Duration:                                          1½ years

Minimum Credit load:                    288

Maximum Credit load:                    360

Total MBKs Credit load:                288

ZNQF Level:                                      9

INTRODUCTION

This programme introduces students to the fundamental concepts of planning and project management. The structure of the programme is designed to help students understand project planning processes such as scoping projects, scheduling projects, sequencing project activities, and utilising project resources; and to appreciate project management processes such as project quality management, project financing and risk management, project monitoring and control, as well as data generation, analysis and management. In light of the Education 5.0 philosophy, this programme demonstrates how imperative to produce innovative and industry-oriented project managers who can design and execute projects in line with national development imperatives such as the Zimbabwe National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1) and Vision 2030. This programme is also designed for both those currently working in a project-oriented role and those aspiring to launch a career in formal project management. For those who are already practising as project managers, this programme will refine and/or upgrade their ability to identify challenges and improve processes to effectively manage and lead projects in their organisation(s). The content of the programme is also well suited to new project management professionals who wish to upskill their project management abilities. Graduates in this programme will be able to successfully plan and manage projects as well as to lead and manage project teams in complex and competitive environments within the public, private and third sectors.

1.0 ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

At least a 2.1 pass in any relevant degree programme.

2.0 PROGRAMME CHARACTERISTICS

The Post-Graduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management (DPPM) is an 18 months part-time programme structured to meet project planning and management needs in Zimbabwe, the region and beyond. The programme teaching approach will enable students to develop and align their project management competencies to the key fundamentals of Education 5.0 philosophy such as innovation and industrialisation.

3.0 PROGRAMME DELIVERY

The programme content will be delivered through lectures, seminars, group presentations, guest lecturers and lecture notes.

4.0 LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of this programme the graduate will be able to:

• Develop and apply innovative and industry-oriented skills to the management of projects.
• Apply knowledge and experience of techniques of project planning and management that are required to achieve project objectives effectively.
• Use an integrated approach to the planning and management of any project that considers how the scope of work, the time and resources available, economic constraints and quality of work can be planned and controlled to meet the project objectives.
• Execute projects and use the earned value approach for monitoring and controlling their progress.
• Develop and apply strategic risk response systems to minimise risks when managing projects.
• Use applicable Management Information Systems to facilitate specific project management processes and activities.

5.0 GENERAL PROVISIONS

5.1       The Postgraduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management is offered through           the Block-Release Mode of Entry.

5.2     Normally, a student is expected to complete the programme in not less than 1½       years from the date of first registration

5.3       All modules in this programme are compulsory.

5.4       Each module in this programme is worth eighteen (18) credits except for the          dissertation which is worth thirty-six (36) credits.

6.0 PROGRAMME ASSESSMENT

Formal examinations will normally be held at the end of each semester.

6.1 Continuous assessment

This shall account for 40% of the overall assessment while the final examination will account for 60% of the overall assessment.

6.2 Marking Scheme and Diploma Classification done with reference to section 12 of the General Academic Regulations for Postgraduate Diplomas and Taught Masters.

7.0 PROVISION FOR PROGRESSION

7.1       If a student fails all modules at the end of the first semester, they shall retake the  failed modules.

7.2       If a student obtains a minimum number of credits required but fails in not more  than two modules, he or she can proceed to the second level, but must all modules  before fore obtaining the degree.

7.3       To proceed from one level to another, a student should at least pass 75% of their modules for the current level.

8.0 FAILURE TO SATISFY EXAMINERS

Students who fail to satisfy examiners within their examination period may be eligible for special examinations, retaking the failed module(s) at a later examination cycle, repeating the failed module(s) at a later semester, a discontinuation of studies (if they pass less than 25% of their modules), or withdrawing from the degree programme (if they have failed the same level of the programme twice).

