ProjectOrbit: Project Management Foundations

Who it is for

People starting to lead or support projects in any sector, and specialists who want a structured foundation.

Prerequisite: A verified PVology account. No prior certification is required.

Learning effort: about 25 hours, calculated from the authored lessons, activities and checks.

Case study: Harbor Clinics patient-booking system. Harbor Clinics is a fictional group of eight outpatient clinics. All people, figures and datasets are invented for teaching.

Syllabus

1. Module 1. Projects, outcomes, value, ethics and the project environment

   • 1. What a project is, and why outcomes and value matter more than outputs · about 40 minFree preview
   • 2. Framing Harbor Clinics with the PVology Value Lens · about 42 min
   • 3. Applying the frame: environment scan and ethical judgment · about 40 min

   Learning outcomes

   • Distinguish a project from ongoing operations using the tests of temporary effort, unique result and defined end
   • Classify statements about a piece of work as outputs, outcomes or benefits
   • Explain how internal and external environment factors shape a project before it starts
   • Describe four ethical duties a project lead owes to sponsors, team members and the public
   • Apply the five steps of the PVology Value Lens (Need, Function, Outcome, Alternatives, Value) to a proposed project
   • Calculate the monthly and annual cost of a performance problem from stated assumptions
   • Draft measurable outcome statements with a baseline, a target and a time frame
   • Compare alternatives by the functions they deliver before comparing their cost
   • Draft an environment scan with internal and external factors and an action for each
   • Classify ethical dilemmas against the duties of responsibility, respect, fairness and honesty
   • Justify a recommended response to a conflict of interest or pressure to misreport

2. Module 2. Lifecycle selection: predictive, agile and hybrid approaches

   • 1. Lifecycles and delivery approaches: what they are and when each fits · about 40 min
   • 2. Worked example: a suitability score for each part of Harbor Clinics · about 42 min
   • 3. Applying lifecycle choice: justify, challenge and adjust · about 40 min

   Learning outcomes

   • Describe the phases of a project lifecycle and the purpose of phase gates
   • Compare predictive, iterative, incremental, agile and hybrid approaches by how they handle uncertainty and change
   • Classify project characteristics that favour predictive or adaptive delivery
   • Calculate a delivery suitability score for each component of a project using six weighted factors
   • Classify each component as predictive, hybrid or agile from its score and justify any override
   • Draft a hybrid delivery outline with a master schedule, iteration plan and integration milestones
   • Justify a lifecycle recommendation to a sponsor using named factors and their consequences
   • Compare the cost of discovering a requirement error early versus late under different approaches
   • Critique a lifecycle decision and propose a specific adjustment

3. Module 3. Business case, charter, objectives, success criteria and governance

   • 1. Business case, charter and governance: what each one is for · about 40 min
   • 2. Worked example: the Harbor Clinics business case and charter · about 45 min
   • 3. Applying it: draft a charter and test the business case · about 42 min

   Learning outcomes

   • Distinguish the purpose, owner and content of a business case and a project charter
   • Draft project objectives that are specific, measurable and time-bound
   • Classify success criteria as measures of project delivery or of outcome and benefit
   • Describe governance roles, decision rights, tolerances and escalation routes for a small project
   • Calculate net annual benefit, simple payback and a five-year benefit-cost ratio from stated assumptions
   • Test a business case's sensitivity to its most uncertain assumption
   • Draft charter objectives, success criteria and tolerances consistent with the business case
   • Calculate payback and benefit-cost ratio for a process-improvement project, stating capacity assumptions
   • Draft a one-page charter with measurable objectives, success criteria, governance and tolerances
   • Critique a draft charter and justify specific corrections

4. Module 4. Stakeholders, communication, team responsibilities and RACI

   • 1. Stakeholders, engagement, communication and responsibility · about 40 min
   • 2. Worked example: Harbor Clinics stakeholder and communication plan · about 42 min
   • 3. Applying RACI: build, review and correct a responsibility matrix · about 42 min

   Learning outcomes

   • Classify stakeholders by influence and interest and record their current and desired engagement
   • Describe the elements of a communication plan and calculate the number of communication channels in a team
   • Explain the four RACI roles and the rules that make a RACI matrix workable
   • Draft a stakeholder register with influence, interest, engagement gaps and actions for a multi-site project
   • Calculate the effect of team growth on communication channels and justify a structural response
   • Draft a communication plan whose methods match each purpose and audience
   • Draft a RACI matrix for a project's key activities with exactly one accountable role per activity
   • Critique a RACI matrix by checking rows and columns for missing, duplicated or excessive assignments
   • Justify corrections in terms of decision speed, ownership and workload

