Learning how to deal with the large or small process is a never-ending process. On many occasions, I had the opportunity to both teach project management as well as to learn project management. While some principles are constant in any project, others are particular.
Those new to large projects might be overwhelmed by the planning process. However, there are a few useful tools that make it a lot easier to learn how to deal with every project at the most basic level. Among them, Brain Sensei offers an interactive method of learning. It’s one of the leading names in animated learning which is fun at all ages.
Brain Sensei Features
Exam Prep Course
When I enrolled in the courses offered by the company, Exam Prep was what interested me the most. I always wanted to know how to prepare for exams better. But my university colleagues are not the ones to inspire me. They are not into learning anyways.
This animated course comes with 35 hours of learning. It has a guaranteed pass and it teaches you how to learn properly. While it may seem like a long course, it offers comprehensive learning. The added animation is only there to keep you interested. I’m not sure about how much time it actually took others to finish the course.
For me, it was a course that I ended up completing in 2 weeks. I assigned 2 hours per day for the course. Towards its end, you will have a practical test with around 900 questions to answer. If you’re not able to answer them correctly, you can always go back to each module and refresh your memory on the information needed to pass.
Planning Projects
This is the first-course heavily-focused on projects. You should be able to establish your own priorities with a new project. This has a wide application. I use it for practical projects at university. But you can use it for your job.
However, I think those who’d benefit the most from this course are IT, workers. They deal with new projects on a constant basis. There needs to be some type of skeleton and direction for the execution stage of a project. But a timeline cannot be applied to a project without the right planning. Self-assessment us part of this course as well.
Executing Projects
This 3-hours course solely focuses on project execution techniques. It takes a deeper look at what makes a project successful from the perspective of delivering and abiding by execution by the book.
If you buy this course, you have access to the online modules for up to 180 days. You can always go back and get some execution inspiration. However, this is not the course to start your learning journey on this website. You need to go through the introductory courses first as it already bases its knowledge on the planning stages of project management.
Monitoring & Controlling Courses
Monitoring and controlling courses is an interesting module in project management learning. I always wonder how professionals react when things go downhill for whatever reason. This 7-hour course answers some of my questions.
The course also has 180-day access. Those running into issues with following official plans will learn how to stay on track and work with a backup plan.
The real test in this course applies to the self-assessment stage. As part of your homework, you need to develop a plan B to simulate a failing plan A.
However, this is still too summarized according to my experience. It's only introductory to the thematic of the course and the official book can help you go further into detail. If like me, you finish this course and you have extra questions, you can buy the A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)–Sixth Edition book by the Project Management Institute.
It does come with some repetitive information from the course but it shows you how to deal with plan B projects professionally.
Closing Projects
The final stages of a project are already more relaxing. This course only lasts one hour as a result. It’s also among the cheapest but it can be accessed anything within 6 months. After this period, your access to the course becomes restricted.
Since the closing stages of a project are already less difficult, many tend to relax prematurely. This course aims to change your mindset to a more professional approach. You’ll learn how to deliver the project to the end and possibly tie it to another future project.
Free Trial
If you want to have a sneak peek look at the course, you may ask for a free trial. To qualify for a free trial, you need to complete the official form on the website. Upon completion, you’ll receive an email with a link inviting you to the free trial course.
Refund Policy
Unfortunately, Brain Sensei doesn’t offer any refunds. While these are important as in any purchase, the company believes everybody can pass the course. Even those who don’t have time to finish the course should be able to pass any module within 6 months, the timeline for all individual courses on the website.
PMBOK Guide
The A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) is the official support book of the course. I see it as better inspiration, but without the interactive learning capacity.
If you’ve finished all the modules of the course, I strongly recommend reading the book from A to Z as well. It will add a bit more information to future project managers or to any professional dealing with small or large projects.
The book also has extra emphasis on emerging practices in project management. If the course is limited to proven techniques, the books look into alternatives as well.
Pros
Cons
Final Verdict
After going over the first course on the website, I already knew it was going to be useful to me no matter which career path I choose. There are a few basics that I need to master to take any project from beginning to end.
But even as the course acknowledges, many projects don’t go as planned. This is why it also includes some information on how to mitigate this situation.
I also strongly advise you to buy the official book which adds a bit more details about running a project. If you’re unsure about either the course of the book, the free trial on the website should answer your questions. When you sing up, you’ll get access to a few minutes to the course.
But the free trial doesn’t include the self-assessment tools of these courses. You should plan at least some practical aspects of your own personal project to put the knowledge into perspective.