9.0 GRADING AND DEGREE CLASSIFICATION

The grading of modules and the degree classification shall be as follows:

80% and Above                                                          Distinction

70%-79%                                                                    Merit

50%-69%                                                                    Pass

49% and Below                                                           Fail

10.0 DEGREE WEIGHTING

10.1     Final end-of-semester examinations contribute 60% towards the final mark for each  module.

10.2     Continuous assessment contributes 40% towards the final mark of each module.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Level 1 Semester 1                                                                                     

DPPM 601 Fundamentals of Planning and Project Management             15

DPPM 602 Project Quality Management                                                      15

         DPPM 603 Project Monitoring and Control                                                  15

 DPPM 604    Project Financing and Risk Management                               15                                   

Level 1 Semester 2

DPPM 605 Stakeholder and Conflict Management                                  15    

DPPM 606     Project Evaluation and Sustainability                               15

DPPM 607 Research Methods for Project Management                            15

DPPM 608    Data Generation, Analysis and Management                          15

     

Level 2 Semester 1

        DPPM 609     Project Management Leadership and Communication             15

           DPPM 610   Project Management Information Systems                            15

DPPM 611    Research Project                                                                   30

15.0 MODULE SYNOPSES

DPPM 601 Fundamentals of Planning and Project Management

This module introduces you to the fundamental aspects of project planning and management to give students some insights into the requirements for handling multi-disciplinary projects in a rapidly changing business environment.  In this regard, the module covers planning components such as understanding the scope of the project, scheduling the project and an exposition of how project efficiency and productivity can be achieved. The module also enables students to identify how project constraints must be balanced to support project success. The module looks at approaches to project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation as they relate to public projects and programmes. The module will examine the different project tools that are used in pursuing the success of projects. The module explains some of the skills required to meet difficult and complex challenges in running huge projects that involve the coordination of many different people, the completion of many tasks in a precise sequence and the expenditure of a great deal of time and money. The rationale is to develop and stimulate debates that are around the management of development projects with an applied orientation towards initiatives in both developed and developing countries.

 

DPPM 602 Project Quality Management

This module orients you to the processes and activities that are essential in ensuring that a project delivers the standard quality expected by the stakeholders. The module emphasises the three fundamental requirements of quality management which are: quality planning, quality assurance and quality control. The comprehensive discussion of these three fundamental requirements will enable students to understand why project managers need to coordinate planned project activities and processes in a manner that ensures that the quality requirements of the projects are fulfilled. The module also explores the strategies that are used to ensure that the project processes are compliant with agreed project standards and eliminate unsatisfactory outputs. In this regard, the Total Quality Management (TQM) framework will be analysed to understand its utility in Project Management. The overall purpose of the module is to enable students to discover the safeguards that can be put in place to guarantee that all project quality expectations will be met within the stipulated budget and timeframes.

 

DPPM 603 – Project Monitoring and Control

This module is aimed at developing the capacity of the participants with the concepts, applied knowledge and practices of the concepts of monitoring and control as they are applied in project planning and management contexts. It introduces module participants to the notion of monitoring and underscores its importance in the entire project management cycle to ensure the realisation of the desired project outcomes. The concepts and practices of data collection, data documentation/ management, data processing, analysis and reporting, and the adjustment of programme/project targets and directions are also taken into account for the efficiency and effectiveness of the management of public resources.

DPPM 604 – Project Financing and Risk Management

This module has a dual focus. Firstly, the module introduces students to the central components of project financing, to equip them with essential knowledge for setting the financial projections for the project revenue and income. The module is designed to enable the learner to understand the theoretical and empirical aspects for planning, controlling and reviewing utilised project funds. Second, the module will help students to develop working-level competencies for understanding and managing risks that may negatively or positively affect a project. Such knowledge will enable students to develop skills in identifying risks, qualifying and quantifying risks, risk response planning and risk response control. Upon completion of the module, students are expected not only to know how to analyse project risks in different contexts or to assess project risks according to their likelihood and their magnitude but also to make informed project risk management decisions and actions.

DPPM 605 – Conflict and Stakeholder Management

The purpose of this module is to examine the dynamics of project conflicts and how project managers can resolve them rationally and effectively. The module will discuss the inevitability of conflict from the background that project stakeholders and actors can have different perspectives and attitudes, yet it remains essential to ensure that the rate of conflicts is minimised and that if conflicts arise, they are dealt with quickly and professionally. The module enables students to understand how conflicts between and amongst stakeholders for a given project can emanate and explode if not properly managed. Students will also be able to appreciate the need to regularly and effectively communicate with project stakeholders as a measure to minimise conflicts. The module explores the utility of conflict management approaches such as collaborating, competing, avoiding, accommodating and compromising. The overall objective of the module is to help students avoid conflict and apply these approaches in managing emerging conflicts before they adversely affect project success.

