A HERMES course teaches a method developed by the Swiss Federal Administration for project management in the areas of service development, product development, IT and business organization. The method is already being successfully implemented in many companies, educational institutions, cities and cantons. Thanks to its simple, clear and modular structure, which can be expanded, this project tool is a helpful simplification of project management through the targeted management, control and implementation of projects of various types and complexity.

Every organization carries out a wide variety of projects, which are very different both in terms of content and complexity. In order to do justice to this diversity, HERMES is based on different scenarios. Each of these scenarios is aimed at the implementation of a specific type of project and contains exactly the right elements of methods that are tailored to and important for precisely this project. This project management method can therefore be implemented quickly and easily.

The following sub-areas characterize HERMES and are taught in the HERMES course:

• Scenarios
  Project managers who have obtained a HERMES certificate decide on a standard scenario suitable for the project, which they can adapt and expand as required and individually according to existing needs, and then plan the entire project based on this scenario. Customized and subjective scenarios can be submitted to the eCH association and, after appropriate validation, can also be made officially available to other HERMES users.
• Phases and milestones
  The phase model is the foundation of a project and provides project managers and all other stakeholders with orientation and unity regarding the project process among all parties involved in the project, even beyond the organization. The initialization phase begins with the project initiation order. The conceptualization phase begins with the project release. With the respective phase releases, the realization and implementation phases begin with the associated milestones of the various acceptance stages, which end with the project completion milestone. All milestones and phases are explained in detail in a HERMES course.
• Modules
  Each module can be viewed as a building block and used multiple times in a scenario. Tasks, results and roles are distributed and assigned to individual phases and milestones.
• Rollers
  Roles of the parent organization as well as roles of the project organization and their relationships are defined. Corresponding descriptions of the roles in terms of responsibility, competencies and necessary skills are clearly defined. All roles in the area of project organization are hierarchically divided into the levels of control, management or execution. Numerous different defined roles can be used individually.
• Tasks
  There are task descriptions that define the clear processes for achieving a result. Each task is assigned to a specific role, which is responsible for its development. The interrelated tasks have a modular design and are assigned to the project phases.
• Results
  In a HERMES course, project managers learn to clearly describe and define results - including minimum results. Each deliverable is assigned the corresponding roles, which in turn clarify participation in the creation of the deliverable. Thematically related results are designed in modules and assigned to phases and tasks.
• Instructions for use
  Specific aspects of HERMES are explained in the notes on application and form the basis for a sound understanding of the method. They also explain how HERMES should be used in different circumstances or how scope for interpretation can be reduced.

A HERMES course can be attended without formal prerequisites and is aimed at decision-makers, clients, project managers and employees as well as managers in IT. The course concludes with the HERMES certificate "HERMES 5.1 Foundation Certificate".