Leading Large Programs to Success
Deliver extraordinary results with confidence
Video modules, project templates, and practical advice to coach you through your most important company projects:
Establish project governance
Design and deliver the right solution
Prepare the business for change
Clients include
For individuals | For businesses
Course Overview
You’ve been tasked with leading a strategically important and complex initiative. You’re not 100% confident, but you know it’s important to get it right.
There are many teams and systems involved in launching the project and operating the business once it’s live, and you have to carefully navigate them all to be successful.
When you think about how to get started, you’re a bit overwhelmed. You can reuse old project templates, but you’re not sure you can piece them together without missing something important.
Maybe it’s a stretch assignment, and success will prove you’re ready for that promotion. Maybe you need to establish credibility in a new role. Or maybe you have a feeling that your job is on the line. Whatever it is, it’s important that you get it done right.
This course gives you everything you need to successfully jumpstart your initiative. The lessons, templates, and supplementary materials will provide you with the foundational knowledge, frameworks, tools, and practical advice to hit the ground running (and easily reference as you go).
What you’ll get out of this course
An understanding of key project phases and deliverables
Learn the value of each phase and deliverable, allowing you to hold your own with other project stakeholders (sponsors, project managers, product managers, developers, QA teams, etc.). Get the core knowledge you need to successfully oversee each phase, ensuring nothing important is missed.
Real-world examples to learn within context
Deliverables and how-to guidelines are grounded in real-world case studies from eCommerce and Retail, helping you learn key concepts in a way that might apply to your own project.
Proven templates to jump-start your project
Get sample deliverable templates in PowerPoint, Excel, and Monday.com, saving you time building deliverable outlines and allowing you to focus on gathering the right information.
Quick reference guides with best practice tips
Browse practical advice and how-to information for completing important deliverables, applying the material in your day-to-day tasks. Come back for a quick reference whenever you need.
The ability to start your project immediately and learn as you go
The lessons and materials are organized for maximum impact, allowing you to learn as you go. No need to finish the training before you start applying what you’ve learned.
Who is this course for?
This course will not adhere to a single methodology, like agile or PMP. It leverages best practices from these disciplines and years of hands-on experience to emphasize practical application: tactics to actually get things in a real-world environment.
This course is not a technical course: it’s designed to help you successfully lead the project. It is not a replacement for comprehensive training on business analysis, project management, or technical delivery.
This course includes
20+ course modules
60+ in-depth video lessons
30+ project templates (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Monday.com)
30+ quick-reference guides
Lifetime access
Course syllabus
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Learn what it means to be a project, program, workstream, or functional lead and how to confidently meet the expectations of senior leadership.
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Gain a clear overview of the key phases, approaches, tools, and milestones every successful project should go through.
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Understand the different ways you can use this course to get the most value for your money.
Getting Started
Section 1: Establishing project governance
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Discover how to set clear, actionable objectives that align with business goals and guide your project to success.
project objectives, success criteria
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Identify, engage, and align the stakeholders who can make or break your project.
organizational impact assessment, stakeholder mapping, key stakeholder identification
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Assemble a high-performing, collaborative working team with clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
governance model, project team chart, RACI
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Develop decision-making frameworks that streamline processes and eliminate delays.
decision authority, decision log, decision communication framework
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Proactively identify and communicate risks and create strategies to mitigate them before they derail your project.
risk log, issue log, risk and issue communication framework
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Establish effective communication protocols to ensure alignment and keep key stakeholders informed.
communications plan, steering committee meetings, lead meetings, cross-functional team meetings, daily stand-ups, team site/document repository, communication channels
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Identify and obtain the critical resources your project needs to stay on track and meet its goals.
budget, team member time commitment, new headcount
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Plan and execute a successful project kickoff to set the tone and expectations for your team.
executive onboarding, project announcement, kick-off meeting
Set up the structure, people, and processes that keep your project on track from day one.
Section 2: Delivering the right solution
Ensure your project delivers the business processes, technical solution, organizational design, and timeline to meet the business objectives.
