ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP

Project Management is a discipline that is an integral part of every organisation and should be practiced by everyone. In this module, the participants will understand the need for a Project Management Body of Knowledge, explore the relationships between project management and the greater context of organisational strategies, operations management, and portfolio and program management. They will also learn the nuances of project management, the need for it in the current world, and the vocabulary associated with it.

This module covers a structured approach to the project initiation processes. The key to this approach is the linkage of business needs to project outcomes, the analysis of project stakeholders and their interests, the application of project selection methods, the creation of the project charter, and the development of the initial project communications plan. Together, these activities form the first process of Project Integration Management and develop the project charter.

In this module, students will learn how to identify requirements and define the project scope and quality requirements using various processes, tools, and techniques, including Planning Scope Management, Collecting Requirements, Defining Scope, Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and Planning Quality Management.

Define all the project activities required; estimate the resources required; create a time-phased budget; develop a schedule; and acquire, develop & manage a project team. In this module, students will learn how all these processes interact with one another over the course of the project life cycle.

Identifying and analysing risk and developing risk response plans using a qualitative and quantitative approach. Procurement management planning involves acquiring goods and services from a third-party organisation and developing an approach to how the work of those organisation's efforts integrate into the project endeavor.

A critical step towards improving outcomes and maximising return on investment is understanding a Request for Proposal (RFP). An RFP is widely considered the cornerstone for a big-ticket purchase by companies, governments, and other organisations. Countless organisations engage in the RFP process, which enables buyers to compare features, functionality, and price across potential vendors. Students will delve into the process and steps to understanding the RFP process, explore the involvement of key stakeholders in selection and response scoring, and learn how to ensure that their needs and interests are considered.

Understanding our strengths, weaknesses, and relationship with others is a strong factor that determines the ultimate project success. In this model, participants will identify and recognise the importance of self-reflection and understand how they can utilise self-reflection, emotional intelligence, and cultural intelligence to improve their project teams and create new patterns of behaviour for project success.

Developing, leading, and managing successful teams is a critical part of project management. In this module, students will explore the theories of leadership as it relates to the formation and management of teams, work within teams and learn how to create goals, measure success, inspire team members, and sustain engaging and effective teams.

This module exposes students to the challenges of leading a project team. Participants will explore a multitude of personal and interpersonal skills as well as team motivation theory and strategy, and discover the importance of creating highly motivated self-managing project teams.

This module helps participants build skills in monitoring and controlling processes beginning with project initiation and carrying on to project closure for all knowledge areas. Students will gain knowledge of Earned Value Techniques, developing a balanced scorecard, and monitor the project success and plan for controlling projects.

The processes and activities involved in closing the project and handing over the project, pre-commissioning, commissioning, hand-over to the client, financial, contract, and administrative closure. This module introduces the agile concepts from the Agile Project Management Institute (PMI) and Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) using the Scrum and Kanban framework as examples.

Current business trends demand that Project Managers be adept at running both predictive and adaptive projects. This module covers an overview of the agile mind-set, tools & techniques, its applicability in real-world scenarios, and hands-on experience with several of the popular techniques.

Change Management is the source of change as a result of strategic agility in the business environment. Assessing an organisation's readiness for change will be outlined in this module, while change as a strategy will be emphasised, highlighting common models of change, the changing life cycle framework, and planning and executing change in an Organisational Project Management (OPM) environment.

Building upon our understanding of creating, leading, and motivating effective teams, students will learn the art and science of decision-making and negotiation, while the motivations behind decisions, the impact of politics, and how to influence complex relationships will be discussed.

In addition, important topics like the identification and building of relationships with different stakeholder groups, how to negotiate, and build consensus and trust will be explored. Students will identify the development of strategies to negotiate successful outcomes in a project environment.

This module includes one-on-one mentoring for AOP, engaging the student to participate in critical thinking, and helping them chart a way forward for self and organisational growth.