. Task Duration
This session examines the differences between active and passive tasks, and why it is important to identify and include both when planning your work. Length 04:59
10. Activity Sequencing
Working efficiently involves identifying the best order in which to perform the different tasks and figuring out where multi-tasking will work or where tasks just have to be done one after the other. This session establishes a method of easily identifying the optimal dependencies of task, establishing which are the key time-dependent activities and which have greater flexibility. Length 05:27
11. Activity Scheduling
The famous Gantt Chart! This session demystifies the most popular of project management artefacts, the Gantt Chart. It demonstrates how it can be a powerful tool if developed correctly but is only as good as the information entered in to it so should be used with great care. You will be shown how to create a Gantt Chart properly! Length 04:46
12. Resource Allocation
All projects require several resources – even those where it only seems to be us alone doing the work! This session considers resource planning to allow others to make time for you. It also examines that if we’re in a resource constrained project (e.g. it genuinely is only us!) how to optimise our schedule. Length 07:08
See our Product Suite or Online Training page for topics and to see more Fistral ranges – e.g. video (“Espresso”) and face-to-face (“Grande”) training. Or Contact Us for more information.
For Customer Comments see Testimonials
“Great tools for work and research” – Time Management rates 4.92
PhD students from Ulster University Doctoral College logged on to Fistral’s webinar session Taking Charge of Your Time: Avoid Drifting....
Perfect 5/5 from Liverpool Doctoral College – Time Management training
Fistral welcomed students from the University of Liverpool Doctoral College online for a training session Taking Charge of Your Time:...
ECRs say PM for Researcher training is “Very helpful for developing realistic plans”
Researchers from The University of Exeter Doctoral College joined us for Part 3 of a webinar series Project Management Essentials...
“Useful, relatable and applicable” – Project Management in the Real World rates 4.93
Fistral was welcomed onsite at Loughborough University for a training session Project Management in the Real World (PMRW). The group...
4.83 for PM Essentials for Researchers – staff say “I wish I had taken the course 5 years ago!”
Researcher staff from The University of Exeter once more joined us for Part 2 of a webinar series entitled Project...
“Applicable to my current work” – PM Essentials for Researchers (Part 1)
Researcher staff from The University of Exeter Doctoral College joined us online for Part 1 of a webinar series entitled...
Resilience skills are “Important to successfully navigate the PhD journey” – 5 out of 5 rating
PhD students from Ulster University Doctoral College gave Fistral’s webinar session Build Your Resilience and Take your PhD in your...
“Tailor-made for PhD” – Time Management is “A truly enlightening experience”
Joining us online for a webinar session entitled Keeping on Top of Your PhD: Personal Time Management Strategies were a...
Risk training is “Necessary in our PhD” – Doctoral College student
The third of four training courses in our CAPM professional certification series, Project Risk Management, was delivered onsite to a...
5 out of 5 for CAPM Preparation
Onsite once more at The University of Strathclyde, we delivered Fistral’s CAPM Preparation training course to a group of PhD...
“Useful real-world application” – 4.92 for Risk Management
We welcomed a cohort of PhD students and research staff at all levels from The University of Bath online for...
4.88 for PMRW – “Very useful, especially in the context of research”
Onsite at The University of Strathclyde Teaching and Learning Building, we delivered Fistral’s Project Management in the Real World training...
4.77, “Insightful and relevant to PhD” – Supervisory Relationship training
PhD students at the Doctoral College in the University of Strathclyde joined us online for a webinar entitled Creating a...
“Informative and well-organised” – Intro to PM for research staff and students
A group of research staff and PhDs from The University of Bath joined us online for a training session Introduction...
“Really impactful” – Professional Communication Skills for PhDs
We welcomed a cohort of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year PhD students from the University of Strathclyde Doctoral College to...
“Best course ever” – 5 out of 5 for Leadership and Teambuilding training
Onsite at The University of Strathclyde, we delivered a training course called Leadership and Teambuilding Techniques. The attendees gave a...
“Really worthwhile – lots of practical tools” – PM Tools for Managing Your Research Project post-award
Joining us onsite for a new training session entitled Project Management Tools for Managing Your Research Project was a group...
“Engaging and useful” – Intro to Project Planning for Doctoral College students
Postgraduate Researchers from The University of Manchester joined us online for Fistral’s Introduction to Project Planning webinar session. The Doctoral...
“Extremely useful for career” – Advanced PM training
Onsite for this session, we welcomed a group of PhD students from the University of Strathclyde, to a training course...
“Perfect for both students and professionals” – Taking Charge of Your Time: Avoid Drifting’ rates 5 out of 5
We welcomed a group of PhD students from the University of Strathclyde Doctoral College online to a webinar entitled Taking...
4.92 for Risk Management – PhDs say “in-depth real-life experiences that help convey the message”
Fistral hosted an onsite training course for Postgraduate Researchers at the University of Strathclyde entitled Risk Management in the Real...
“Great tools to plan PhD” – Part 3 rates 5 out of 5
PhD students at the University of Ulster Doctoral College joined us once more for part three of our four-part Introduction...