5. Module 5. Requirements, scope, work breakdown, deliverables and acceptance

   • 1. From requirements to scope and a work breakdown structure · about 40 min
   • 2. Building the Harbor Clinics WBS and dictionary · about 40 min
   • 3. Acceptance criteria, scope control and feedback on your WBS · about 40 min

   Learning outcomes

   • Classify requirements as business, stakeholder, solution (functional or non-functional) or transition requirements
   • Draft a scope statement that separates in-scope deliverables, exclusions, constraints and assumptions
   • Apply the 100% rule to check that a WBS level contains all of its parent's work and nothing else
   • Describe what a work package and a WBS dictionary entry must contain
   • Compare deliverable-based, phase-based and location-based level-1 WBS structures for a given project
   • Decompose a deliverable into work packages and reconcile their estimates with a top-down figure
   • Draft a WBS dictionary entry with a boundary statement, acceptance criteria and basis of estimate
   • Draft measurable acceptance criteria that state the condition, the test method, the threshold and the acceptor
   • Calculate whether a test result meets a percentage acceptance threshold
   • Distinguish scope creep and gold plating from approved change, and route new requests correctly
   • Evaluate a draft WBS against a marking rubric and improve it

6. Module 6. Dependencies, estimating, schedules, critical path and milestones

   • 1. Dependencies, leads and lags, and estimating durations · about 40 min
   • 2. Calculating the Harbor Clinics network: forward pass, backward pass and critical path · about 45 min
   • 3. Applying the schedule: lags, compression and schedule quality · about 40 min

   Learning outcomes

   • Classify dependencies as finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish or start-to-finish, and as mandatory, discretionary or external
   • Explain the effect of a lead or a lag on the start of a successor activity
   • Calculate a three-point PERT estimate using (O + 4M + P) ÷ 6 and compare it with analogous and parametric estimates
   • Describe how a schedule network produces a critical path and float
   • Calculate early start, early finish, late start and late finish for every activity in a small network
   • Calculate total float and free float and identify the critical path
   • Explain how milestones and near-critical paths inform schedule decisions
   • Calculate a network that includes a finish-to-start lag and identify its critical path and float
   • Compare fast-tracking and crashing as ways to shorten the critical path, including their risks
   • Evaluate a draft schedule against a quality checklist and give specific feedback

7. Module 7. Cost estimating, budgets, baselines and basic performance measurement

   • 1. Estimating cost, building a budget and understanding reserves · about 40 min
   • 2. The Harbor Clinics budget, baseline and month-4 performance check · about 45 min
   • 3. Applying earned value and reporting cost performance · about 40 min

   Learning outcomes

   • Classify project costs as direct or indirect and as labour, materials, equipment, services or other
   • Calculate a budget build-up from work package estimates, contingency reserve and management reserve
   • Distinguish contingency reserve from management reserve by purpose, owner and control
   • Define planned value, earned value and actual cost and calculate cost and schedule variance for a simple case
   • Calculate a bottom-up work package estimate and a time-phased cumulative planned value
   • Calculate earned value from work package budgets and percent complete
   • Calculate CV, SV, CPI, SPI and a simple estimate at completion, and interpret them for a sponsor
   • Calculate PV, EV, AC, CV, SV, CPI, SPI and a simple EAC from a project status dataset
   • Interpret the four combinations of cost and schedule variance and propose suitable responses
   • Draft a short cost performance report that a sponsor can act on

8. Module 8. Risk, assumptions, issues, responses and escalation

   • 1. Risks, assumptions and issues: describing, assessing and responding · about 40 min
   • 2. The Harbor Clinics risk register: scoring, EMV and contingency · about 45 min
   • 3. Applying risk responses, opportunities and escalation · about 40 min

   Learning outcomes

   • Distinguish a risk, an issue and an assumption, and explain how each is recorded and managed
   • Draft risk statements in cause-event-effect form
   • Calculate a probability-impact score and an expected monetary value
   • Select threat responses (avoid, transfer, mitigate, accept, escalate) and opportunity responses (exploit, share, enhance, accept, escalate) and justify the choice
   • Calculate probability-impact scores and expected monetary values for a set of risks and rank them
   • Explain why rankings by score and by EMV can differ and what to do about it
   • Link the sum of threat EMVs to a contingency reserve and decide how to treat opportunities
   • Manage the transition of a risk to an issue, including contingency release
   • Draft cause-event-effect statements, triggers and owners for a set of project concerns
   • Calculate the net expected value of a response to a threat or an opportunity and decide whether it is worthwhile
   • Justify an escalation using agreed criteria and write a clear escalation note

