“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
“Wish I’d done it sooner” – University of Bath PhD feedback
PhD students from the University of Bath logged on to Fistral’s training webinar entitled Introduction to Project Management. The group...
“Very helpful for finishing my PhD” – University of Stirling feedback
PhD students from the University of Stirling logged on to Fistral’s training webinar entitled 1 Year To Go: Successfully Completing...
“Great course for roles in the agency” – Space staff training
Staff at the UK Space Agency welcomed us onsite for a series of Fistral training courses: Project Management Masterclass and...
“So many transferrable skills” – Strathclyde Uni feedback
Onsite in Glasgow, University of Strathclyde PhD students undertook Fistral’s Project Management in the Real World training course. The attendees...
“Robust help for CAPM Exam” – Bath CDT feedback
Engineering PhD students at the University of Bath AAPS CDT joined us onsite for Fistral’s CAPM Preparation Day training course....
“Realistic and possible to implement” – University of the Free State feedback
PhD students at the University of the Free State in South Africa logged on to a Fistral training course entitled...
“Helpful to increase future employability” – 4.84 from Bath CDT
PhD students at the University of Bath AAPS CDT joined us onsite for Fistral’s Project Management in the Real World...
“Useful especially for PhD” – University of Strathclyde
PhD students at the University of Strathclyde joined us onsite in Glasgow for Fistral’s Advanced Project Management training course. The group gave it...
“Helpful and practical; many fields of applicability” – Loughborough University staff
A group of staff from Loughborough University joined Fistral onsite for our Project Management in the Real World training course....
4.83 rating for Risk Management training – University of Strathclyde
PhD students at the University of Strathclyde joined us onsite in Glasgow for Fistral’s Risk Management in the Real World...
“Practical, relevant and engaging” – University College Cork staff feedback
The second of two cohorts of staff at University College Cork joined us onsite for Fistral’s Introduction to Project Management training session. The group...
“Wish I’d done it sooner” – University College Cork staff
The first of two cohorts of staff at University College Cork joined us onsite for Fistral’s Introduction to Project Management training session. The group...
“Very informative and applicable” – University College Cork staff
Staff at University College Cork joined us onsite recently for Fistral’s Introduction to Project Management training session. The group gave it a rating of 4.75 out...
4.83 rating for Time Mgt Course – King’s College London
Postgraduate students at King’s College London logged on to a Fistral training course entitled Take Charge of Your Time and...
“A useful arsenal of techniques” – University of Manchester CDT feedback
PhD students at the University of Manchester iCAT CDT joined us onsite in the city for Fistral’s Project Management in the...
“Fantastically Applicable” – University of Bristol Staff, Project Management Tools Training feedback
Staff at the University of Bristol joined us onsite for Fistral’s Project Management Tools for Managing Your Research Project training...
“Glad to have taken the course for my PhD” – University of Strathclyde Time Management Course feedback
PhD students at the University of Strathclyde logged on to Fistral's Keeping on Top of Your PhD: Personal Time Management...
“Very useful – how to succeed in a Phd” – University of Leeds PGR
Postgraduate Researchers at the University of Leeds logged on to Fistral’s webinar and rated the session 4.67 out of 5...
“Do it early in your project, helpful tools to get started” – University of Strathclyde feedback
PhD students at the University of Strathclyde logged on to Fistral’s Introduction to Project Management training course. The group gave...
University of Strathclyde PhD Students rate CAPM Preparation course 5 out of 5
PhD students at the University of Strathclyde logged on Fistral’s CAPM Preparation training course. This course prepares attendees to sit...
“Skills I will apply to PhD” – Ulster University feedback for Introduction to Project Planning Part 4
PhD students at Ulster University logged on to the fourth and final part of our Introduction to Project Planning training...
“Wish I had known this before” – Bristol staff on Project Management Techniques for Planning Your Research
Staff at Bristol University logged on to parts 1&2 of Fistral’s Project Management Techniques for Planning Your Research training course....
“Helpful, useful, informative, applicable” – Space staff feedback
We were joined online by staff at LSE Space GmbH for Fistral’s course entitled Time Management: Personal Effectiveness. The attendees...
“Useful for anyone at ESA” – Space Industry feedback for Project Management training
Staff in the Space industry working at ESAC (European Space Astronomy Centre) joined Fistral onsite in Spain for a Fistral...