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Learn to define the macro project scope to align executive expectations before you start.
estimated level 1 - 2 business scope, estimated system scope, assumptions log
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Capture comprehensive timelines that keep your project on track with all critical activities.
project plan, task/activity log
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Develop detailed project scope with clear ownership to prevent unexpected costs and delays.
business process breakdown, business scenarios/use cases
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Identify an approach to managing change that ensures a smooth transition and stakeholder alignment.
communications strategy, training strategy, change network
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Visually outline and validate your proposed solution to ensure a comprehensive end-to-end design.
process flow diagrams, transaction flow diagrams, product feature list, development list (WRICEF)
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Monitor key watch items while the technical teams build the solution.
sprint execution, status updates
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Conduct UAT and confirm your solution meets all requirements to deliver the expected value after launch.
user acceptance testing (UAT), end-to-end testing (E2E), performance testing, data conversion validation
Section 3: Preparing the business for change
Secure adoption from business and technical support teams as they embrace new ways of working.
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Understand and assess how the project will affect teams, processes, and systems.
change impact assessment
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Evaluate and align incentives to motivate team members and stakeholders in new and changed business processes.
compensation and rewards
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Equip business stakeholders with the tools and confidence they need to support a successful project launch.
training plan, communication plan, business cutover plan
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Establish a plan for effective business and technical support and communication to executives after launch.
launch cutover plan, transition to technical support, hypercare support plan, incident reporting, daily performance reporting, user feedback
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Integrate your learning into a cohesive approach for managing your project from start to finish.
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Learn to tailor the frameworks and strategies for the unique requirements of your organization and project.
Conclusion
Meet your instructor
Stephen Reed
Digital strategy and implementation consultant
Stephen is a Digital advisor and delivery partner for some of the biggest brands in the world.
Stephen started his career consulting with Capgemini, where he led strategic initiatives for household names, like the Walt Disney Company and Estee Lauder Companies. After a move to Slalom consulting, he led workstream and project launch efforts for global retail initiatives at Tiffany & Co., where he later became the head of Digital and CRM technology. Recently, he started SDR Retail Consulting, where he continues to advise top brands on their digital roadmaps, strategic initiatives, and AI efforts.
Client testimonials
Monica Schwartz
Chief Digital Officer at BJ’s Wholesale Club
"Stephen’s directly contributing to our success, driving our topline growth, profitability, and online penetration."
Suzanne Dominick
Chief Revenue Officer at The Shade Store
“He's always thinking two steps ahead about implications across the business.”
Denis Velkovich
SVP Global Retail & Client Experience at David Yurman
“We couldn’t have gotten it done without him.”
Amy Kleinberg
CIO North America at The Estée Lauder Companies
“We would always count on Stephen to deliver our most challenging projects.”
Anatomy of a course
Courses include a review of fundamentals, sample deliverable templates, and recommendations for practically applying your knowledge in real-life situations.
Frequently Asked Questions
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All lessons are pre-recorded and available on the enrolled student portal immediately after purchase.
A support email will be provided after purchase for technical support questions and to provide feedback.
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This depends on you.
Each lesson comes with templates, supplemental materials, and quick reference guides that can be applied immediately. For a full learning experience (which we recommend to get your best value) you should expect to spend 30 minutes to 1 hour per course.
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If you complete the purchased courses and don’t find the material valuable, we’ll happily refund your full payment until 2 weeks after the course has been purchased.
Please read the full refund policy here.
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This course is designed to cater to business, product, and technology professionals who are either completely new to or have some familiarity with working on a large project. While a basic understanding of project delivery is helpful, it is most certainly not a prerequisite.
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Absolutely. The price paid for any single course can be applied to the purchase of a course bundle that includes the same course.
The price paid for any course bundle can be applied to a larger course bundle that includes the same courses.
Please read the full upgrade policy here.
Leading Large Programs to Success
Deliver extraordinary results with confidence
20+ course modules
60+ in-depth video lessons
30+ project templates in common formats
30+ quick-reference guides
Lifetime access
