CREDITS: 65.0 PDUs │DURATION: 8 Months Access / 65 Contact Hours │COURSE # DPM107B

---

The Project Management for Development Practitioners™ (PMDP™), training programme is designed to keep development practitioners up-to-date with the relevant tools and techniques, which promote effective management of development projects and programmes. Project managers and project teams possess a broad skill base that allows them to do the multi-tasking necessary for planning and completing large-scale projects. Good project management can determine the success or failure of a development project/programme and it’s undeniable that programmatic success lies in senior managers’ abilities to effectively manage overlapping and complex projects.

Learning Outcomes

After participating in the learning experience each participant should be able to:

1. Identify and explain the 5 process groups of project management (initiation, planning, execution, controlling, close-out), as outlined in the PMBOK®.
2. Identify and give examples of project life cycles used by international organisations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
3. Apply project Scope, Time, HR, Communication, Quality, Risk and Procurement using specific examples to international development projects.
4. Utilise results-oriented planning techniques to plan components of real-world projects, namely, the logical framework analysis.
5. Utilise social analysis and social mapping techniques to plan and design components of a real-world project.
6. Plan and facilitate a real-world participatory workshop and focus group discussion.
7. Apply approaches to monitoring and evaluation, such as result-based, participatory and learning process approaches to a real-world project.
8. Demonstrate an understanding of various data collection method and setting baseline data.

Course Content

The course is made up of several modules, although you may do each module independently, each module in this programme is essential to understanding the concept and processes of project management within the context of international development:

• Project Management Fundamentals
• The Logical Framework
• Social Analysis Tools
• Participatory Project Planning
• Techniques for Monitoring and Evaluating

Each lesson has its respective course outline and learning objectives. This will be made available to registered students, at the start of each lesson.

Learning Approach

This training programme will help learners to hone skills that are essential for efficient project management. The foundation techniques used are:

• Experiential Learning
• Case Studies/Scenarios
• Adult Learning Techniques

The courses entail quality content, interaction, graphics and quizzes, making learning interesting and effective. With the aim of retaining the attention of the learner and encourage participatory learning, the instructional design of the training includes skills assessment, questions, simulations, exercises and audio.

Some components of the programme is fully aligned with the Project Management Institute’s (PMI®) current Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®); whilst other contents are aligned, but with emphasis on dynamics that are unique to the international development field.

Class Schedule

Online Format with Live Sessions

• The course is self-paced. Learners can access the material 24/7 during the course period.
• There will be special sessions where instructors will be available for live online discussions/webinars.
• Complete schedules will be provided for registered students

Material

Recommended Text: It is recommended that persons have a copy of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®).

Free Material: Electronic copies of course case studies, assignment sheets/templates, handouts and job aides etc.

This training programme is designed for persons working in diplomacy, international development and the public sector, who would like to hone and develop their project management and team functionality skills.

Assessments will be completed online and offline. Exams and Quizzes are time bound. For some courses the grades will be generated automatically. Each course will have 2 methods of assessment.

1. Simulation Exercise OR an Essay – some modules will have a simulation exercise and others will have an essay. The aim of a simulation is to place the learner in a real life situation where she/he will need to use the skills and techniques acquired to solve problems. The simulation or essay values 65% of the total grade. The simulations cumulatively value 65% of the total grade
2. Written Exam/Quizzes – The exam/Quizzes cumulatively value 35% of the total grade.

Entry Requirements

Anyone may take this course, but it is best suited for both persons who:

1. Already have work experience in international development, NGO sector, government or diplomacy; as well as
2. those who would like to enter into this field of work.

Sherrone Blake- Lobban (MA Econ), PMP

Course Founder and Key Instructor

Sherrone is the founder of PMGI and DPM International. She has over 20 years’ experience in development planning, management and evaluation. Her areas of interests are community safety, international peace and security, trade and development, governance; strategic planning; project management; and curriculum development.

Sherrone has developed more than 30 courses in project management for both face-face and online delivery. She is the founder and developer of the current Project Management for Development Practitioners (PMDP) course.

Sherrone is highly skilled in the analysis of complex information, in the context of economics and Government policies and strategies for the improvement of services, and performance. Through her international work with governments and international organisations such as DFID, IDB, USAID and the United Nations working in and on countries including Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Israel, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, New York, Sudan and Syria, Sherrone has gained a reputation as a skilled and reliable expert. Whilst she has the ability to communicate with staff and managers at the operational level and presenting strategic reports for example to the UN Secretary General outlining high stake recommendations for technical assistance and capacity building, or conducting consultations with national governments, she has exhibited equal adept at communicating and developing programmes at the community level.

Among her civil commitments, Mrs. Lobban served as Executive Secretary and Chairperson of the Education & Training Committee for the Young Entrepreneurs Association and was a member of the Management Advisory Committee of the Rockfort HEART-TRUST/NTA.

Sherrone holds a Masters of Arts (Econ) degree in Development Administration and Management from the University of Manchester, UK and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute Inc. USA. She also holds language competence certification in Diplôme approfondi de langue française from the French Ministry of Education, France.