Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management

Purpose

Project management is not a basic management science but an applied management science, building on, applying and integrating basic management knowledge.

The qualification combines the management skills underlying effective project management with the philosophy, principles and techniques particular to management. This will not only prepare and increase the availability of competent project managers, but also begin to build a pool of executive managers able to manage the project management function in organisations. In addition, it will create upper management skills in respect of understanding the relationship between project management and functional management, as well as the integration of projects with the strategic management of organisations.

Rationale

Managers are facing increasingly complex challenges, such as having to contend with rapid changes stemming from constant obsolescence of their products, the necessity for rapid response to their markets and acting quickly when faced with opportunities. This situation is exacerbated by most of these challenges being of a discontinuous nature and increasingly requiring inputs across the organisation, or across various organisations or even across various countries.

Project Management is concerned with delivering a specified, discontinuous deliverable by a specific team representing the various specialist skills required, against planned performance, time and cost targets, and is therefore suited to the above scenario. Even with regard to the public sector, Government has publicly emphasised the need to embrace project management as the way to deliver services and improve service levels.

Learners who would benefit from this qualification are employed managers from, or potentially to be promoted to, the whole spectrum of senior, executive and middle management levels. The qualification will enable them to exercise these competencies in all management and leadership roles, in all economic sectors and in all types of private and public enterprises, including Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), Black Empowerment companies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), large organisations and multi-national global players.

The qualification will contribute towards building the intellectual capacity of Africa and to successful learners being active role-players in the development of South African society.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Highly experienced people not meeting these minimum academic requirements will be required to go through a rigorous process of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to establish their potential to participate in the program. RPL of learners will be conducted in accordance with the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy of the institution. A functional system for RPL is in place at the institution where RPL is used as a mechanism to gain access to programmes.

RPL applications for the institution are received by the Centre for Assessments and Graduations. The candidates are required to complete an RPL application document. Accompanying the RPL application must be certified copies of all previous qualifications and a comprehensive portfolio of evidence, reflecting on extensive work learning.

Once the institution's RPL coordinator has deemed the RPL application as being complete, the portfolio will be sent to the Department of Department of Business Support Studies for assessment. The faculty's RPL committee assesses the candidate's portfolio thoroughly against the relevant learning outcomes.

Entry Requirements

The minimum admission requirements for Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management are

• An appropriate Bachelor's Degree at Level 7.

Or

• An appropriate Advanced Diploma in at Level 7.

This qualification consists of compulsory modules at Levels 8, totalling 144 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, Level 8, 144 Credits

• Project management process theory, 12 Credits.
• Project management process in practice, 12 Credits.
• Project scheduling, 12 Credits.
• Project accounting, 12 Credits.
• Project risk management, 12 Credits.
• Project procurement, 12 Credits.
• Project human resources management and communication, 12 Credits.
• Project management with Integrity, 12 Credits.
• Project quality management, 12 Credits.
• Strategic entrepreneurship, 12 Credits.
• Research methodology, 12 Credits.
• Research project, 12 Credits.

1. Demonstrate and apply coherent and advanced knowledge of key project management principles, standards and practice which are underpinned by appropriate project management theories, procedures and frameworks.
2. Critically analyse problems from interdisciplinary perspectives to establish innovative solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences, including design and implementation alternative solutions.
3. Communicate in a proficient and professional manner project management plans that meet business needs in complex environments.
4. Critically evaluate, justify and articulate appropriate responses to ethical issues and dilemmas in project management environments.
5. Apply critical thinking to promote new and innovative approaches to project management and processes in various business contexts.
6. Demonstrate the ability to work independently and show leadership where appropriate particularly in a diverse team environment.
7. Develop an understanding of the fundamental principles, context, systems and methods of applied research in project management practice.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key project management principles, standards and practice which are underpinned by appropriate project management theories, procedures and frameworks.
• Apply generic project management philosophy, principles and techniques to analyse, plan, measure progress, control and report on any project of any kind or size in any industry.
• Develop a project plan for application in a real-life situation that includes all the operational processes for executing a project.
• Compile and execute the procurement plan for a project and manage the steps in a typical procurement-contracting process.
• Identify, distinguish between and plan for the variable and fixed costs, on a project.
• Allocate costs for the various inputs to the relevant functional inputting department, contributors or contractors.
• Analyse the present status of a project, make a diagnosis, determine the appropriate steps to rectify and make a prognosis of the eventual outcome of the project.
• Demonstrate an understanding of and able to put together a quality assurance plan for a project.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of project risk and what the origins of project risks are.
• Identify the types of risks inherent in the different phases of a project life cycle.
• Identify risk events that can be mitigated by insurance as risk mitigation tool and procure the various types of insurance.
• Analyse, plan and draw up a risk register and decide on the best way to mitigate identified risks.
• Quantify the probability and impact of a risk event.
• Implement qualitative risk management.
• Identify the different types of contracts based on the division of risks between owner and contractor.
• Implement contract administration and closeout processes.
• Utilise and apply MS-Project software, or a similar application, to:

> Draw up a task list and establish the relationships between the tasks.

> Allocate resources and determine the estimated budget.

> Generate a Precedence diagram and a Gantt chart.

> Enter progress information; track the progress and costs, against the planned schedule and costs.

• Schedule a project with repetitive tasks and outputs according to the balance line technique.
• Resolve the resource dependency of precedence scheduling through the application of the Theory of Constraints.
• Optimise the duration of a project by balancing fixed and variable costs.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Demonstrate an understanding of the perspectives and multi-dimensional nature of the organisation as a system, and analyse own organisation, using a framework of multiple perspectives and dimensions.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Develop and maintain communication planning on a project.
• Identify and implement communication methodologies appropriate to project complexity.
• Implement and maintain information distribution and performance reporting.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Evaluate, justify and apply appropriate responses to ethical issues and dilemmas in each project management situation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Identify and manage stakeholders within the project domain.
• Apply the idealised redesign approach to developing an ideal future for own organisation.
• Develop the strategic business architecture of own organisation.
• Apply the concept of market segmentation to own organisation.
• Identify and manage the value drivers of own organisation within the context of value-based management.
• Demonstrate knowledge of Cost implications of Front End Loading and cash flow.
• Identify, plan and manage situations which can be more fruitfully procured through partnering and strategic alliances between owner and contractor as the procurement processes, as an alternative to the risk division process.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Demonstrate a personal understanding of the impact of a leadership profile.
• Demonstrate insight on leadership behaviours that create conditions for team work.
• Interpret the process of change management in project execution.
• Demonstrate an understanding of Emotional Intelligence.
• Demonstrate confidence and assertiveness regarding own leadership capability in bringing sustainability to bear on project management.
• Manage and resolve conflicts effectively.
• Use negotiation in managing working relationships with others, and in everyday activities.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Ability to apply fundamental principles and methods of applied research in in the project management context.

Integrated Assessment

All work and assessment are required to preferably start with situations and required decisions in an industrial setting. Such practices enable the programme and its lecturers to achieve the required integration of assessment which by definition means to:

• Treat a number of outcomes together.
• Treat a number of assessment criteria together.
• Promote an awareness of the connections and relationships between the knowledge, processes and skills inside the different modules.
• Practice a combination of assessment methods and instruments used to achieve outcome/outcomes.
• Collect naturally occurring evidence (such as in the workplace setting).