APMG International Project Planning and Control™ Foundation and Practitioner

Delegates will learn and understand:

• The approaches and application of products used to gain a clear definition of a project
• The approaches and application of techniques used to plan and close a project
• The selection and application of appropriate scheduling techniques
• The practices used and applied for rigorous monitoring to enable proactive control of the project
• The basis for and application of good record keeping, which also facilitates the virtuous feedback and learning cycle.

A sound basis for effective record keeping will facilitate the understanding of lessons learned which supports continuous improvement, thus adding value to organisational aspirations and objectives. As a Practitioner, delegates will demonstrate their ability to interpret and apply the Foundation topics to various project scenarios.

All relevant course materials are provided, which includes the APM Planning, Scheduling, Monitoring and Control Manual and the APMG Project Planning & Control Foundation Examination.

The course will cover the following syllabus areas:

DEFINITION (DE)

Delegates are introduced to the world of projects with an emphasis on planning, monitoring and control.

Foundation

• Key definitions and concepts associated with Planning and Control
• Hierarchical Breakdown Structures - WBS, OBS, CBS, RBS
• Purpose of the Business Case
• Purpose of Scope Management, Requirements Management and Stakeholder Management
• Purpose and composition of the Works Information and Statement of Work

Practitioner

• Factors to consider to ensure the WI and SOW are fit for purpose
• Key elements needed for effective project planning
• The need for effective stakeholder management

PLANNING (PL)

The following areas will be discussed:

• Facts, terms and concepts for: Planning, handover and closeout
• Purpose and benefits of successful planning
• Differences between Planning and Scheduling; Funding and Budgets
• Planning approaches and influencing factors for: top-down, bottom-up and rolling wave planning
• Purpose, characteristics and relationship and use of Breakdown Structures
• Approaches and principles of designing Breakdown Structures
• Purpose of the Work Package, WBS Dictionary and RACI Matrix
• Purpose of Dependency Management, cost estimating, budgeting and budget transfers

• Determine activities, outputs and roles involved in the development and maintenance of the plans required throughout the life of the project
• Determine when top-down, bottom-up and rolling-wave approaches to planning should be adopted and the outputs of each
• Interpret 'S' curves and identify planning strategies to work out how best to deliver the project
• Identify appropriate project information for inclusion in the project's Product Breakdown Structure (PBS) and apply the guidance to its creation
• Identify appropriate project information for inclusion in the project's Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and apply the guidance to its creation
• Identify appropriate project information for inclusion in the project's WBS Dictionary and apply the guidance to its creation
• Identify appropriate project information for inclusion in the project's Organisational Breakdown Structure (OBS) and apply the guidance to its creation
• Identify appropriate project information for inclusion in the project's Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) and RACI Matrix and apply the guidance to their creation
• Identify appropriate project information for inclusion in the project's Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) and Resource Breakdown Structure (RBS) and apply the guidance to their creation

Identify