5 out of 5 score – Ulster University feedback for Introduction to Project Planning Part 3
PhD students at Ulster University logged on to part 3 of our Introduction to Project Planning training course. The attendees...
“The reality check I needed” – Ulster University feedback for Introduction to Project Planning webinar
Joining us online, a group of PhD students at Ulster University undertook part 2 of our Introduction to Project Planning...
“Very practical and can tailor to your needs.” – Ulster University feedback for Introduction to Project Planning webinar
PhD students at Ulster University logged on to part 1 of our Introduction to Project Planning training course. The attendees...
University of Strathclyde group score supervisory relationship webinar 5 out of 5
PhD students at the University of Strathclyde logged on to our training course entitled Creating a Good Supervisory Relationship. The...
“Great practical tips” – University of Bristol CDT, Time Management webinar
We were joined online by PhDs from two University of Bristol CDTs; CoSEM and Digital Health. The training session we...
“Excellent practical training” – University of Strathclyde PhD
At the University of Strathclyde in our home town of Glasgow, we ran our course entitled Project Management in the...
“Very useful on theoretical and practical grounds.” – University of Strathclyde Researcher
Researchers from the Advanced Forming Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde joined Fistral for our onsite course entitled Project...
“Motivating with actionable changes in behaviour” – University of Bristol CDT webinar feedback
We were joined online by PhD students from three University of Bristol CDTs; ACCIS, CoSEM and Digital Health. The training...
“Already suggested it to colleagues” – University of Strathclyde PhD
We joined University of Strathclyde PhD students onsite for our Advanced Project Management training session. The group gave it an...
“Another great Fistral Session” – University of Strathclyde PhD, Professional Communication session
University of Strathclyde PhD students logged on to join Fistral’s Techniques for Confident Professional Communication webinar training session. The group...
“Useful and helpful” – University of Bath, Introduction to Project Mgt session
A mix of research staff and PhDs at the University of Bath logged on to Fistral’s Introduction to Project Management...
“Great for PhD planning” – University of Strathclyde feedback
A group from the University of Strathclyde joined us remotely for Fistral’s Risk Management in the Real World training. The...
“Practical, easy to apply tips” – King’s College London PhD student
PhD students from King's College London joined us remotely for our training session entitled Get Unstuck: Procrastination Busting. The group...
“Useful, relevant and easy to understand” – Loughborough University feedback
Staff at Loughborough University joined us onsite for our training session entitled Project Management in the Real World. The group...
“Effective and practical” – University of Leeds staff, influencing without authority session
Postgraduate Researchers at the University of Leeds logged on to Fistral’s training session entitled Influencing Without Authority. The group gave...
“Very valuable in our work” – University of Winchester staff
Research staff from the University of Winchester joined us online for our training session entitled Managing Conflict in Research Teams....
“Will improve quality of my work” – University of Strathclyde
PhD students at the University of Strathclyde joined us remotely for Fistral’s Taking Charge of Your Time: Avoid Drifting training....
“Already applying the tools” – Heriot-Watt feedback
PhD students at Heriot-Watt University joined us onsite for Fistral’s Project Management in the Real World course. The group gave...
“Very useful and applicable” – King’s College London feedback
PhD students at King's College London logged on to Fistral’s Take Charge of Your Time and Your Research: Time Management...
“Learned how to better manage my time during PhD” – University of Strathclyde feedback
We welcomed PhD sudents at the University of Strathclyde onsite for our training course Keeping on Top of Your PhD:...
“Well Balanced between theory and practical exercises” – Space staff training feedback
Space industry staff at ESTEC welcomed Fistral onsite once again in The Netherlands for a Fistral training course, Project Management...
“Widely applicable” – University of Winchester feedback
A cohort of PhD students at the University of Winchester joined us online for our training course Making Your Case:...
“Something for everyone” – Ulster University feedback
A cohort of PhD students at Ulster University joined us online the fourth and final part of Fistral’s Introduction to...
“Provides skills to thrive in team projects” – Space Sector Staff on teamworking training
Staff at LSE Space GmbH, joined Fistral onsite for our training course entitled The Effective Teamworker. Those attending the session...
“Provided tools I can implement now” – Ulster University feedback
A cohort of PhD students at Ulster University joined us online for the third part of Fistral’s Introduction to Project...
“Practical insights and real-world examples” – Space Sector Staff feedback
Onsite at LSE Space GmbH, Fistral delivered our Leadership Skills and Techniques for New Leaders training. The staff undertaking the...