PPC is suitable for existing programme & project managers, support teams, team members and managers from any discipline. It is designed to be fully scalable and can be tailored to any project. It is suitable for senior managers and will help them benefit from understanding how decision making and responsibilities are delegated and projects are planned, monitored and controlled.

This course will provide advice and insights that will help you gain a good understanding of effective planning & control standards and best practice, which both you and your organisation can derive immediate value from.

Successful application of PPC guidance ensures that:

• Future projects are conducted using a step-by-step controls guide from initiation to execution;
• Projects are managed consistently to ensure efficient and effective delivery;
• Effective capability growth is enabled

The Foundation examination takes place after 3 days of formal instruction (Mon - Wed). It is a multiple choice, closed book exam lasting 40 minutes.

A further 1.5 days comprising formal instruction and examination is required for the Practitioner level (Thurs/Friday).  To be eligible to sit the Practitioner examination, delegates must have achieved a 50% pass in the Foundation examination.

The Practitioner exam is a 3 hour  open book objective test examination. Candidates may use the APM Planning, Scheduling, Monitoring & Control Guide only during the exam. Questions are based on a Project Scenario and the exam is comprised of 8 questions, each worth 10 marks, giving a maximum of 80 marks available.  The pass mark is 50% (40 marks).
Candidates are permitted to use a simple calculator in the exam.

Candidates for this course are automatically enrolled for both the Foundation and Practitioner examinations. The course fee includes the Foundation and Practitioner examination fees and the official APM manual, Planning, Scheduling, Monitoring and Control – The Practical Project Management of Time, Cost and Risk.

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

Topics covered include:

Definitions  Hierarchical Breakdown Structures - WBS, OBS, CBS, RBS • Purpose of the Business Case, Scope Management, Requirements Management and Stakeholder Management • Purpose and composition of the Works Information and Statement of Work

Planning  Purpose and benefits of successful planning • Differences between Planning and Scheduling; Funding and Budgets • Planning approaches and influencing factors • Breakdown Structures • Purpose of the Work Package, WBS Dictionary, RACI Matrix, Dependency Management, cost estimating, budgeting and budget transfers

Scheduling  Definition of key network analysis terms • Methods of presenting scheduling results • Schedule density • Time phased schedules • Schedule design • Key features of the Precedence Diagram Method (PDM) and Critical Path Analysis (CPA) • Methods of estimating durations • Resourcing the schedule • Schedule Narratives and Reviews • Scheduling process steps • Network construction

Monitoring and Control  Definition and terminology of Earned Value Analysis (EVA) • Key monitoring, risk and change management terms • Project baselines • Baseline maintenance and Change management • Performance reporting and features of a good control system • Variance Analysis Methods of Progress Monitoring • Performance Analysis Methods of Progress • Use of Network Analysis and measurement of float usage in monitoring • Short-term Planning