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Advanced Project Management Course (1 day)
Take control of larger, higher-stakes projects with proper scheduling, risk, performance measurement and change control.
Once projects get bigger – more money, more stakeholders, more scrutiny from the board – running them on instinct stops working. Delays hide inside schedules, risks are listed but never quantified, and nobody can say with confidence whether the project is ahead or behind. This advanced project management course is for people who already run projects and now need the methods that keep demanding ones under control.
The day assumes delegates know the basics of scope, planning and scheduling, and moves straight to the harder material: critical path analysis and resource levelling, qualitative and quantitative risk analysis with contingency reserves, earned value for measuring real performance and forecasting the outcome, governance and formal change control, and tailoring the approach – predictive, agile or hybrid – to the size and complexity of the work.
Each technique is worked through on a case project and then applied to a project the delegate is running, so the methods transfer directly to the work on their desk.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Earlier, more reliable warning when large projects drift
- Status reports based on numbers, not gut feel
- Risk and contingency that are planned and costed
- Changes approved through a controlled process that protects budget and scope
- Project managers ready to take on bigger, higher-value work
For your delegates
- Critical path, earned value and risk techniques you can apply straight away
- A worked template for earned value and variance calculations
- A way to choose and tailor the right approach for each project
- Practical tactics for complex stakeholders and governance
What delegates will be able to do
- Calculate the critical path and the float in a project schedule
- Level resources to resolve over-allocation without losing the deadline
- Analyse risks qualitatively and quantitatively and set contingency reserves
- Measure real progress with earned value, schedule and cost variance, SPI and CPI
- Forecast the final cost and completion date of a project in progress
- Set up governance, escalation routes and formal change control
- Tailor the project approach to the size, complexity and uncertainty of the work
- Close complex projects cleanly and turn lessons learned into improvements
Who should attend
Experienced project managers, programme and PMO staff, senior team leaders and anyone who has already run projects and now has to manage larger budgets, more stakeholders and closer scrutiny. Delegates should be comfortable with scope, work breakdown and basic scheduling; if they are not, start with the one-day Project Management Course.
Course outline
Day 1 – Controlling complex projects
Tailoring the approach to the project
- What changes as projects grow: complexity, uncertainty and scrutiny
- Predictive, agile and hybrid delivery – choosing and combining approaches
- Tailoring processes, documents and governance to the project's size and risk
- Diagnosing a struggling project from its early warning signs
Advanced scheduling
- Network diagrams and the critical path method
- Total float, free float and near-critical paths
- Resource levelling and smoothing
- Schedule compression: crashing and fast-tracking, and their trade-offs
- Exercise: finding the critical path on a case project
Risk and uncertainty
- Qualitative analysis: probability-impact scoring and risk owners
- Quantitative analysis: expected monetary value and three-point estimates
- Setting contingency and management reserves
- Responding to threats and to opportunities
- Tracking risk triggers as the project runs
Measuring performance with earned value
- Planned value, earned value and actual cost
- Schedule and cost variance, SPI and CPI
- Forecasting with estimate at completion and estimate to complete
- Reporting performance to sponsors and steering committees
- Exercise: an earned value calculation on the case project
Governance, stakeholders and change control
- Governance roles: sponsor, steering committee and PMO
- Managing powerful, competing or resistant stakeholders
- Formal change control: impact assessment, approval and re-baselining
- Leading and delegating under pressure, and resolving team conflict
Closing and applying
- Closing complex projects: acceptance, handover and contract close-out
- Lessons learned that actually change the next project
- Applying the day's methods to your own project
- Personal action plan and evaluation
How it is delivered
One day, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; case work can be built around your own complex projects. Workbook, case project and earned value and risk templates included; delegates should bring a calculator or laptop for the scheduling and earned value exercises. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 790+ reviews · word-for-word quotes from signed letters of reference, from clients on this and/or related BOTI courses
“The training went well, and judging by the feedback from the evaluation forms we received, we were impressed by the knowledge of the facilitator and the quality of training overall.”
“The feedback received from them was great. The material was easy to understand, and the trainer was very patient and friendly.”
“The courses was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training … with overall scores of 5 out of 5.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa. We can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance. For a full qualification, ask us about the QCTO Occupational Certificate: Project Manager.
Do delegates need project management experience?
Yes. The course assumes delegates already plan and run projects. If your team is new to project work, start with the one-day Project Management Course; the intermediate course (Stop Project "Rot") sits between the two.
Can the case work use our own projects?
Yes. On a private course the facilitator uses your current projects for the scheduling, risk and earned value exercises.
Does it cover agile?
It covers when to use agile or hybrid delivery and how to tailor the approach. For an agile certification, see the Scrum Master Certified (SMC) and SCRUMstudy Agile Master Certified (SAMC) courses.
Related courses
Ask a consultant for a written quote
A BOTI consultant emails you a written quote, usually within 15 minutes (Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00). After hours, we reply on the next working day. To speak to someone now, call 011 882 8853.
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