DPPM 606 – Project Evaluation and Sustainability

This module introduces students to various approaches to project evaluation that can be applied in a range of public and development management contexts to promote project sustainability. Current debates around evaluation theory and practice are introduced and some are explored in detail – all with a specific interest in debates around project evaluation and sustainability questions in sub-Saharan Africa. In this regard, the module underscores the concept of green economy, which emphasises that project implementation processes deliver project outputs that are consumed in an ecologically friendly and sustainable manner. There is further emphasis on impact evaluation and how proper project management, monitoring and control ensure project sustainability which is at the core of project management in the contemporary world. The module further capacitates programme and policy professionals who will be commissioning, managing, designing, and/or implementing evaluations and provides them with a solid academic foundation on which to build further practical and experiential skills and expertise.

DPPM 607 – Research Methods for Project Management

Research provides critical information for facilitating different project management processes. Given this, the module introduces students to the qualitative and quantitative research methods that are crucial in project management. It is designed to engage students in both the qualitative and the statistical investigation process, that is, from developing a research question and data collection methods to analysing, interpreting and communicating data for continuous project improvement and decision-making. This module further introduces students to qualitative methods as well as descriptive and inferential statistics through the use of traditional and simulation approaches which include confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. Students will also be exposed to real-world applications of qualitative and quantitative techniques purely designed to enhance their conceptual understanding of the research approaches relevant to the development and management of projects.

DPPM 608 – Data Generation, Analysis and Management

This module covers project quantitative and qualitative information collection, collating, analysis, and reporting as well as knowledge management. It challenges students to engage with data in a post- and de-colonial context, and not simply accept data as fact, nor data collection as an act without power relations at stake. This is NOT a skills transfer course. There are no right answers. The aim is to jointly think through where power lies when data are collected when data are analysed and reported (by whom, to whom, for whose benefit?) when indicators are devised, when programmes or projects are designed, and so on. Various databases are also explored to capacitate the module participants with the requisite knowledge to smoothly navigate the project data management process.

DPPM 609 – Project Management Leadership and Communication 

The module focuses on leadership competencies and the communication aptitudes that enable project managers to coordinate their teams effectively and deliver projects successfully. Successful project managers are managers who practice both strong management skills and effective leadership and communication skills. Participants will learn about practicing leadership skills in managing projects, including inter and intra-personal communication skills, negotiation skills, team building, and the exercise of rational-legal authority as well as the most basic leadership competencies in motivating and inspiring project teams. The primary focus of the module is on building leadership and communication competencies to transform successful project managers into effective leaders.

DPPM 610 – Project Management Information Systems

The prime focus of the module is to enable students to understand how Information Systems can be used to facilitate decision-making and coordination of project activities at the various stages of the project lifecycle. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has increased the adoption and use of Management Information Systems (MISs) in project management. Thus, this module orients students to some of the common MISs such as the Project Planning and Scheduling System (PPSS), the Procurement Planning and Monitoring System (PPMS) as well as the Project Performance Indicator Tracking System (PPITS). The module explores the supporting functions of project management, analysing and managing the performance of a project, and communicating with stakeholders, inside and outside of the project. Amongst key issues to be covered include the Systems Approach, Information Systems in strategic management and Information Systems in organisation functions. Upon completing this module, students are expected to understand software applications and methodological processes for managing information-related project processes and activities using MISs.

DPPM 611 – Research Project

This module provides an opportunity for students to identify a novel project planning and management problem and conduct empirical research to develop and propose innovative solutions to address them. It provides students with an opportunity to apply research methodology concepts and statistical skills previously taught in other modules to design sustainable solutions to societal challenges. Students will carry out research on a unique topic of their choice concerning pertinent issues in project planning and management. The student is expected to conduct empirical research and develop a report that reflects innovative and critical thinking to address a properly conceptualised project issue.