Effective project management

Effective Project Management in Complex and Uncertain Contexts

Effective project management

22 Maio–14 Julho 2023
O curso está disponível em English
Apresentação do curso

Over the past decade, development cooperation practitioners have acknowledged and agreed on the shortcomings of the classic and rigid "waterfall" approach to project management. This is particularly true for institutional capacity-development projects, awareness-raising projects and those implemented in fragile contexts. The results of recent research on complex social systems and ways of taking into account non-linear cause-and-effect relationships point in the same direction. The behaviour of the actors involved is unpredictable, making it essential to adopt an agile, tailor-made approach to project management. For those needing to specialize in project management in complex contexts, the ITCILO offers an online certification programme to enable them to acquire all the knowledge, technical skills and tools necessary to ensure agile, adaptive and effective project implementation, taking into account the complexity of the social systems in which such projects take place.

Perfil dos participantes

The course is for project directors, project implementation staff and chief technical advisers (CTAs) to projects funded by international financial institutions (IFIs) or implemented through international organizations, as well as for development practitioners working in programmes and projects. Candidates are expected to be currently involved in the management and oversight of such projects. Previous knowledge or work experience in project management is an asset.

What topics does this course cover?
  • 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
What will I learn?
  • 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
What will I be able to do?

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
How will I learn?

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.

Why should I join?

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.

What participants say

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