In this certificate program, you will gain the real-world skills and knowledge needed to manage world-class digital projects such as websites and mobile applications. This class will cover the processes used to build digital applications with a heavy focus on the deliverables and disciplines needed to bring a digital vision into reality.

Program Description

It's hard to say when digital applications came into existence, but it's hard to ignore their ubiquity and our reliance on them. Most of us interface with digital applications for much of our waking life. From communication, to friendships, to entertainment, to travel and finances there are very few aspects of our lives that don't include a digital component.

The shepherds of this wizardry are Digital Project Managers (DPMs). DPMs are the connective tissue that enable high-performing digital specialists to take a vision from back-of-the-napkin sketches into reality. These are the folks who work with clients and product managers to define the vision and organize the team that can fully realize that vision.

During this four-evening course, you'll learn the fundamentals of building digital applications. After grounding you in the basics of Project Management and the definition of the DPM role, we'll take a deeper dive into the specialists and the key deliverables needed to build your digital project. With that as a foundation, we will then show you how to connect these elements together through detailed planning and scheduling. We'll also cover some deliverables and milestones that are becoming popular, and that can be useful depending on the type of project. Finally, we'll address some of the tools that are in the utility belt of a typical DPM'er.

The course will consist of instruction and hands-on experiences to help you hit the ground running on your own digital projects.

Read more about what makes our certificate programs unique.

Who Should Take This Class/Prerequisites

A creative mind, a love of technology, and a willingness to make learning a lifelong pursuit. Good knowledge of the web, websites, and the role of a Project Manager.

What To Expect

• A framework for the project management discipline and the craft of a digital project manager
• A solid understanding of what it takes to build a digital application including the disciplines, deliverables, and methodologies needed to make ideas into reality
• A utility belt of tools that make the building process efficient

Schedule

This program is held over the course of 4 evenings to accommodate those with busy lives. You can see scheduled dates at the top right of this page.

Day 1: Intro to Digital Project Management

• Introductions and Class Overview
• The DPM Role - An initial look and what makes us different than other PMs?
• Digital Process Overview
• Q & A - Open Forum

Day 2: The Process of Building Digital

• Roles and their Deliverables: User Experience Lead
• Roles and their Deliverables: Design Lead
• Roles and their Deliverables: Technical Lead
• Roles and their Deliverables: QA Lead
• Other Roles/Deliverables you may leverage
• Q & A - Open Forum

Day 3: Making Digital Happen: Project Methodology + Using Agile

• Project Methodology 101
• Exercise: Working a Digital Project with Agile (Part 1)
• Q & A - Open Forum

Day 4: Making Digital Happen: Using Agile (Part 2) + Tools + Career

• Exercise: Working a Digital Project with Agile (Part 2)
• Tools: Project Planning/Issue Management/Communication Management
• DPM As a Career
• Q& A - Open Forum

Computer Requirement

This is a hands-on class where you'll "learn by doing" - therefore you'll need a computer (Mac or PC). If you need any particular software installed, that will be detailed below. Not all programs require special software so if there isn't any detailed listed below you will only need a computer with an up-to-date web browser.

If you would like to take your class work and sample projects home, please be sure to bring a Mac compatible portable drive with 4GB of free space.

Instructor

Ever since he was a little boy, Josh was obsessed with how things work and how to make them better. From watching a video of how crayons are made during an episode of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, to taking apart broken toys, fixing them, and putting them back together again, Josh obsessed over the details of how the individual parts are put together to make one remarkable thing. So it was only natural when Josh started his career during the Internet Boom of the mid 1990s, he channeled this obsession into the burgeoning world of digital, consumer-facing applications.

For nearly 20 years, Josh's obsession has led him to foster executional excellence for organizations and projects both large and small. Josh implements systems, practices, and processes rooted in the notion that great things can only be made from great people, and that an organization's primary responsibility is to nurture and enable excellence.

Josh takes pride in his ability to articulate his ideas and is right at home leading client meetings, training sessions, and workshops. He was a faculty member at Boulder Digital Works and has presented to a number of large audiences including the Internet Retailer conference and the Digital Project Management Summit. He is also the leader of both the Rocky Mountain Digital Project Managers group and the Rocky Mountain Internet Users group, where he helps to foster community for the people who make things happen in technology.

Josh has a broad base of experience that includes clients such as: Volkswagen, American Express, Crocs, JCPenney, The Athlete's Foot, Maxtor, IBM, CBS Sports, and Steamboat Ski Company. He is currently the Director of Platform Services at Crispin, Porter + Bogusky and also consults on digital operations through his consulting firm Corvus3.

Learn more about Josh on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Location

This certificate program will be held in the Boulder Digital Arts Boulder classroom.