PMI® Authorized Training Partner
Upcoming Sessions
STANDARD: $1,950 + TAX
EARLY BIRD: $1,900 + TAX
GROUPS (5+): $1,850 + TAX
*First Nations may claim tax exemption with documentation.
EDMONTON
24–26 November 2026
BUILD THE PROJECT-PLANNING CAPABILITY YOUR PRIORITIES DEMAND
Project Management Planning Essentials gives First Nation administrations and Indigenous organisations a rigorous foundation for planning priority projects from within. Over three instructor-led days, participants define scope and organise the work before delivery begins, making dependencies visible and key decision points clear.
Staff gain a planning framework they can apply directly in their roles, connecting leadership direction to the decisions that determine how important work is carried forward.
When delivered on site, IPMS grounds the workshop in the organisation’s active project context. Teams apply the learning to real priorities and develop planning outputs tied directly to the work in front of them. The capability built through that process stays with the team, equipping them to lead future project planning with the same rigour.
WHEN PLANNING GAPS BECOME DELIVERY PRESSURE
Important projects can already be moving while the planning required to support delivery is still taking shape. Scope may continue to shift as responsibilities cross departments, while dependencies and approval paths emerge only after timelines or external commitments are underway.
That gap carries a direct operational cost. Work is revisited after time and effort have been committed. Approvals slow because decision-makers are assessing changes against work already underway. Reporting becomes harder to stand behind when scope and expectations are still moving, while external partners may already be acting on assumptions that have not yet been fully resolved.
Rework and stalled approvals absorb capacity needed across the project and other active priorities. Leadership is asked to decide with less room to adjust because related work has already moved. By then, unresolved planning has become a delivery burden, consuming staff time and leadership attention the project itself requires.
TURN PROJECT DIRECTION INTO A DISCIPLINED PLAN
Participants follow a defined method for turning a project mandate into a plan that can guide the next stage of work. They establish purpose and scope, organise the work into deliverables, clarify stakeholder roles, sequence activities and dependencies, and identify risks and opportunities that may affect the work ahead.
The workshop develops these elements progressively around the project. Defined scope is broken into deliverables and supporting work, then the resulting activities are sequenced to show order, dependencies and the critical path. Stakeholder analysis places responsibilities and communication needs against that plan, making clear where further planning or decisions are still required.
By the end of the workshop, participants can assess whether a project is ready to advance and identify the issues that must be resolved first. They leave able to carry that judgement forward, grounding project decisions in the work as it stands.
WHAT YOUR TEAM BUILDS IN THREE DAYS
Five applied planning outputs form the working core of the workshop.
PROJECT DEFINITION
Develop the core components of a Project Proposal/Charter, defining purpose, objectives, scope, need and value. This establishes a clear starting point for the work that follows.
DELIVERABLES & WORK STRUCTURE
Build a Deliverables Breakdown Structure and supporting work breakdown to show what the project must deliver and the work required to produce it.
STAKEHOLDERS & DECISION NEEDS
Analyse the people and groups connected to the project to clarify involvement, information and decision needs.
SEQUENCE & CRITICAL PATH
Sequence project activities, trace dependencies and identify the critical path to see which activities most directly determine project timing.
RISKS & OPPORTUNITIES
Identify and categorise risks and opportunities that may affect the work ahead, creating an initial list for later analysis.
“The training helped me build capacity and allocate resources more effectively—especially when staff are split between field work and office priorities. It helped us structure plans realistically, and strengthened our ability to explain our work to funder, execute, and report back—building stronger relationships and continuity over time.” — Samantha Noganosh, Lands, Resources & Environment Manager, Magnetawan First Nation, (ON)
PLANNING ESSENTIALS IN ACTION
Planning Essentials has been applied to priorities spanning infrastructure, governance, lands and stewardship, community services and economic development.
NASKAPI NATION OF KAWAWACHIKAMACH
Asset Stewardship for Reliable Community Services
Québec · 2025
Set a 2.5-year Phase 1 to baseline approximately 25 municipal buildings, organising 15 planning domains and mapping responsibilities for the Asset Management System project.
SKWLĀX TE SECWEPEMCÚL̓ECW
A Nation-Led Pathway to Child & Family Care
British Columbia · 2024
Defined the mandate, scope and responsibilities for child and family jurisdiction, with a 5–7-year transition pathway from law-making through policy and practice to operations.
ATHABASCA CHIPEWYAN FIRST NATION
Mapping Traditional Knowledge for Land and Legacy
Alberta · 2024
Established a Nation-controlled planning baseline for Traditional Knowledge Stories Mapping, sequencing the work from mobilisation to program hand-off and defining sponsor, team and communication responsibilities.
BRING PLANNING ESSENTIALS ON-SITE
On-site delivery brings the people carrying important work across an administration into the same planning process. Planning Essentials is applied directly to the projects and initiatives demanding their attention, building capability within the people responsible for taking that work forward.
Over three days, the team develops a dependable framework for carrying priorities from direction into accountable action. Participants surface critical decisions before work advances and establish how responsibilities connect across the organisation. The outputs give leadership and staff a clear basis for the decisions that follow, while establishing a planning foundation for project work across the administration.
ALIGNMENT AROUND PRIORITY WORK
Bring together those whose responsibilities intersect around the same project or initiative, so the planning is developed by the people responsible for carrying it.
ACTIVE PRIORITIES IN THE ROOM
Apply the learning to current projects and initiatives, keeping it tied to decisions the organisation is already facing.
CAPABILITY THAT ENDURES
The planning approach becomes part of the team’s own practice, strengthening how projects are planned within the administration beyond the workshop.
“The training has empowered our communities, enabling them to manage projects more effectively and efficiently. Given the exceptional quality of this training, I wholeheartedly recommend IPMS for their outstanding delivery.”
Executive Director
Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation
STRENGTHEN PROJECT PLANNING ACROSS YOUR TEAM
Planning Essentials provides a rigorous grounding in the front-end planning required to prepare projects for delivery. For teams already working from a strong project-management base, Advanced Project Management Planning builds on that experience through more integrated planning and control for complex projects. Individuals and smaller teams can join an upcoming public workshop for the three-day Planning Essentials program.