Certificate of Excellence (Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Programs)

Fundamentals of Project Management

• Defining projects
• Overview of project management
• The Triple Constraints in Project Management
• Functions of a Project Manager
• The project Lifecycle

Project Identification and Design

• Context Analysis
• Needs Analysis
• Design of project intervention
• Development of project proposal
• Project appraisal

Project Set-Up and Planning Phase

• Stakeholder Management Plan
• Project Implementation Plan
• Project Management and Governance Structure
• Risk Management Plan
• M&E Plan
• Project Financial Plan

Project Scope Management

• What is Project Scope?
• Project and Product scope
• Use of Work Breakdown Structure in Scope definition
• Scope Creep

Project Time Management

• Activity Definition and Sequencing
• Activity Duration Estimating
• Activity Resource Estimation
• Schedule Development
• Optimizing schedule
• Schedule Control

Project Resources Management

• Why is managing resources important?
• Managing Project Finances; Budgeting, Cost Estimation, Cost baseline, Monitoring Budgets and Expenditures
• Project Earned Value Analysis
• Managing the Supply Chain
• Human Resources Management

Project Implementation

• Launching the Project
• Managing Project Implementation
• RACI Matrix
• Project Tracking and Adjustment
• Managing Issues and Risks

Project Monitoring and Evaluation

• Monitoring strategies
• Data Collection for Monitoring
• Tools for monitoring and performance measurement
• Change and schedule control.

End–of–Project Transition Phase

• Types of Transitions
• Planning for closure
• Administrative and Financial Closure
• Project Learning
• Evaluation

Introduction to M&E

• Definition of monitoring and evaluation
• M&E and project management
• Why monitoring and evaluation is important.
• Key principles and concepts in M&E
• Monitoring and evaluation processes

Results-Based Management

• Introduction to results-based management approach
• Steps in results-based management
• Application of results-based management in project design
• Understanding the results chain approach

Project Analysis

• Problem analysis
• Objectives analysis
• Strategy analysis

Project Logic Design/Theory of Change

• Introduction to problem analysis
• Understanding M&E causal pathway
• Developing the project results levels: goal, outcomes and output
• Formulating activities

Project Indicators

• Introduction to project indicator
• Indicator development
• Predefined indicators
• Linking indicators to results in programs.
• Indicator matrix
• Program indicator performance tracking.

Completing the M&E Tools

• Completing the logical framework
• Developing a theory of change
• Completing the performance measurement framework

Project Monitoring

• Introduction to program monitoring.
• Types of monitoring
• Monitoring strategies
• Tools for monitoring and performance measurement

M&E Reporting

• Introduction to reporting
• Key elements in progress reporting
• Reporting schedules

M&E Plan

• Introduction to M&E system and M&E Plan
• Components of the M&E Plan
• Developing the M&E Plan
• Implementing the M&E plan

Baseline Studies in Results-based M&E

• Importance of baseline studies
• Process of conducting baseline studies
• Baseline study vs evaluation

Project Evaluations

• Introduction to project evaluation
• Types of evaluations
• Process of conducting evaluation
• Project evaluation criteria
• Developing evaluation questions
• Developing evaluation matrix
• Evaluation reporting

Overview of Impact Evaluation

• Introduction to impact evaluation
• Project attribution for outcome of interest
• Impact evaluation designs

Learning in M&E

• Introduction to learning
• Documentation of lessons learned and best practices.
• Use of learning to improve and strengthen projects.
• M&E Results dissemination