9. Module 9. Quality, procurement, resources and supplier coordination

   • 1. Quality planning, assurance, control and the cost of quality · about 40 min
   • 2. Procurement: make or buy, contract types and risk allocation · about 42 min
   • 3. Resources, levelling and supplier coordination in practice · about 40 min

   Learning outcomes

   • Distinguish quality planning, quality assurance and quality control and give one project example of each
   • Draft testable acceptance criteria for a deliverable
   • Calculate the cost of quality in its four categories and compare conformance with non-conformance cost
   • Justify a prevention investment using a cost-of-quality comparison and its stated assumptions
   • Calculate a make-or-buy comparison over a stated period and identify the non-financial factors
   • Compare fixed-price, cost-reimbursable and time-and-materials contracts and explain how each allocates risk
   • Calculate the buyer's cost under each contract type for a given overrun scenario
   • Recommend a contract type for a described situation and justify it
   • Build a weekly resource histogram from task assignments and identify over-allocation
   • Level a resource using available float and state the effect on the schedule
   • Draft a supplier coordination plan covering cadence, interfaces and escalation

10. Module 10. Change control, reporting, corrective actions and delivery monitoring

    • 1. Change control and baseline configuration · about 40 min
    • 2. Status reporting, variance thresholds and corrective action · about 42 min
    • 3. Delivery monitoring in practice: taking a change through PVology ProjectOrbit · about 42 min

    Learning outcomes

    • Describe the steps of a change control process from request to baseline update
    • Analyse the impact of a change request on scope, schedule, cost, risk and benefits
    • Classify a change as within or beyond delegated authority using stated thresholds
    • Explain how baseline versions are controlled and why
    • Calculate schedule and cost variances and indices and rate them against stated thresholds
    • Draft a concise status report with status, trend, issues, decisions needed and forecast
    • Distinguish corrective actions from preventive actions and propose one of each for a variance
    • Prepare a full impact analysis with options for a substantial change request
    • Recommend a change board decision and justify it against current project performance
    • Record the change, decision and any baseline update using the project registers and baseline tools

11. Module 11. Operational readiness, handover, benefits ownership and lessons learned

    • 1. Operational readiness, transition and go-live decisions · about 40 min
    • 2. Acceptance sign-off and benefits ownership · about 42 min
    • 3. Project closure and lessons learned · about 40 min

    Learning outcomes

    • Define readiness criteria across people, process, technology, data and support
    • Assess readiness evidence and make a justified go, conditional go or no-go recommendation
    • Draft a transition plan that covers support, fallback and hypercare
    • Prepare an acceptance sign-off with evidence, open items and conditions
    • Calculate the expected annual value of benefits from baseline, target and unit values
    • Draft a benefit profile with owner, measure, baseline, target, data source and review dates
    • Distinguish cash-releasing benefits from capacity-releasing benefits
    • Complete a closure checklist covering contracts, finances, resources, records and open items
    • Calculate final cost variance against the original and current baselines and explain the difference
    • Write lessons learned with cause, effect, recommendation and an owner who will act on them

12. Module 12. Guided PVology application lab and integrated project capstone

    • 1. Guided lab: building the Harbor Clinics pilot in PVology ProjectOrbit · about 45 min
    • 2. The capstone brief, rubric and a fully worked model capstone · about 50 min
    • 3. Capstone self-review, common mistakes and submission · about 45 min

    Learning outcomes

    • Enter project setup and charter information that is consistent with an approved business case
    • Build a WBS and a dependency-based schedule and verify the critical path and float by calculation
    • Set a baseline, record risks and a change decision, and check that the dashboard reflects the same data
    • Explain each required capstone element and how it will be assessed
    • Apply the five-criterion rubric to judge the quality of a capstone
    • Trace the logic of a complete model capstone from charter to handover checklist
    • Self-assess a capstone draft against the rubric and calculate its score
    • Identify and correct the most common capstone mistakes
    • Prepare a complete submission package with assumptions, calculations and a cover summary

Capstone: Plan a small implementation project: charter, WBS, schedule with critical path, budget and baseline, stakeholder plan, risk register, one change decision and a handover checklist.

Certification exam

60 questions in 90 minutes; provisional pass mark 70%. Questions are scenario-based drawn from a private, reviewed bank. Results stay provisional until academy review. These are PVology assessment policies.

Across the domains, about 65% of questions test professional knowledge, 20% applied tools and 15% PVology concepts.