1 Understand the impact of strategic objectives on project selection and management
1.1 Discuss how projects support the strategic objectives of an organisation
1.2 Evaluate internal and external environmental factors that influence the selection of a project that supports strategic objectives
2 Understand the elements of a project planning process
2.1 Evaluate the roles of project stakeholders in planning a project
2.2 Evaluate ways in which to establish the viability of a project against specified criteria
2.3 Examine the components and characteristics of a project plan
2.4 Explain how to prepare a project plan
3 Understand how to implement the project plan
3.1 Discuss the purpose of a project implementation plan
3.2 Discuss ways in which to gain stakeholder commitment and support for project implementation
3.3 Explain how to implement a project plan
4 Understand how to evaluate the outcomes of a project
4.1 Analyse ways in which the outcomes of a project are evaluated to measure project performance
4.2 Analyse ways in which to measure project performance against agreed criteria
4.3 Asses the benefits of sharing the outcomes of a project evaluation, within an organisation
1 Understand the impact of strategic objectives on project selection and management
Strategic objectives: vision; mission; values; goals; objectives; ranking projects; selecting projects; alignment of projects to support strategic objectives; influence of environmental factors (external to include political, economic, social, technological, legal and ethical; internal to include strengths, weaknesses, opportunities threats)
2 Understand the elements of a project planning process
Project planning: stakeholders (internal e.g. board, managers, project team; external e.g. shareholders, consultants, community groups); evaluating project feasibility; criteria for project selection (financial, non-financial); business case rationale; viability; deliverables; success/failure criteria; project scope; establishing base lines; producing the project plan;
Project phases: phases (initiate, plan, execute, monitor/control, evaluate/close); identification of activity e.g. product breakdown structure (PBS), work breakdown structure (WBS), work package; critical paths; project execution strategy; identifying goals; project specification
Project management: systems e.g. procedures, processes; project information support (IS) systems, integrating human and material resources; resource requirements and costs; agree roles and allocate responsibilities; SMART targets; timescales; milestones; audit trails; review points; managerial sign off
3 Understand how to implement the project plan
Project implementation: implementation plan; purposes (sufficiency of preparation, plan ownership, description of the project, project goals); inform stakeholders; identify timelines; specify roles and responsibilities; sequencing of activities; contingency arrangements; acceptance tests; termination requirements e.g. audit trails, punch lists, close-out reports, post-project appraisals, comparison of project outcome with objectives; post implementation activities; implementation plan sign off; hand over; initiate plan activities
Stakeholder commitment: stakeholder identification; stakeholders’ interests e.g. claims, power, influence, priority; prioritising stakeholders; identifying influential stakeholders; stakeholder engagement e.g. seeking views; using expertise, multi-way communication, transparency; responding to stakeholder interests in implementation plans, obtaining consensus
4 Understand how to evaluate the outcomes of a project
Evaluation: record project outcomes; performance against agreed criteria; validate outcomes; analysis; evaluation (success, failure); impact; implications; further development; disseminating project outcomes to stakeholders; benefits of sharing outcomes e.g. transparency, informing stakeholders, scrutinising outcomes, basis for discussion, determining future action