Part 2 of Project Planning “Can be applied making the scope of the PhD more digestible”- Doctoral College
A group of PhD students at the University of Ulster joined us once more for part two of our four-part...
“Very applicable to a PhD” – Intro to Project Planning Part 1
We welcomed PhD students at the University of Ulster to part one of our four-part Introduction to Project Planning webinar...
Research staff say PM Techniques for Planning Your Research is “A useful mix of practical skills”
Academic staff at the University of Bristol joined us online for Parts 1 & 2 of a webinar series entitled...
Time Management rates 4.89 – “Engaging and interactive”
We welcomed a group of PhD students from the University of Strathclyde to an onsite training course Keeping on Top...
“Tools to create a PhD plan” – Intro to Project Planning 4.91
PhD students at the University of Strathclyde logged on to Fistral’s Introduction to Project Planning webinar session. The group gave...
“Incredibly helpful” – 4.81 Intro to Project Planning
PhD students at the University of Manchester logged on to a Fistral webinar session Introduction to Project Planning. The group...
“A lot of very useful tips on how to plan a project and even how to deal with supervisors” – Project Management in the Real World
Fistral delivered an onsite training course at the University of Strathclyde, entitled Project Management in the Real World. This is...
“Great techniques to take away” – 4.9 out of 5 from Doctoral College students
Fistral ran an onsite training session for Doctoral Colege students at the University of Manchester entitled Introduction to Project Management....
![“I told [colleagues] that it was the most helpful session the university has run and that it will completely change the way they plan and think about their PhD projects!” – UoManchester](https://www.fistraltraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/blog_students_whiteboard-310x170.jpg)
“I told [colleagues] that it was the most helpful session the university has run and that it will completely change the way they plan and think about their PhD projects!” – UoManchester
We met a great group of PhD students onsite at the University of Manchester and delivered a training session, Introduction...
4.92 from research staff and PhDs – Introduction to Project Management
Fistral welcomed a group from the University of Bath to a webinar training session entitled Introduction to Project Management. The...
100% of Space sector staff recommend Time Management Strategies and rate it 4.75 out of 5
A group of staff from LSE Space GmbH and Aurora Technology B.V. logged on to Fistral’s online training course Time...
“Useful introductory session that makes starting a project seem a bit less daunting.” – Undergraduate
A group from the University of Strathclyde Internship Programme logged on to Fistral’s Introduction to Project Management webinar session. The...
“Really useful tips that are simple and clear that can be easily applied to any project or work” – Undergrad Internship Programme
Attendees from the University of Strathclyde Internship Programme joined us online for webinar training providing Project Management Tips for undergraduate...
“Highly recommend and very useful in our job setting” say Uni staff
We enjoyed delivering an onsite training course to a group of staff from across Loughborough University entitled Project Management in...
100% of Space Sector attendees recommend Leadership Skills – 4.75 out of 5
Space sector staff joined us online for a webinar entitled Leadership Skills and Techniques for New Team Leaders. The group...
4.75 for ‘PM Techniques for Planning Your Research’
Research staff at the University of Bristol joined us online for a webinar session entitled Project Management Techniques for Planning...
Agile training at ESTEC was “Very useful learning”
ESA staff attended a Fistral onsite training course entitled Agile Product Delivery An Introduction using SCRUM and gave a feedback...
Space contextualised training – ESTEC staff give Risk 4.70 out of 5
Fistral welcomed a cohort of space sector staff to an onsite training course in Noordwijk called Introduction to Project Risk...
“I would recommend [this PM training] to anyone in the early stages of a collaborative research project.”
Research staff at the University of Bristol logged on to Part Two of Fistral’s Project Management Techniques for Planning Your...
Procrastination Busting techniques are “Really applicable to PhD life”
Fistral ran an online training session Get Unstuck: Procrastination Busting for PhD students from the NINE DTP hosted by the...
Research staff say PM is “Useful, relevant and well delivered”
Staff at the University of Bristol logged on to Part One of Fistral’s Project Management Techniques for Planning Your Research...
Wind Energy CDT give CAPM Prep 4.75
A group from the Centre for Doctoral Training in Wind & Marine Energy Systems & Structures, from both the Universities...
“Very helpful in preparing for CAPM Exam” – Doctoral College PGRs
Postgraduate students at the University of Strathclyde logged on to Fistral’s CAPM Preparation webinar session. The group gave the session...
Project Management in the Real World – CDT gives 5 out of 5
Fistral delivered a 3-day onsite training session called Project Management in the Real World at the University of Exeter –...
“Keeps a steady focus on what you need for successful research project planning and management” – Project Planning for Researchers
Researcher staff at ECR and Mid-Career level at Bournemouth University joined us online for a four-part Project Planning for Research...
“Strategies that can substantially improve our research planning” – Managing Complex Research Projects
Research staff at the University of Warwick joined us for a webinar entitled Advanced Techniques for Managing Complex Research Projects....
ECRs say “I wish I had known about the tools earlier.”
Research staff at the University of Exeter logged on to Part 4 of Fistral’s Project Management Essentials for Researchers webinar...
4.70 for Advanced Project Management
We welcomed a group of Postgraduate Researchers at the University of Strathclyde to an online training session Advanced Project Management....