• Establishing a common ground on the basics of Project Cycle Management
• Operational project planning
• Settings of complexity
• Agile and adaptive project management approaches and techniques
• Project governance structures, from traditional functional to remote models
• Stakeholder engagement, leadership, team management and communication
• Risk management, procurement management and financial management
• Monitoring, control and reporting, including remotely and with new technologies

• A body of knowledge on theories of and approaches used to manage projects in context of uncertainty and in complex social systems
• Parameters for deciding how to organise project management (agile, hybrid or predictive models) tailored to the project context and its stakeholders to ensure effective project management
• Methodologies and approaches to plan, monitor, report and control project implementation
• Soft skills to engage the project team and to manage stakeholders’ expectations and contributions
• Communication strategies to foster cooperation among project actors, to facilitate remote work, to enhance project visibility and to report on results

You will self-study and complete assignments to learn the following skills

• Review your own project’s theory of change
• Assess the complexity of your project setting
• Map your stakeholder network and plan for communication
• Design a project governance structure fit for purpose and for its institutional context
• Design an operational plan
• Try out and assess agile planning and monitoring techniques
• Assessing and planning the management of your project’s risks
• Plan the monitoring, reporting and control functions of your project

Course methodology

The course has a blended format, which combines self-guided study with weekly webinars, exchange in a learner group, and written assignments with coaching assistance. It is delivered through distance learning and deployed on the ITCILO e-campus. Every week you will study learning on-line material and write a practical written assignment based on your own project, for which you will receive written feedback and guidance from your assigned coach. You will form part of a learner group who use the e-campus for weekly collaborative exercises. The instructor and coach will guide you at any stage and deliver weekly webinars, which are optional and recorded for later viewing.

Expect to invest approximately eight to ten hours time per week for a total of at least 60 hours.

The course deals with project management in a complete way, combining classical management approaches with the newest agile and adaptive methods. It connects you to peers in a truly global classroom with an audience from a wide range of public, private, and non-profit backgrounds.